outdoors | Andy Arthur.org

Middleburgh Cliff

Andy | May 15, 2026

Directly to the East of Middleburgh there is a long narrow landform known as “The Cliff”. It’s a 500 foot high hill, with about 40 feet high cliffs, overlooking Middleburgh and Schoharie to the west. Cotton Hill sits above it to the east. While privately owned by the owners of the dairy farms in the valley below, the Long Path crosses it and you can use it to explore the cliffs.

As you climb the hill on the Long Path, looking backyards there are broken views.

When your almost to the top of the Cliffs, there is a quick scramble over this ridge. This is a section that is very much hand and knees, you’ll probably toss your pack up and then climb up to retrieve it.

After you get to the top, you have some views to the south, including Vromans Nose.

Further along the trail you get some broken and then improving views of the Schoharie Valley just north of the Middleburgh. In the background is Middleburgh Roundtop Valley, and where NY 145 climbs the ridge to get over to East Cobelskill.

The agricultural flat lands south of Middleburgh.

The new more suburban section of Middleburgh, with the older village in the background. I never understood why people would live out in the sticks, but also live in a suburban subdivision in a classic small village.

A dairy farm along NY 30 north of Middleburgh.

All and all, this hike doesn’t provide amazing remote lands, but still has some interesting agricultural views of the fertile Schoharie Valley. Taking no longer then a total of a 45 minutes round trip, it’s a nice hike to do with Vromans Nose or take the trail farther west to Cotton Hill Lean-To.

View Cliff of Middleburgh in a larger map

Harmon Hill

Andy | May 14, 2026

Harmon Hill is a short but steep hike outside of Bennington, VT. You go up some 1,200 feet in a little over 1.7 miles from the parking area deep in the Dunville Hollow just west of Bennington for modest views up north and west of Bennington.

The trail up it is part of the Long Trail, which is duplexed with the Applachian Trail in Vermont. Here is the sign near the parking area.

It is a steep 1 mile as you make most of the 1,200 ascent. There are not much views as you climb out of the Dunville Hollow, just a lot of rock-steps and steep switch backs as one climbs up the mountain.

Likens along the trail.

A destination sign tells you that you’ve reached the Pioneer Valley section of the Long Trail and are starting the Bennington section.

When you come to the top you have an interesting view of Mount Anthony, Bennington, and in the far distance the Champlain Valley and the Adirondacks.

You can see the Bennington Monument and the surround farms near Bennington from the mountain.

Towards the North, you can see some of the Adirondacks towering over the much lower range of the Green Mountains, including Grass Mountain.

This is the second peak of Harmon Hill, which is view less. I hiked to Harmon Hill and the viewless points further south on the Long Trail.

Here is a map of the hike.

Hiking Back to Pharaoh Mountain from Crane Lake Road

Andy | March 17, 2026

Pharaoh Mountain is located about 10 miles east of Schroon Lake, and can be accessed from the Long Swing / Pharaoh Mountain Trail from the North along with a much steeper and longer trail from Pharaoh Lake from south.

If you choose to take the infamous and rough Crane Pond Truck Trail to it’s end, and then park at Crane Pond, it’s only about a 3 1/2 mile hike up the mountain. If you stop at Alder Pond, and don’t drive through the shallow end of Alder Pond to get to the last mile of Crane Pond Road, then it’s a 4 1/2 mile hike each way.

Below is Alder Pond. It was an amazing morning, as the rain let up and started to clear off. The truck trail cuts through the end of the pond, and with the recent rains, it was deeper then I wanted to take my old pickup through.

At end of Crane Pond Road is Crane Pond (not surpisingly!) There is a parking area here, and Crane Pond is known for it’s good fishing and beauty.

Reaching Glidden Marsh on the Pharaoh Mountain Trail. Pharoah Mountain is in the distance, with the peak sticking up. Most of the trail is relatively flat, until you reach the mountain, and then you start climbing.

About halfway up there, there is the most charming little water fall.

As you climb, views become progressively better.

Reaching the summit, there are views in almost all directions, although you have to wonder around the top of the mountain to get all views. Here is looking North-East toward Ticonderoga. You can see Lake Champlain in the distance — barely, along with Crane Pond, Alder Pond, Oxbow Lake, and other features up close.

On the northernly view, you have nice views of the High Peaks Region of the Adirondacks, with Mount Marcy and Alonquin Mountains peaking out top.

To the south-west, there are view of Gore Mountain (ski trails still with snow on it as of April 11).

There also is a primative campsite on top of Pharaoh Mountain.

To the South-East there is Pharaoh Lake, which I did not visit, but the maps show about 5 lean-tos surround it.

Desolate Swamp is quite purty from the mountain.

After hiking up the mountain, I took a side trip to the beautiful Oxbow Pond, and the other side of Glidden Marsh. Here is the Long-Swing Trail along the edge of Glidden Marsh, near the turn off to Oxbow Lake.

Oxbow Lake is so beautiful, and probably real deep.

The Oxbow Lean-To. It looks well used, but is in good shape, and has a decent outhouse a little ways from it, a fire pit, along with lots of water for cooking in the nearby pond.

The one end of Oxbow Lake is swampy, as it runs between outfall of Crab Pond down to Oxbow.

Heading back to the truck, the sun flickers on the outlet of Glidden Marsh.

An amazing hike. Definitely want to come back, and possibly spend a night at Oxbow Pond.

Map: Mountain House Trail and North Mountain

Reasons I Like Camping

Andy | November 22, 2025

No Real Rules except for Respect of Natural World.
No Schedule except the Fall of Darkness Over the Land.
Get to Visit Interesting Places; Explore New Lands.

Get to Play with Fire, Sit and Watch the Campfire.
Get to Burn All Your Camp Trash with Plastic Burning and Melting in the Fire.
Cooking Delious Meals Over the Fire or In Dutch Oven.

Beautiful Moonlit and Starlit Nights in the Woods.
Drinking beer and smoking cigerettes and watching the fire burn.
No Time to Get Up in the Morning.

Peace and quiet or music as one sees fit.
Having time to read and get away from all of it.
A big change in the routine.

Conservative Politics and Moving Out West

Andy | April 5, 2024

One of the reason I want to move out west is to move into a political environment that is more comfortable and agreeable. Living in New York and being involved in City of Albany politics, I frequently run into people that are extremely liberal and whose views are much farther to the left then I could ever accept. At least for some city political activists, I’ve been characterized as downright conservative, even if I’m generally pro-union, pro-worker rights, and pro-strong environmental protections.

I find it particularly painful to be categorized as a conservative outsider. I support many progressive positions, and for people to just label me as a conservative who is against progress just bothers me. I want to have a clean healthy environment, I want to have a high minimum wage, and allow people to make their own private lifestyle choices.

In a more conservative area, many of core beliefs, particularly on rural issues, will be norm for the society. I may face an uphill battle in rural areas on more progressive issues like the minimum wage or clean air from big corporate polluters, but wherever one goes there still is a core progressive group that I can join up with that shares my progressive beliefs. I find it much easier to fight for a liberal cause, then against a liberal cause I disagree passionately with.

One the things I loved best about attending college in North Country of New York State was I could find like minded Democrats in the region. Many of the progressives of the North Country shared the same beliefs that I hold dear, but also where strong progressives on the major issues. Rural progressives generally where not proponents of gun control or hostile to rural issues but still cared strongly about labor rights and strong environmental protections against some of the worst abuses across our country.

What Wilderness Means to Me

Andy | April 1, 2024

I am often very critical of efforts to deem public lands as wilderness, as a form of statutory or constitutional protection of the lands, forever condemning motorized uses, and severely limiting other uses of the land, especially if the land has previously been farmed, logged, or otherwise changed by man. Certainly there are some unique parcels that should be preserved in such a pristine state, but many others are just wild lands to be used by man and nature alike.

I really do not like the legal definition of wilderness. I don’t think it captures my view of the forest lands I belove, the real wilderness in my imagination. Wilderness is the state of being wild and natural, largely uncontrolled by society’s social structures. It’s a land where man is free to use, largely without the control of government dictating how it is to be used except for minimal standards to protect its quality for future generations. Wilderness is a place where you go to get away from it.

Wilderness is any wild location in a rural area. It could be a hobby or even a professional farm, run by it’s operator. Or it could be any forest privately or publicly owned. It could be a hunting camp. It could be a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, or a state forest. It could be a wild forest in Adirondacks, a National Forest, or some other wild land. It could be a state truck trail or a back-country location. It does not have to be road-less or totally untrammeled by man, just wild and free without excessive government control and oppressive populations.

… wilderness is a place to escape, a place to get away from it all.

July

Andy | June 30, 2023

The warmest month is upon us, when we celebrate our country's independence and enjoy many delightful summer past-times.

July is the hottest month of the summer. It’s the month when the school children are out from school and the legislature has left Albany for the year. Hot and humid, but wonderful summer days upon us, as we enjoy long nights in the summer haze.

There won’t be any real cold days in this month. Rainy days are a rarity, although one always to be on the watch for the heavy thunderstorms that often come by afternoon. Humidity will be high, one things warm up by mid-day. Regardless, with long days, one can get up, hike up a mountain, break by early afternoon, and then enjoy nice nights. We will enjoy the wild blueberries and the wild raspberries as spend time outdoors.

July is the month when we celebrate the birth of our nation with Independence Day. Always a long weekend, it will be a nice one. We will enjoy fireworks, both legal and illegal, lighting them off, into the summer skies. We will watch the fireflies as they fill the fields at night with their flickers of light.

It will be an enjoyable month.