massachussets | Andy Arthur.org

Alander Mountain is the highest point in Columbia County. I chose to access the mountain from Mt Washington State Reservation Park Headquarters in Massachussets. You can also visit there from New York State in several other directions, although the elevation increase is substantial.

While it was clearing when I left Albany around 7 AM, when I got out to Mt Washington State Forest, it was a misty-rain mix. I left my raincoat home, but fortunately it was more damp then heavy rain.

They do not allow casual primitive camping in the Mt Washington State Forest. That said, 1 1/2 miles up the trail there is two or three sites for primitive camping. Nobody was up there on the rainy days.

Primative Campsite No 1. Somebody left some cords up along with basic cooking things and water bottle, along with a nicely built up fire pit.

The trail got steeper as I continue up the mountain, and at the same time got clearer and nicer out.

When you arrive almost to the top of the mountain, there is a beautiful little cabin you can stay in for no charge. It appears to be fairly popular, but with 6 bunks and floor camping space. There was a fair bit of unburnable trash around — particularly liqour bottles, even though technically alcohol is prohibited in the state forest.

Regardless, it looked like a fine place to camp. There is a wood stove in the cabin so you can stay here in the winter. I didn’t look at the wood supply around, but it looks like that shouldn’t be a problem.

While there was no official camping allowed on the mountain, people where certainly camping up there, and there were places where one could get well off the trail, yet camp in an open area with minimum damage to the land.

Once atop the mountain, it was still foggy and damp, but it was clearing out.

As the morning progressed, the sky got progressively clearer.

There was a Turkey Vulture flying over the landscape.

When it cleared out the views where beautiful, but with still quite a bit of haze remaining from the morning. I want to be up here one day in the fall when it is much clearer out. Maybe spend the night at the cabin, and enjoy the sunset and the leaves under the morning light.

Brace Mountain and Ashley Hill as seen from Alander Mountain.

Farms and other uses throughout Copake Valley looking down towards Millerton.

Apple Orchards and Swamps. This is similar from the views from Sunset Point that I looked down from during a springtime hike.

Alander Mountain is partially in Massachusetts and partially in New York. The peak is in Massachusetts.

The lower unamed plateau I hiked along on the South Taconic trail. By 2:30 in the afternoon it started to look like rain once again.

Returning back to the truck, it still looked like rain. You can see Alander Mountain in the background, from the area near the Mt Washington forest headquarters.

This is a map of the route.

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Two weekends ago, I went for a hike up Pine Cobble outside Williamstown, MA. This is the first time I’ve really been hiking in the Berkshires, formally, and not just on the New York-Massachusetts line on the Taconic Crest Trail. That said, the Taconic Crest trails runs on such a high ridge compared to the rest of the Taconics, and is closer to the height of the Berkshires, that it is probably in the Berkshires and not the Taconics, regardless of where the state line may rest.

The Pine Cobble starts off a steep road that has the Pine Cobble private development on it. It’s not a gated community, but as close as one can get to it. The parking is limited here, with a lot for seven cars, so if it’s full, as it was on this beautiful Sunday morning on labor day, you will be forced to park on the shoulder.

There is a six-inch asphalt curb you have to jump to get on the grass sholder, but if you have a truck, it shouldn’t be a problem. They didn’t give me a ticket, and lots other did it, so I guess it’s legal. They do have a sign, just past the parking lot, as you go into the development, that says NO PARKING on ROADWAY and it’s posted, but downhill from the lot, seems okay.

The trail head is very well signed. The entire trail is well worn, and the occassional Williamstown Trail Blazes makes it easy to follow the trail.

Parts of the trail are either relatively smooth or steep and rocky. It’s called Pine Cobble, so you would expect to be walking on a lot of rock cobble. It’s not nice small stuff, but big enough that you have to keep a careful eye on where you step.

Three quarters of the way to the top there is this oak tree with three shoots up that provides a perfect little pool where water accumulates throughout the year. It’s quite neat looking. Talking to other people, this is actually quite a common occurance with a certain type of oak.

A top Pine Cobble, looking at East Mountain.

You’ve almost made it to the top of Pine Cobble. Once you’ve checked it, make sure to take the trail up East Mountain for a 1/2 mile to get some awesome westerly views.

Here is the summit of Pine Cobble. It’s not the most impressive summit, and indeed the best views are along the edges of Pine Cobble, where there are several to be enjoyed.

Looking down at North Adams from Pine Cobble. The city’s high rises are surrounded by the mountains that form Hoosic Valley where the river runs north through Williamstown, Pownal, Vermont, and ultimately Rensselear County, New York into the Hudson.

Here is the Pownal Valley, where the Hoosic River heads up through the corner of Vermont and back into New York State.

West from Pine Cobble, you can see the last range of the Taconics / first of Berkshires, where Berlin Mountain and Mount Raimer. Also in the foreground is a little bit of Williamstown.

On East Mountain there are these exciting views of that same range, but with the addition of lots of bright white marble rock, cairns, and at least on this blue day, a deep blue sky.

When you reach the top of East Mountain, there is sections of the Appalachian Trail that remind me a lot of the look of Albany Pine Bush, minus the sandy soils. The Berlin Mountain range in the distance pull some kind of emotion into my heart, just like looking at the Heldebergs from the Albany Pine Bush.

The Applachian Trail sign on East Mountain.

At the Massachussets and Vermont (Green Mountain National Forest & Long Trail) border.

A beautiful day for sure.

Here is a map of the hike.