September 7, 2024 - Onteora Lake - Catskills Park NY - 4.6 miles, about 350 feet elevation gain

This was the first day of our 4 day trip to Albany for an HR conference Brian attended.  The drive from Albany to the hike was very easy, almost all down I-87 in light Saturday morning traffic.

We got about .25 miles down the trail when I was bitten by an insect and Brian had one on his shirt collar.  So we returned to the car to apply bug repellent.  This little false start caused us to do only one of the two interlocking loops we would have otherwise done. It wasn't hot but it was kind of humid so we opted to do about 4.6 miles of the original 7 miles planned.

Despite our lack of ambition to finish this hike, it wasn't at all a disappointment.  The terrain in this part of NY is a lot different than the Finger Lakes region we are usually hiking in.  There were all sorts of interesting granite ledges and outcroppings all over and the trail was fairly rocky.  The hike started going by one pond or small lake then climbing up the bluff on the other side and passing a 2nd body of water.  The lay of the land was very interesting and the views were great for the modest amount of climbing required.  We hope to return to complete this hike someday.

















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