Moreau Western Ridge Loop

 

After Phelps, we rested up a bit and then suddenly we had a weekend free to do whatever we liked! As such, Sunny and I decided to get a little impromptu training in. It was Sunday, July 10 and a bit later in the morning when we had this idea, so the location had to be close. The answer was pretty obvious, really. 

Moreau State Park in the Adirondack foothills is one of my favorite places to get away for part of a day and be in nature. It isn't as quiet or secluded as other spots, but it's close and beautiful. My buddy calls it a "choose your own adventure" spot because you can choose to do a very long hike, a very short one, or somewhere in between. Moreau is pretty wet in places and there are often quite a few bugs breeding in the stagnant pools, so bring bug spray and/or a net.

More importantly, you can choose to change your mind during the hike and head back if you need to along a multitude of interconnecting trails. The entire plateu also has fairly good cell service. Of course, this isn't quite a boon for someone trying to get away, but for quick trips away from home, you may want to be available for family or even for work if you are on-call.

We decided to do the 10 mile loop starting at the lake, following the red trail to blue and up the slope, then circumnavigate the plateau along the Eastern Ridge and then Western Ridge trails, then finish off with a nice cooldown around the ponds.

The climb was fun as usual, but it was a hot day and Sunny was pulling hard. We had to stop for water a few times and I did have to loop his leash back down around his chest to avoid pulling. Once at the top, we stopped several times to admire the fauna and the environment in general.

I thought this was a cool feature. Winnie the Pooh was nowhere to be found.

The park is littered with huge, moss-covered boulders and rocky structures that are fun to look at.

The Western Ridge has some nice views of the Hudson and mountains beyond. The views are obviously nothing like the high peaks, but this is just the thing if you are short on time but you need to reset your brain in nature. Sunny took a rest when we stopped on the dam overlook to eat our sammich, but he got some pets from passers-by and was ready to roll again when we were finished.

The hike along the ridge was very up and down because little streams run off the plateau and into the river and we were walking perpendicular to them. This presents a great opportunity for some additional effort and exercise.

We were huffing coming down from the plateau and my feet were sore, but instead of turning back on the red trail, we continued around the ponds as we had planned. The road noise increases as you descend to the ponds, but I wasn't too put out by that. The views along the ponds and the pets from passers-by were worth the walk.

Here's the map of our hike that day:

This was a great warmup for the distance we're going to have to do at Big Slide and I'm grateful that we got it in. It was pretty hot out and we actually drank more water than we did when we climbed Phelps. Sunny drained both of his bottles and I drained my 3.0L bag and part of my 1.5L bag. I'm glad I have a BeFree filter to use when we do Big Slide if it's a hot day; I'm sure we'll use up our water along the ridge at the beginning and refill down at John's Brook. I do think sunny needs a haircut before we do Big Slide, though. 

When we can't really get away, Moreau is such a great option. It has lakes, climbs, scrambles, streams, pine stands, lean-tos, and many other features and all within close proximity to the NY Capital Region. I recommend it for anyone who might not have time to go out all day or want to get some serious miles in without the long travel time. Even better, Moreau has lots of activities for kids including the lake, a nature center, and a playground, so the trip can be a whole family affair.

Moreau is also a safe space because I've become quite familiar with it. This means I can use it for testing things out and training Sunny. For example, I'm considering bringing my snowshoes later in the year to see how Sunny does in the winter. 

Expect more updates and Sidetreks on this blog between our high peaks adventures, especially from Moreau.