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Hiking the Black Mountain Firetower Loop – 9.20.20
Yesterday my friend Frank and I drove up to the Lake George area to hike Black Mountain, one of the Lake George firetowers. It was a chilly yet sunny day, perfect weather for hiking! Some of the leaves were even starting to turn. The last time I attempted to hike Black was back in July—4.5 months after ACL surgery—which proved to be too much for my knee. We never made it past the Lapland Pond lean-to. However yesterday was a much different story. It’s crazy how much of a difference 2 months can make. Granted, the hike isn’t difficult, but it is the longest hike (in mileage) I’ve done since…
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Owls Head Mountain Fire Tower
It is finally winter conditions in the Adirondacks! Saturday my friend Skyler and I drove up north to hike a fire tower. Our first choice was Vanderwhacker Mountain, but the road to the trailhead hadn’t been plowed and his car didn’t have enough clearance to get down the road so we abandoned that idea. After sitting on the side of Route 28 for 5 minutes checking over our maps, we decided on Owl’s Head Mountain in Long Lake. We arrived at the trailhead at about 11:00am (late for us!) and then proceeded down the trail with just microspikes. It was below freezing, so we were both bundled up pretty good…
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Spruce Mountain Firetower
When attending the last metabolism class of the semester (or ever) became optional yesterday, my good friend from school Krista and I decided to hike Spruce Mountain. Located just outside Saratoga in Corinth, it was a quick one hour drive from Troy. The trail itself was great-not too rocky and not too steep. It would be great for beginners! In about 36 minutes we were at the summit. Unfortunately there are no views unless you climb the tower. I think the tower itself is fairly new. There are windows inside that provide protection from the wind. It was a great little hike! Spruce Mountain Fire Tower Distance 2.8 mi RT…