What You Missed
Spring 2025
Spring 2025
On Tuesday, March 25th I had coverage for ambulance calls for the first time in a long time! I wanted to get out for a hike somewhere that I had not been in some time. I decided I wanted to take Sheena and go to the area around Frick Pond. This is an area I have hiked many times but I had not been there in some time. As usual I got some extra sleep in the morning and Finlay got up at 9:30 AM. The temperature had risen to 49 degrees on the back porch with the sensor in the sunlight. I knew the temperature at the trailhead would be lower and there was also a slight breeze. Sheena is a Feist-Cur cross which are actual types of dogs used on farms and for hunting in the south. I got dressed in my Mammut long-sleeved crew top with a light baselayer. I put on a pair of Eddie Bauer insulated hiking pants which I thought I might need at least at the beginning of the hike. I remember these pants not fighting well but when I put them on they seemed to be a good fit. I decided to put on my Keen Durand hiking boots which fit well. I added a new pair of Xstance insoles in an effort to find the best support and cushioning for my feet. These insoles have shock absorbing gel pads, TPU arch support, and memory foam cushioning all wrapped in a breathable fabric. The insoles have been hyped by their manufacturer and seemed to be living up to their claims. I put on my Mammut hoody which has plenty of zippers to dump heat but blocks the wind. I put on a light hat and put a pair of light gloves in my pack. I found my Leki MicroVario poles which I had not used in some time. I decided to take the poles as I would be hiking with Sheena off leash for most of the hike. I did put on my OR BugOut gaiters as I thought the ticks might be out. I put the electronic training collar on Sheena and also put on her harness. I put my gear in the back and Sheena in the backseat and headed out the DeBruce Road at 10:20 AM. Sheena seemed less apprehensive about the car ride and laid down in the back seat. After 6 miles, at Mongaup Pond Road, I turned left and continued to follow the road bearing left onto Beech Mountain Road at the fork. When we arrived at the trailhead, there were no cars parked in either lot. I pulled into the smaller lot with Sheena was acting as if she couldn't wait to get on the trail which I hoped was a good sign. I set my GPS, put in my pack, and grabbed my poles. I made sure I left my phone in the car as there is no service in the area. I turned on Sheena's electronic collar and let her out of the car. She immediately headed for the woods road toward Frick Pond. The temperature was 37 degrees and the skies were bright and sunny with a quite few puffy white clouds.
The woods road passed the trail register was wet with standing water but no ice or snow. Sheena was ranging ahead of me but returning every time I said "not to far" or simply called her to come.The breeze made the temperature seem cooler and I was glad I had worn the insulated pants. As I approached Gravestone Junction, I noticed that the trail ahd been cleared nice and wide by the Catskill Trail Crew. When I was doing the trail maintenance, I intentionally kept the trail a little narrow to discourage horses and ATVs. Since the members of the Catskill Trail Crew are not local they had cleared the trail wide enough for a pickup truck! I had not decided on our route but thought I might try a slightly new variation. I have hiked the trails in the area so many times that a new route seemed like a good idea. My plan was to hike to Frick Pond, walked around the pond clockwise to Times Square, turn left on the Loggers Loop. Hike the Loggers Loop to Iron wheel junction, turn left on the Quick Lake Trail, tunr left on the Big Rock trail around the back of the pond to Times Square, turn right and hike the rest of the Loggers Loop back to Gravetsone Junction, and then turn left to walk the Quick Lake Trail back to the car. In print that description seems much longer than it really was! We turned left at Gravestone Junction and headed toward the pond. The trail was damp and muddy but easily negotiated. When we got to the bridge, I dropped my pack and got out the camera. I was surprised to see several piles of snow near the outlet and a large patch of ice at the other end of the bridge. I took pictures of the pond with a bright blue sky and puffy white clouds. I took a few shots of the snow and ice. I also got Sheena to pose briefly on the bridge so that I could get some pictures of her. I stowed the camera and shoulder pack as we continued around the pond. At the junction with the Big Rock Trail we turned right to follow it around the pond. There were several muddy spots which Sheena knew to avoid. We walked across the wooden walkways which continue to deteriorate. Their poor condition has been reported to the DEC many times but no action has been taken. I took a few shots before moving on. When we reached the two bridges across the inlet to the pond, I took off the pack and snapped some pictures of a small "waterfall" on the inlet stream. I also got shots of the wetlands at the head of the pond with some nice reflections in the water. I put away the camera and continued around the pond to the four-way intersection known as Times Square.
We turned left on the Loggers Loop and started up a long hill. There was some water and some erosion showing a large volume of water had run down the trail. Sheena was having great time running ahead following here nose. We crested the hill and found the seasonal pond on the right filled with water. The skies were more overcast now which made it feel cooler.I found a place to put down my pack and took out my camera. I found a place to stand to take some shot of the pond. I repositioned to take some more pictures before packing up to continue the hike. The rest of the Loggers Loop alternated between almost dry and very wet with big puddles and small ponds of water. Overall it was uphill as we continued toward Iron Wheel Junction. There were some impressive rock ledges to the right but otherwise the trail has no significant points of interest. We reached Iron Wheel Junction where the Loggers Loop meets the Quick Lake Trail. Continuing straight ahead at this point leads to Junkyard Junction where the Flynn Trail leads to Hodge Pond. The Quick Lake Trail continues on to Quick Lake where it ends. We turned left to follow the trail back towards Frick Pond. The trail was damp in some places and wet and muddy in others. There was evidence the trail crew had been through the area cutting some blowodwns that had been across the trail. We came to the stream in the forest which was not quite as high as I expected. Sheena decided to wade across which surprised me as I knew she could easily jump it. I used some stepping stones to cross. I took some pictures of the small falls upstream and some of the stream indicating its width. I put the camera away, shouldered the pack, and continued toward Frick Pond. As we came out of the woods, the sky was still overcast but the sun was peeking through. The trail was wet and slippery. At one point I took a step, slipped, and fell on my right hip. Sheena immediately cam running to help. I picked myself up and made sure I was not injured. We continued on the trail with me paying more attention to my foot placement.
At the junction with the Big Rock Trail we turned left and again walked the Big Rock Trail clockwise around Frick Pond. This time when we reached Times Square, we turned right and started out on the other section of the Loggers Loop. This section is mostly uphill and I could feel it. The trail was wet and muddy in places much like all the other trails. After hitting the highest point, we started downhill toward Gravestone Junction. As we neared the primitive campsites, we came across two trunks that had fallen across the trail blocking it. These trunks had fallen months ago and have yet to be cleared by the Catskill Trail Crew. This is another problem with not have local maintainers to clear the trail. I walked around the trunks but Sheena ducked under them. As we headed to Gravestone Junction, I noticed that the skies were again bright blue with plenty of sun. At the junction, we turned left on the Quick Lake Trail and headed back to the car. On the way back I noticed that the Lobdell Memorial marker had been cleared and was in great shape. The memorial near the junction is for a tragedy involving the Lobdell family. The father of this family was the caretaker for the Frick property and the family lived in a cabin along what is now the Quick Lake Trail. One night the cabin caught fire. The parents were able to get out but their two children were trapped inside and died in the flames. As we approached the trail register, L put Sheena on her leash in case the dog from the cabin hear the trailhead was loose. We reached the car at 1:20 PM after hiking 4.5 miles in 2 and a half hour. Our moving time was about 2 hours with stopped time of 30 minutes. Our overall speed was 1.75 mph but our moving rate was 2.3 mph. There was a pickup truck in the larger lot with a dog and their owner getting ready to leave.
On Thursday, March 20th I wanted to get out for our first spring hike as the temperatures were forecast to be in the mid 60's. I also thought a walk with Sheena would help her work off some of her seemingly endless supply of energy. The ambulance calls are still coming frequently and so I needed some time outside. I covered two morning calls and then was ready to hike. The skies were sunny with only a few clouds and plenty of sun making it ideal for hiking. At 2:15 PM I started to get ready to hike. Sheena is a Feist-Cur cross which are actual types of dogs used on farms and for hunting in the south. The temperature was 62 degrees and I knew several days of those temperatures had eliminated all the snow on the trails. I got dressed in my Mammut long-sleeved crew top without a baselayer. I put on a pair of RailRiders hiking pants which are expensive but last a long time and have features like deep pockets and a generous cut which I really like. I decided to put on my Keen Durand hiking boots which fit well. I added a new pair of Xstance insoles in an effort to find the best support and cushioning for my feet. These insoles have shock absorbing gel pads, TPU arch support, and memory foam cushioning all wrapped in a breathable fabric. The insoles have been hyped by their manufacturer and seemed to be living up to their claims. I put on my Mammut hoody which has plenty of zippers to dump heat but blocks the wind. I decided against a hat and gloves as it was just too warm. I also decided not to take any poles as the walk would be short and I would be holding Sheena's leash. I did put on my OR BugOut gaiters as I thought the ticks might be out. I put Sheena's harness on her and also put on an electronic training. I hoped that the electronic collar would allow me to hike with Sheena off her leash. We walked out the backdoor with Sheena on her leash to start the hike. The harness prevents Sheena from choking herself but I still have to control her pull on the leash. We headed down the driveway and toward the street at 2:20 PM. Sheena has gotten used to walking on her leash to the end of the drive. She also has become accustomed to waiting for cars to pass by and then crossing when I say "OK". This time she looked both ways and then looked at me and I said "OK" because there were no cars. She readily crossed the street and headed across the field by the church. We walked to the back of the church and began the ascent of the steepest hill behind the church. All of the snow was gone leaving a cover of wet leaves behind. Sheena had no problem walking up the hill except for the fact that she likes to stop and sniff very frequently. The hill is short but gets the circulation pumping and is the steepest and longest climb on the "trail." Not having poles made it more of a challenge for me. We did stop twice on the way to the top of the hill as Sheena set a fast pace. Sheena is getting bigger every day and her pull on the leash is signficant. At the top we did not bother to pause as Sheena hopped up the steps to start out on the trail. My plan was to walk two figure 8's depending on how the electronic collar worked out.
We started on the trail but I immediately asked Sheena to sit as I activated and checked the collar. Everything seemed in order so I told her "Up trail" and away she went. Sheena did not immediately take off but stayed on the trail just ahead of me. When she got too far ahead I told her "Not too far" and she came back toward me. I tried the "With" command to get her to walk next to me and she did so without a problem. It was certainly more pleasant walking this way than with Sheena pulling on the leash and me yanking to keep her in check. At the first trail junction, Sheena turned right and I followed her as she started up the woods road. I had been hiking straight up the hill to the lookout for the last few hikes and thought this might be a nice change. Along the woods road there were some branches on the trail from the recent winds and I took a moment to remove them. Sheena shies away from me every time I pick up a sick. I am not in the habit of hitting her with sticks and I finally figured out that she wants e to throw them so she can chase after them! When the woods road ended, we turned left and started up the trail to the junction with the blue trail. Sheena turned left at the junction as she apparently knew the turns for a figure 8. We walked along the flat trail at the base of Round Top. Sheena was ranging ahead and then zooming back toward me on her own or when I called. I used the beeps and vibration a couple of times on the collar. Sheena seems puzzled but learned that they meant I wanted her. When we came to the next junction with the blue trail to the summit, Sheena turned left but I went right. It took a minute but she quickly caught up and we both headed up toward the summit. At the switchback in the blue trail, Sheena turned right and we walked out to where the trail made an almost 180 degree turn to bring us back to the main blue trail. We turned right and started for the summit bypassing the white crossover trail. As we passed over the summit, Sheena picked up a scent and followed it off trail. I called her but she was intent on following the track. I had the collar set for 9/18 and decided I would test that setting. I pushed the button with no effect. I changed the setting to 12 with no effect. Finally, I set it to the maximum and pressed the button. I could see Sheena's muscles react but she hardly noticed it. This is one tough little dog! Eventually, she recognized that I was calling her a trotted over to me. We started down the other side of the hill again bypassing the white crossover trail. At the bottom of the hill, we turned right to again pass along the trail at the base of Round Top. When we reached the trail junction this time, we turned left and started downhill toward the lookout. We descended the short but steep little hill and came to the "Sitting Rock". Sheena jumped up on the rocks to look around before jumping down and continuing on the trail. Soon we were at the viewpoint. Sheena walked to the edge of the upper lookout to look around while I followed the trail as it turned left and headed down to the first trail junction. Sheena came roaring down the hill after me.
To start the next figure 8, we turned around and headed back up the hill to the viewpoint. This time we followed the yellow trail as it turned right and headed up toward the junction with the blue trail. We passed by the "sitting Rocks" and climbed the small hill. At the junction with the blue trail we turned right and walked along the yellow rail at the base of Round Top. At the next junction, we turned left on the blue trail and started towrd the summit. I was dragging a little by this point but Sheena was still full of energy. She was ahead of me and turned left on the white crossover trail just to explore a little. I continued on the blue trail to the summit and Sheena soon caught up. We walked across the highest point of Round Top of public land and then started down the other side. The weather was really very Pleasanton seemed almost too warm after some of the frigid temperatures we had during the winter. We bypassed the white crossover trail and turned left on the switchback. We turned 180 degrees and headed back to the main trail where we turned left and walked down to the junction with the yellow trail. Here we turned left and again waked the yellow trail along the base of Round Top. Sheena showed what she ahd left by running ahead and then coming back at top speed. When we reached the jucntion with the yellow trail we turned right and walked down the trail to the woods road. A right on the woods road had us heading downhill toward the first trail junction. I am always impressed by the cliffs and ledges along this section of the trail. At the first trail junction we turned left and walked out to the trailhead. I put Sheena back on her leash and found she still was not tired as she pulled me down the hill to the church parking lot. We crossed the church parking lot to the street. After a few cars passed, we crossed the road and walked to the driveway. We were back at the house by 3:35 PM. We had hiked for 1 hour and 15 minutes covering about 2 miles.