September Newsletter 2023
View from Shepard’s Well, Greylock Range to the left, Berlin Mtn. to the right, pic by M Waldman
FALL LUNCHEON: Join us at the annual Fall Luncheon! See old friends, make new friends, enjoy a nice meal and an interesting presentation.
Where and when: Moscatiello’s Italian Restaurant, 99 North Greenbush Rd (Rte. 4), Troy, on Sunday, November 5, 12:00 to 3:00 PM
Cost: $20 per person. The Club partly subsidizes the meal.
Meal: The buffet includes salad & rolls, portabella mushroom ravioli, meatballs & sausage, and chicken marsala, followed by mini cannoli.
Meeting & Speaker: After the meal we will have a brief business meeting followed by our feature presentation.
Speaker: Jane Winn, Executive Director, Berkshire Environmental Action Team (BEAT)
Jane Winn grew up in Pittsfield when the Housatonic River was so polluted that one evening it caught on fire, creating a smaller version of the 1969 Cuyahoga River fire in Cleveland, OH. Jane has her bachelor’s degree in biology from Quinnipiac University and a masters in zoology from UMass Amherst. In 2003 she was part of a group of volunteers who founded Berkshire Environmental Action Team - or BEAT - to protect the environment for wildlife in support of the natural world that sustains us all.
Jane will talk in her usual animated way about this local environmental action organization that, despite its small size, has a big impact on the health of our environment in the Berkshires and, of course, on the Taconic Range. BEAT is part of a larger partnership that works to protect and connect habitat to ensure that wildlife will be able to move throughout to complete their daily, seasonal, and dispersal needs. BEAT’s mission echoes that of other area conservation nonprofits like the Rensselaer Plateau Alliance but is more issue and advocacy focused. Jane has many stories to tell about the wins BEAT has had against tough odds. She will tell us why she thinks the forested lands around the Berkshires are one of the best places to be given our rapidly changing climate and she can offer ideas about some of the many things that can be done to make our area more resilient in the face of our climate and biodiversity crises.
To learn more about BEAT and their upcoming gatherings see https://www.thebeatnews.org/BeatTeam/. If you subscribe to their newsletter, you can find out some intriguing things about nature, habitats, and the roles humans play.
Make your reservation now! Mail your $20 check made out to Taconic Hiking Club, to Taconic Hiking Club, c/o Margaret Parks, 9 Tokay Lane, Schenectady, NY 12309.
Due Date: Wednesday, November 1.
LOCAL MOUNTAIN BIKE TRAILS TO EXPLORE
Let’s say you’ve finished a nice hike on the Taconic Crest Trail and your legs are strong and energy is high. What to do? Challenge yourself with some of the mountain bike trails that ring the Taconic Ridge. There are more and more of them each year, some long-standing traditional (legal) ones and others that have “popped up” spontaneously through the efforts of informal mountain bike groups.
The best-known ones are these:
Pittsfield State Forest in Pittsfield and Hancock--Pittsfield State Forest (PSF) has the most legal mountain bike trails. With GPS, everything’s mapped so you just look at your phone to figure out where to go next. Many trails, however, are not legally sanctioned. It’s legal to ride the trails but just not build them. Deer Hill, Rotten Apple, Fuzzy Bunny, and Bear Claw Loop offer a variety of terrain and skill levels. Here is a link to all the trails in PSF, their expertise level, and their ranking: https://www.trailforks.com/region/pittsfield-state-forest/trails/
Parallel to and occasionally intersecting with the Taconic Crest Trail is a motorized vehicle accessible trail called the Taconic Skyline Trail. This provides an out-and-back trail for experienced riders as you traverse 13.3 miles of the Taconic Range in Pittsfield State Forest.
Kennedy Park in Lenox-There is a maze of trails of all levels of difficulty in Kennedy Park and the surrounding area. https://www.trailforks.com/region/kennedy-park/trails/ Highlights are “Broken Thumb” and “The Finger.”
Yokun Ridge in West Stockbridge and Lenox – The Burbank Trail on the north side of Olivia’s Overlook offers a loop trail for intermediate riders. Ride on this 3.1-mile path to get excellent views of the rolling mountains and seasonal wildflowers.
Rounding out the above favorites are the downhill runs at Jiminy. After you get your lift ticket, enjoy going down the mountain on intermediate and expert-level trails. Or try Berkshire East, another ski area, or one of the paved descents from the summit of Greylock. At the Boulders, a Berkshire Natural Resourse Council property in Dalton, you can do a nice loop trail for intermediate riders with beautiful views and plenty of shade.
How do you find these trails?
You can start with the New England Mountain Bike Association website www.nemba.org where an interactive map helps define discrete areas and their trails. They have a lot of photos too. Websites that can assist with trail finding are “Strava”, a GPS mapping webpage where you can go and pick your route depending on how much climbing you want to do. There are also other sites like “Map My Ride” or “Ride With GPS.” For mountain biking, there is an App called “Trail Forks” for finding your trails. You don’t need cell service, just GPS downloaded into your phone. There is also the Berkshire Biking Association with some resources and news about biking events.
As they say in the movies….“LET’S RIDE”!
OUTINGS: Refer to the THC website outings page for details about the outings and how to register. We schedule on a monthly and short-term basis, so check the website periodically.
Friday, September 15: Basin Pond & AT to Finerty Pond, B
Wednesday, September 20: Windham High Peak B
Friday, September 22 Lenox Mountain and Yokun Ridge B-
Tuesday, September 26: Lulu Brook to Parker Brook Loop hike - Pittsfield State Forest B
Friday, October 6: Field Farm C
Wednesday, October 11: Burbank Trail & Parson’s Marsh Overlook Foliage Hike C/C+
Wednesday, October 18: Rounds Rock Loop hike from Visitor Center, Greylock B
“In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” John Muir
Viscid Violet Cort mushroom at Hopkins Memorial Forest, pic by B Schwebler
Viewpoint on Spruce Hill, Hoosac Range Trail, pic by M Waldman
Interesting tree base, Hoosac Range Trail, pic by M Waldman
Shepard’s Well Trail, towards Greylock Range, pic by J Gorman
The wet summer has produced plenty of colorful mushrooms!
Schodack Creek paddle, backset, pic by D Pisaneschi
Petersburg Pass overlook, towards Rensselaer Plateau, pic by T Rodrigues