Stissing Mtn

I needed a break from everything and I was getting a bit antsy from being inside so much lately, so last Saturday morning I finally made it over to Stissing Mountain in Pine Plains (NY). It is a short and easy drive from Millbrook up 82.

Stissing Mtn is part of a 500-acre preserve run by the Nature Conservancy, their blurb about it is available here.

The hike up is short and a bit steep. The trail starts across the street from a small parking area and leads through an old fence and up an incline and gradually levels out a little bit before it comes to a fork. The trail on the left, according to two different people I spoke to, is shorter but steeper, but they both lead to the fire tower. I was already in a t-shirt and I wanted something more challenging so I continued up the left trail.

Although the snow was up to my knees, the trail was very packed and I didn't need the snowshoes I brought.

Not the best panoramic image, but it gives you an idea of the wonderful view from the fire tower. All of the Hudson Valley that I have seen is a patchwork of forest and fields, it is a perfect example of forest fragmentation.

Before I left I made a little snowman!

On my way out I found a Nikon lens cap in the snow. . Maybe the owner will read this? Unlikely, but I put it on the fence post at the beginning of the trail, below the snowman.