**View from Stoney Ledge, Greylock Reservation - the landscape is always dramatic - with or without the leaves! Pic by M Waldman**

TRAIL CLOSURES

Mattison Hollow Trail to the TCT and the Taconic Crest Trail north from there to the summit of Berlin Mtn are temporarily closed. NYS DEC Rangers and other fire cleanup crew are still putting out hot spots and evaluating the area from the wildfire that started on October 25. Avoid the area and the access trails to the TCT in that section until the cleanup work is done. We will post updates on the Trail Conditions and the Outings pages of the Taconic Hiking Club website when NYS DEC gives us the “all clear”.

What a great firefighting response by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, MA National Guard, 13 volunteer fire departments, and the Albany Pine Bush fire crew. Many thanks to them for their collaborative efforts to contain the fire at 251 acres.

FALL LUNCHEON: Be sure to register by TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3!!!

Join us at the annual Fall Luncheon! See old friends, make new friends, enjoy a nice meal and an interesting presentation on the Deadly World of Raptors in our area!

• Where and when: Moscatiello’s Italian Restaurant, 99 North Greenbush Rd (Rte. 4), Troy, on Sunday, November 8, 12:00 to 3:00 PM

• Cost: $25 per person. The Club partly subsidizes the meal.

• Meal: The buffet includes salad, rolls, penne marinara, meatballs & sausage, and eggplant parmigiana, followed by mini cannoli.

• Meeting & Speaker: After the meal we will have a brief business meeting followed by our feature presentation.

Speaker: Samantha Carouso-Peck, Head Ornithologist and Educator, Grassland Bird Trust

Presentation: The Deadly World of Raptors: Secrets of the New York Grasslands

Forget everything you thought you knew about birds of prey - some of the most unusual, ingenious, and beautiful raptors live right here on the grasslands of Upstate New York. Meet the owl who hunts during the day, nests on the ground, and has the most peculiar courtship display. Learn about the hawk who hunts like a ghost, dances in the sky, and keeps a harem of females. See the world through the eyes of a tiny falcon who hovers like a helicopter, feasts on bugs, and can see in colors beyond human perception. Join Dr. Samantha Carouso-Peck for a fascinating inside look at the secretive lives of the birds of prey in our backyard.

Reservations: Use this link to pay online, via this website. (You may also use a link on the Outings page, Luncheon posting, to pay online.)

Due Date: Tuesday, November 3.

NOMINEES for the 2027/28 THC Board: Election be held during the THC annual luncheon.

President - Martha Waldman
Vice President - Karen Ross
Treasurer - Leslie Siegard
Secretary – Michelle Filiault

Volunteers continuing their Coordinator roles for 2027/28 include: Trails - Dave Pisaneschi, Membership - Sue Jordan, and Social - Margaret Parks

GOODBYE TO FOLIAGE, HELLO TO THE OPEN WOODS

When the leaves have fallen, leaving bare branches, more views open up to delight late fall hikers. The woods are quieter and more peaceful, the leaf peakers have gone home, and birds have migrated south. The trails are covered with layers of rattling fallen leaves, and the air is crisp and colder.

Fall weather changes quickly and daily temperatures can moderate from below freezing to well into the 50s. Sun, clouds, rain, or a little sleet can make a big difference in your comfort and safety on the trail. All bets are off at elevation, where you may encounter icy trails, pockets of snow, and cold wind. Yes, that’s a recipe for hypothermia, so be prepared in the following ways.

There’s nothing worse than rapidly losing light on a hike that goes longer than planned. A (charged) headlamp and extra batteries in your pack may make all the difference in making it safely back to your car. No bothersome bugs or snakes in the brush, but with dark settling in closer and closer to 4PM, it’s good to keep track of one’s time on the trail and adjust.

Layer up! Hit the winter closet and get out the fleece, hats, gloves and outer wind and waterproof layers, and depending on the forecast, pack them or wear them. Oh—and put a scraper in your car and throw the microspikes in your trunk!

You won’t be the only one to lose track of where the trail is going with the leaves down and falling and maybe trees with trail blazes also lying on the trail, so be aware of your last blaze so you can always go back to it and try to find the next blaze and the trail again. It’s easy to get turned around in the orangey-brown woods with leaves obscuring the trail, so pay attention so you don’t get too far off trail after the last marker.

With wet weather, the leaves get compacted and slippery, obscuring rocks and roots, so consider trekking poles for support, and when you do encounter ice, take out the micro or nanospikes. No need to slip and get injured just before ski season!

As always, be prepared with the 10 Essentials

Hunting Season is here, so you need to make yourself extra visible in the woods. Wear blaze orange vests, hats, or bandanas so you can be seen, and put blaze orange on your hiking dogs, especially the ones with white tails! 43 states require hunters to wear blaze orange, so you should be able to spot them as well, and it’s illegal to fire a weapon on or across trails. Avoid hiking at dawn or dusk when visibility is low and game are active. Keep in mind and be reassured that the US has 15 million licensed hunters and accidents are rare. Hunters usually avoid well-known trails, because hiker activity scares the game away anyway. MA and ME are the only states to ban hunting on Sundays, so head there if you’re extra wary. It’s already bow season out there, but the dates for rifle in NYS for our region is Nov. 21 to Dec. 13, and for MA it’s Nov. 30 to Dec. 12 for shotgun. For more information, contact MA Dept. of Fish and Game or NYS Dept. of Environmental Conservation.

Have fun out there with your heavier packs this fall, and enjoy the colorful woods.

RENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP for 2027 now!

You may renew online or by mail. Be sure to update changes in your contact information: email, phone, or address.

To renew a membership by credit card or PayPal, go to the membership page of the Taconic Hiking Club website, or click here https://taconichikingclub.org/membership

To renew by mail, make out a check payable to the “Taconic Hiking Club” in the amount of $10. (per person). Send completed check to:

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.

Wednesday, November 4: Rounds Rock Loop - Greylock B
Wednesday, November 11: Alford Springs – Saddle to Father Loop trails, B
Friday November 13 Harvey Mountain, Austerlitz C+
Monday, November 23: Overlook Mountain B

QUOTE: “In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers.” – Cynthia Rylant

November Newsletter 2026