Off on Adventure: Bolton NY

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Thomas Mountain - Bolton, NY - 3/30/14

Where to go on a rainy day, that was the question. Leesa and I wanted to get out just to take Rev for a walk. It's hard to keep a hound dog indoors all day! The former Cat and Thomas Preserve, in Bolton, NY is probably the place we have gone most often on a rainy day, and, in fact, we went there again today.

This area became State land in 2013. The Lake George Land Conservancy is no longer the owner, but they maintain the trail network under an agreement with the State.

We got to the trailhead about 2 PM. It was lightly raining. Once again, snowshoes were necessary to prevent post-holing in the rotten snow.

New State sign at the parking area

From the trailhead, hikers can choose a 1.4 mile hike to Thomas Mountain or a 3 mile hike to Cat mountain. Today we chose Thomas Mountain. We were just out trying to wear the dog out a little.

It took us a little over 30 minutes to climb the trail (old jeep road) to the Thomas Mountain cabin. The cabin is now available similar to lean-tos on state land. The cabin is to be shared by any and all that arrive. We have stayed there several times and have not had anyone else arrive looking to stay on any of the nights we've been there. You can also now have an outdoor fire there which previously was not allowed.

We were glad to see the cabin is still in good repair. In fact, someone has repainted the front of the cabin. It is a bright medium blue color. The previous coating had faded to a light blue gray.

The view of the Lake George was almost obscured by clouds when we arrived

A rather bright blue now decorates the front

Cat Mountain in the distance

The faded blue can be seen on the left side

The blue trail leaving the cabin

As often happens on rainy days, the clouds dropped down to shroud Lake George. As we were at the cabin having a snack, we watched the clouds blowing to the south and beginning to lift. Some of the pictures below show some of the different cloud patterns.

Clouds beginning to lift off the lake

The inside of the cabin

Another view of the lake

Rev enjoying the snow

It was one of those days where we could have just sat and watched the cloud changes on the lake, but we had gotten rather wet from the rain so we didn't linger as long as we would have liked.

It would have been fun to ski down the wet snow on the old jeep road trail, but the snowshoes worked well on the post-holed soft wet snow on the trail.

Thomas Mountain old jeep road trail

The blue trail to Thomas Mountain

Flood waters flowing over still frozen ice

Hike Statistics
Hike Distance: 2.8 miles
HIke Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total Vertical Gain: ~ 700'

Friday, June 7, 2013

Thomas Mountain - Bolton, NY - 6/3/13

Monday night, June 3^rd, I took the time to pay a return visit to Thomas Mountain, part the Cat & Thomas Mountain Preserve in Bolton, NY. To reach the trailhead take I87 to exit 24, then travel east (up the steep hill) two miles to a right on Valley Woods Road. Look for the parking area on the right.

This land was owned by the Lake George Land Conservancy until about six weeks ago when a Press Release came out on April 24^th stating that the preserve had been purchased by the State. The 1909 acre Cat and Thomas Mountain Preserve parcel will be combined with a 585 acre East River Road parcel to create an additional piece of forest preserve land. Here is a map showing the location of the combined parcel.

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will develop a proposed Unit Management Plan (UMP) for the area. Through a stewardship agreement with the State, the LGLC will continue to maintain the trails they cut in the Preserve. As far as the cabin on Thomas Mountain; the State will decide what to do with it. The LGLC has proposed that it remain and be part of a mobility impaired trail system.

In the interim, while the UMP is being developed, several changes have already occurred. Camping is now allowed, with the usual rules; campers must camp at least 150 feet from any water source or trail. Fires are now allowed. The cabin on Thomas Mountain is currently being treated the same as a lean-to. It is available for day use and overnight use. It may not be used exclusively by any one group, and is open to all.

I must say that I like the cabin and have stayed there overnight 3 or 4 times while it was under the care of the LGLC. I hope that the State will find a use for it and will not remove it as a non-conforming structure. I also hope that it remains in good repair and doesn’t become a party spot.

The new notice at the trail kiosk

So with all these things in mind, I took off up the trail to look at the cabin and see how it is faring after six weeks in the state domain. The trail (actually a jeep road) goes about .6 miles to a split, where the trail continues straight to Cat Mountain, or turns right to go to Thomas Mountain. After the turn, the trail ascends 550 feet in the last .7 miles. Walking at a good clip it takes about 30 minutes to get to the cabin.

The view from the porch of the Thomas Mountain cabin

My dog Rev and I were the only ones on the trail this afternoon.It was quiet in the woods.When we arrived at the cabin, I was happy to see that all was in order. In fact, the cabin had a new front door with extra strong hinges.When I was last there, a new replacement door (board and batten style) had broken off the hinges in a strong wind.This new door may have been a repaired door with new hinges, but it looked new altogether.

A zoomed in look at Lake George

From the front porch, or even from inside (looking through the picture window), there is a fine view of the lower portion of Lake George.The view is especially nice in the early morning or at sunset as fog rises or sinks from/to the lake.The cabin is a simple one room cabin with a rustic vertical ladder leading to a sleeping loft.Furniture consists of an old couch, 2 chairs and an end table.The roof is metal making the cabin a loud place to be during a rain storm.Been there, done that.Outside the cabin is a nice open sitting porch.