Close to Home: Short Hikes Around Long Lake

Over the past few weekends, Elle and I have gotten out on several short outings. The common thread being that all are within a few minutes drive of our house in Long Lake. Over that period, the season transitioned from pleasant mid-fall to deep winter. Today is November 23rd, and, when I took our dogs out this morning, the thermometer read -18 (F). I didn't quite believe that, but when I checked online, weather.com said it was -17 in Long Lake. Wow, that is cold for this time of year. On top of that, over the past three weeks nearly three feet of snow has fallen in Long Lake. It feels like mid-winter and we are still a month away from the official start of that season.

November 4th, North on the Northville-Lake Placid Trail

The Northville Lake Placid Trail intersects NY Route 28N just east of Long Lake village. North-bound trekkers cross the highway and walk along Tarbell Hill Road for three quarters of a mile to the point where the trail re-enters the woods. From there, it's roughly 40 miles to Lake Placid, and the trail follows the shoreline of Long Lake for several miles. November 4th was a, bright, fall day and we got out to walk a couple of miles along this section of trail.

Late fall light on glacial erratics near Catlin Bay.

One of several areas flooded by beaver in the Long Lake Section of the NLPT.

Long Lake, looking west, across the lake, from Catlin Bay.

Clouds reflecting off the waters of Long Lake. 

Another shore-line scene

The steam that flows into Long Lake, at Catlin Bay, passes through a multi-generational Beaver meadow. 

November 10, The Three Brooks Ski Trail - Winter Stops By

Six days later, winter dropped by for what we thought would be short visit. A persistent band of lake-effect snow hung over the central Adirondacks for much of the day, and six inches of wet snow accumulated at our house. Towards the end of the afternoon I got out for a quick walk along the Three Brooks Ski Trail. The picture tells the story.

Little Sandy Creek, crossed by the Three Brooks Ski Trail

November 11, Mt. Sabattis

Mount Sabattis dominates the view from my office window. At just under 3000 feet in elevation, Sabattis is not a big mountain, but that doesn't mean that it's an easy climb. No trail reaches the top, and the summit is protected by a dense spruce thicket and blow-down. There are no views, so few people trouble themselves with climbing this mountain.

Deeper snow near the top of Mt. Sabattis.

Even so, climbing Sabattis is a lot easier now than it used to be. The Long Lake Spur of the NLPT 

--opened earlier this year-- ascends the northeast shoulder of the mountain to an elevation of 2450 feet. From there, it's just 500 feet of elevation and a mile of bushwhacking to the top. I didn't leave the house until 2:00 pm, so, I didn't actually expect to make it all the way up. But, even so, turning back at 4:15, with only 45 minutes of daylight left, was a bit disappointing. I was within a couple hundred yards of the top with one last challenge remaining. Finding the actual summit is not easy.

November 22, NLPT South from 28N, Winter Moves In

The snowfall over the weekend of the 10th was early, but, what came next, was even more unusual. Between the 11th and the 22nd temperatures plummeted and two feet of snow fell in Long Lake. On Thanksgiving day, I pulled out the snowshoes and headed south on the NLPT. A couple of hours of hard work, plowing through soft, deep, snow made for a nice workout. Back at the house by noon, the temperature had risen to 8 (F) degrees above zero. Which seemed rather pleasant.

Shaw Brook, near the Northville Lake Placid trail east of Long Lake. Looks like mid-winter.

Sandy Creek.

Deep winter in the fall.