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Hunter Mtn by Spruceton Road - Jeep Trail

Balsam, Hunter, Leavitt Peak, North Dome, Sheridan, Sherrill
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mike
Posts: 1442
Joined: Sun Aug 09, 2009 9:20 pm
Location: Ravena, NY

Hunter Mtn by Spruceton Road - Jeep Trail

Unread post by mike »

This morning we left the house around 8:15 AM. We wanted to get an early start because of the shorter days. But, due to the bridge in Lexington still being out, we didn't get out on the trail until 10 AM. It was a beautiful day, and the temperature was very nice for hiking. There was only one car in the parking lot, but they didn't sign in. There was one person there on Thanksgiving.

As we moved up the old jeep trail to the Hunter Mountain fire tower, ice was flowing down some of the rocks. Made it slightly challenging in spots. We stopped at the John Robb Lean-To to admire the views. This spot never disappoints me. After spending about 10 minutes, we headed up the trail. Around 12:30 PM. The DEC was there chopping wood, and there was another couple who had arrived ahead of us. It was very windy, so we skipped climbing up to the top. We took some pictures. Another couple did climb the fire tower in the strong winds.

We then moved on to the Spruceton Valley overlook. We considered doing the loop, but Alexis wanted to get a picture of herself at the Ranger Station. Took some pictures and then headed back. When we arrived back at the Fire Tower, we ran into our friend Heather and her 3 dogs. What a surprise! We talked for a while. By this time, a lot of people had shown up. It was still windy. We stayed a while, and then headed down the mountain.

We ran into a couple other people. Everyone was having a good time with a beautiful day of hiking. We strolled back to the car around 4 PM. We had a very good time, and today we just moved along at whatever pace we wanted to. Before it was over, we had hiked 8.7 miles and logged in 2,000 vertical feet. Here are some pictures we took:

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John Robb Lean-To with an outstanding view.

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Outstanding view from the John Robb Lean-to.

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Hunter Mtn fire tower and Ranger Station

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View looking to the south from the Spruceton Valley Overlook.

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DEC Ranger Station at the Hunter Mtn Fire Tower.

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The trip down the old Jeep trail later in the afternoon.
mtnclimber
Posts: 496
Joined: Sat Oct 10, 2009 10:46 pm

Re: Hunter Mtn by Spruceton Road - Jeep Trail

Unread post by mtnclimber »

I always love that hike. The Hunter loop is always fun. Great pictures!
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