Can't make this one, kids bday party, but hopefully I can do the nest one.

Bring the kid! If too young to walk, throw in a rucksack.

Did a short hike yesterday with my 8 lb weighted bar - should have gotten the 12 pounder but it was $6 more.. plus after a couple of miles I'll probably be tired of carrying it.

I hunted this piece of land for many years with uncles and grandpas in varying states of wisdom (age) and health; we never had any problems. The terrain is pretty friendly on both sides of the pond and having hunted it in snow, rain, mud etc, I don't ever remember thinking that Crampons would have been any help there. You'll be fine with a good set of comfortable boots.

For cheap traction get hex head screws and screw them into the rubber sole.   I have crampons for ice, standard hiking is screws.

Good to hear; I'll bring the cheapie "spikes" just in case.

I agree with you it is mild topography and I honestly wasn't trying to oversell it.  Walking through the woods hunting in fresh, untracked snow is different than a trail packed in various snow conditions, frozen, thawed, refrozen.  Which can be really unenjoyable without traction aids at times.  I'd rather bushwhack any day.  Looking at current local conditions and pending weather I'm sure no extraordinary means are necessary, I'm just a subscriber to the theme of it's better to have and not need than need and not have.   Kind of like having a good fire starter kit and outer wear for any anticipated weather condition.  NWS is calling for freezing rain tonight, tomorrow morning I'll want maximum traction to my advantage on the trail.

You obviously know the property and I don't disagree with you in that SPSF is not the high peaks.   I was just making a friendly suggestion for a group of people who may have various experience in winter hiking on trails.  I'm in the backcountry safety business, it's just in my nature....cheers

As far as the gathering goes, I may not be able to make it now.  Family obligations have popped up for the afternoon which may exclude my morning excursions.

Can we have an update to who does plan on going, now that we're within 72 hours, as well as an agreed upon meeting location at a trailhead. Suggestion was made early on to possibly have lunch afterwards. is that something that the confirmed attendees are interested in

In.  I'll try to get there early and see if we can park at Jones Rd and Stony Pond Rd.

Looks like a neat little restaurant nearby called the Blue Canoe Grill.

In, unless anything major comes up (doubtful). Might be up for lunch, not sure. I plan to stop at Chick-Fil-A on the way home though.

Bro, how do we NOT eat at a place called BCG?



Their appetizers look awesome.

My apologies if my response seemed directed at you, it certainly wasn’t. I was just offering details on my own personal experiences.

It sounds like you know the area as well, I can appreciate your prepared mindset and sound advice to those potentially going into an area that they’ve never been before.

Same, I appreciate everyone's advice; been trying to get into more fitness lately, but regular exercising bores me and I can't stay motivated. Rucking is keeping me going, and I have lots of trails in my area that I've walked, and only recently starting walking with weights.

Keeping a close eye on this storm moving in.. I'd hate to pussy out due to snow but if there is 8+ inches and freezing rain - ugh.

I'm still a maybe.  I don't like rucking enough to do it in freezing rain or when its too cold, especially if I'm not getting paid lol.

Goodyear Lake? Canadarago? Otsego?

Guys, it’s not just about the fitness. It’s about building trusting relationships across the state. We shall be beacons of light and liberty for each other as They try to spread their totalitarianism. We shall reject it and live free.
Or something.

If there is too much snow, we can just ruck up and back on Jones Rd, which is reportedly plowed. 4 miles.

I'll be there either way. If none of you show up or not

2 miles up, 2 miles down, mini-Currahee?

Decent storm...

Just a little snow. Very little. We've all gotten soft, having easy winters with relatively little snow.

Any pictures of the trail? I don’t have snow shoes and had a heck of a time driving 10 miles home today. Then had to snowblow when I got home..

I'm nowhere near it.
Based on what we're getting here, we should have several inches of fresh snow under foot tomorrow morning

If everyone doesn’t have snowshoes, like I said, we could do a 4 mile road march. In very loose formation.

Would be fun to meet at an easily accessible parking spot on the road & make our way in a direct fashion to the highest point.  All the while taking pics of of suitable places to find cover & concealment for snacks & rest stops along the way.  Since it was the first time at the location, call it RP1 for simplicity sake... No need to go any faster than the slowest man, maybe stay 3-5 meters apart to give each other some personal space. On such a beautiful day, I would defiantly take the opportunity to walk out in another direction to see everything nature has to offer.

Was hoping to be there but I am 3 employees down tomorrow so I can't in good conscience leave the hotel short staffed with a full house. Maybe next time it can be midweek non holiday?

I'm sorry all, think I'm going to back out for tomorrow. I was really looking forward to it, but this storm put a damper on it. I don't want to slow everyone down because I'm getting stuck in snow etc.. Maybe next Saturday?

Sit rep. I'm on Jones Rd at the only plowed out parking lot. None of the side roads off Jones have been touched by plows and are probably impassable to passenger cars.
Not sure what you drive.

Conditions were great. About 12-15 degrees with sun filtering through scattered flurries. I was warm enough wearing Under Armor base layers, 5.11 tac-lite pants, a micro fleece long sleeve pullover and a TNF Apex jacket and gloves. One pair of wool socks and Rocky Goretex boots.  TC556 seemed layered up a bit more than I.
TC and I started off at 9:50 and hiked for a good hour and a half.  A good portion of the hike was in unbroken snow almost up to our knees, but we were also able to follow a snowmobile track that only had about 6” of the fresh light powder. The woods were beautiful and the quiet peace of nature was so nice.  We encountered no one in the trail but there were cross country skiers in the area.
Pics to follow.

It’s always important to sign in at the trailhead!
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Had a great time. Sorry the rest of you couldn't make it. Maybe next time.

Yeah I layer up and take layers off as I feel the need. The wind kicked up enough throughout the morning that I never really felt the need to start taking layers off.

Topic of discussion during the hike was the possibility of NY HTF guys getting together at this site in the summer for a weekend and grabbing a couple of contiguous campsites.
A lot of the individual sites we explored ( yes, in deep-ish snow ) seemed to have some potential for such a group activity , and weren't stacked up on top of each other like you'd find in a state park.

Oh, and lunch was good too. I'm sure that those pictures haven't been uploaded yet.

Thanks again for lunch. Nothing like a cold beer and a hot fire after a frosty hike...
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Yankee chili...
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Wow, glad some of you made it! I'm looking to get some cheap (though not too cheap, want it to last a few trips...) snow shoes. Unfortunately most of them seem to top out at 220 lbs - with clothing, boots and weighted rucksack I'm over that number.

I'm not looking to spend $200+ on an ultralight pair, what's a good set to look at?

Let me know when the next one is! Turns out my Internet was down all afternoon.. so would have been a good day to be outside.

We lost power in my village yesterday afternoon around 1400 hrs. Bunch of idiots out in the snowstorm and simultaneously running into area utility poles apparently. Gave NYSEG a solid nights worth of work.
Initial repair times were given by NYSEG as 1700 hrs last night. I figured that was too short a time to drag out my generator, but by 1900 hrs they were saying that power wouldn't be back on until 0300 hrs today.
Fired up the wood stove and went to bed.
I didn't get my power back until 0530, and some folks a couple of blocks over didn't get their power back until 0800 hrs or so.

Couldn't believe the idiots charging around the roads this morning and still this afternoon on the way home. One guy came charging up behind me so fast while I was stopped at a red light that I thought I was going to get rear-ended again, just a couple of weeks after getting my car back from the body shop after the last incident. I was watching the guy in my rear view mirror; he wound up taking the shoulder to avoid hitting me. Which I appreciated immensely

I got home today to find that my internet was still off for some reason.

As to your question, its  a balancing act of budget and what you expect to do with the shoes. I was telling OP today that my current pair are hand me downs from a coworker who was upgrading what he had. Long overdue for better ones.
Decide what you want to do, look at reviews, maybe wait for end of season sales or buy from some place that will give first time buyers a discount code.
I've been doing all of the above and after today decided it was simply time to bite the bullet and make a purchase. My regular group tends to hike a fair number of hills in my area, and as I told OP today, I'm a heavier guy, so I can't get away with some of the lighter, shorter running snowshoes. Something rated for backcountry ascents and descents while rated for a heavier guy tends to equal longer 'shoes

As for the next hike, OP has resurrected his Adirondacks thread. Check with him there. His schedule doesn't mesh with mine or I'd tag along on that one, just to get a couple more peaks under my belt

I'm open to suggestions as to the next non- high peaks hike location. Not sure how far you guys are willing to drive. Ninety minutes was very do-able for me today, even with road conditions being what they were.

I am by no means an expert at anything. These are the snowshoes my wife bought me for Christmas last year. They are rated up to 260 lbs (30” shoes) and cost about $80.

Snowshoes

I figure if I’m using snowshoes for fun, I’ll keep the pack light. My overnight summer hikes will be heavier.

Glad you guys made it!
Looks like a good time despite the deep snow.

Love the trailhead sign in!

Sounds like you guys had a great time!  Always good to get outdoors.

We didn’t have enough time to join you, so we tried XC locally; it was awful with 6” of powder over a crust that collapsed under weight.  Snowshoes would have been far superior.

Next time I hope!

I can make the second hike, as my schedule currently stands

I'm going snow shoeing today with the kids, I need to buy a pair because I like doing it.

Depending on when I want to go to the next hike

Seriously considering the 29th (I'm tentatively free that day), depending on weather conditions, and the overtime schedule for work. I don't currently own a pair of snowshoes . I need to put together a pack. (Currently have a duffle, that lives with me in the car when I leave the house.)

Welcome to NY HTF. Hey, we all start somewhere, right?

The Highland Forest loop shows to be 8.1 miles, but there are other paths you can turn on that create shorter loops. After Saturday’s 90 minute hike, we felt great. That’s why I believe 8.1 miles is doable.

As far as actual American Battle Buddies time standards, I’m not going to focus on that until the weather is nicer. It’s not as important as us just getting out there. Age, size, speed doesn’t matter.

For the beginning hikes it'd probably be best to start with shorter distances - I'd think 4 miles would be good. My max hikes so far with weight have been just over 3 miles, and I could have gone longer but I was overdue for dinner.

Obviously once I progress to longer hikes I'll bring granola/protein bars or something. I haven't even installed my water bladder in my ruck yet.

Did we want to try for this Saturday, or the next?

I'll be honest, I don't give too shits about weight requirements or times, I just want to hike and get outside.

I'm busy the next two saturdays.  But I am planning on hiking the 29th.

I'm with you! Seeing some of the time requirements from the "Battle Buddies" threads.. I know I'm out of shape but man.

We can definitely plan for something in March - I have snow shoes coming in a day or two but the weekend works best for me for multi-hour treks.

Looks like fun! Wish I was a tad closer. 3 1/2 hours just to see your beautiful faces is a bit of a drive

Copied from my “High Peaks” thread:

My plan for Marcy is to hike from the Loj and summit Mt. Colden. End up on the Lake Arnold Trail and spend the night somewhere. Day 2 head towards Grey, Skylight, then Marcy before returning to the Loj.

———————

Another camping trip I’d like to do is The Seward Range. I’d climb Seymour on day 1 and the other three on day two. I’d return via Caulkins Brook trail and probably camp out again.
If anyone wanted to join me, feel free. I could loan out a spare sleeping hammock and could share my water filter.

In case anyone is interested this summer.

You'd have to block out dates well in advance.
I've already given my work availability through April, although I could always pull some dates as needed.
I'm a ground sleeper. No hammock required here

Blocking out dates is tough. I like to watch the weather and try to plan for dry weather. Sure is nice having the entire summer off!

I’d love to do it but if you go during the week I need to know in advance, but I’ll try to go