Hopkins Mountain via Mossy Trail-March 2, 2017
First hike since last September! I have always been a bit nervous on the start of this trail as it runs parallel to the Ausable River. If you remember Hurricane Irene tore through NY State in 2011, besides doing major damage to the roadways and the community of Keene, it cut deep into it’s banks, tearing through the forest and dragging , bolders, trees, bridges and pipes along with it. Early into this hike the trail is on the edge of the wall, with the river raging below. Fallen trees, tubing and wire fences still litter the forest. We have avoided this trail in the icy winter months because of this, however we attempted it this time and successfully, albeit tenuously, navigated this area. The trail skirts some private property and turns deeper into hemlock forests traversing up to 3800 feet. Winter hiking is slow for us, we tend to respect our turnaround time rather than worry about summiting, so we packed in a solid 4 hour hike and called it a day.
Van Hovenberg Mountain-March 3, 2017
Beautiful trail ,snowy, but not enough for snowshoes we used micro spikes up… but crampons down. Got to the ledge and had a nice snack with hot cider and trail mix. This is the second time here, last time was not snowy. Beaver activity really floods the lower area and makes for challenging footing. Another 4 hour hike.
Car Trouble-March 4, 2017 Engine light really put a damper on our hiking day. Certainly don’t want to be stuck on a remote trailhead up here. So we stayed put, knit, read, relaxed and enjoyed the cabin..Plan B.
Saturday: A return visit to Big Crow. Always good for a “quick hike” .07 mile and 2,815′ it was a perfect end-of-stay hike. Incredibly beautiful vista at the summit makes this trail a win-win. We would laugh that the chattering birds, few that there were, were warning their families that we were on our way on the trail. It always amazes us how little wildlife we actually see when we are hiking, more wildlife passes through our backyard!
Grafedie in the Library 
