Finishing Our Hike On The Taconic Crest Trail

We were on our way back to the trail head and my parked car. It had certainly not been a difficult hike, perhaps only 5.5 miles and mostly level, but my legs felt like rubber. I knew this muscle weakness was a bad side effect of a drug my doctor'd had me try. I would certainly stop taking it, but for now I just needed to make it back to the car:

Though I was feeling increasingly weak and tired, the four pooches were having themselves a merry old time, When they'd run too far ahead, I'd just call them back to me and they'd come running with enormous enthusiasm. A little petting and praise works wonders:

Being late December, the sun set very early and we were mostly walking right towards it. The setting sun and slanting sunshine gave everything a magical appearance:

I knew that just before the trail head was a scenic overlook not too far from the path. I gave a call for the dogs and walked over there, tired legs and all:

This view looked out over the Taconic Valley and the towns of Petersburgh and Berlin. Of course I couldn't see that far, but Albany also lay off in that direction:

Route 2 runs up the valley between where we stood and that next mountain. My car was parked at the foot of that mountain. I heard no more laughter so assumed the sledding children had all gone home:

Farm fields cut out of the forest down in the valley:

But the lengthening shadows and my very weak legs gave me good reason to continue on toward the car:

I put the dogs all on leashes in order to cross the highway. I then loaded them up into the car and snapped one last photo of Massachusetts' Mount Greylock not too far away:

The dogs were not at all tired. They'd have loved to hike some more but I wanted to go home:

One last glance across the road to the start of the trail we'd just hiked and I began driving home:

And on the way stopped for a quick photo of the house I used to own, in which I lived when I adopted my two boys. The hayloft of that barn is where I lived for three years before that. It brought back lots of memories, some good and some bad. But it was time to drive home and take a rest:

The Turn-Around Point On The Taconic Crest Trail

The dogs and I continued climbing up to the top of this almost denuded peak and I kept trying to figure out what had happened there. The tree trunks were still lying on the ground with the brush and some trunks had actually been chopped into shorter pieces. I figured that meant the cutting was neither for pulp nor for lumber:

There were some nice views from the peak and a few trees had been left standing. This inclined me to believe that Williams College was planning to build something here. If so, it would have to do without an access road or electricity:

Most of the trees left standing did not look like perfect enough specimens to have been intended as seed trees. Once the brush had been cleared, however, there would be a nice park-like clearing at the peak, at least if it was kept mowed:

After I got home, I placed a call to the manager of the Hopkins Memorial Forest for Williams College. He didn't answer, so I left a message asking about the cutting and just received a return call from him. He explained that they cut a 5 acre patch in the middle of solid forest to allow brush to grow up and accommodate species which prefer the edges of forests, increasing the wildlife variety and density. The brush and trunks will be left where they fell and new growth of berries, etc. will support many species which are now absent or in decline. The trees left standing were for nesting and wildlife dens. He was a very kind man and willing to talk at length about their plans:

After passing through the cut peak, we continued on along the Taconic Crest Trail

Five trail markers on one unfortunate small tree, and there would have six if one hadn't fallen off! I couldn't help but think this was excessive:

We began to climb up an incline which I knew from previous hikes would yield a wonderful view:

And indeed it did. As the dogs ran ahead playfully, I entered into the clearing where I was planning to turn around and begin the return trip:

The dogs weren't impressed with the view, but they did enjoy the smells on the uphill side of the clearing:

I could see clear across the valley to the Petersburgh Pass where we'd parked. You can see Route 2 winding its way up the mountain:

And to the southwest I could see out over the Taconic Valley towns of Petersburgh and Berlin (where I once lived):

Daphne and Seamus stopped their play for a moment to watch me climbing around as I took pictures:

And Fergus found a safe, quiet spot from which to keep an eye on me. Our human endeavors must sometimes seem strange from a dog's point of view: