When we arrived the sky was sunny with nice clouds floating around. We arrived late around 11 PM. We were the only one in the parking lot. The forest was all ours for the day.
As soon as we entered the field, the wildlife came alive. Not the bigger animals, but the small ones that most people don't always notice or pay attention to. The Golden Rod and other flowers were in full bloom. There were thousands of butterflies. Mainly Monarch, Red Admirals, and a few yellow sulfurs. The honey bees were quite busy, and you could hear the field buzzing with them. But, they will not bother you. There were so many crickets and grasshoppers. We spent some time enjoying the smaller wildlife before entering the forest.
We then started our hike to the Apple Orchard. The beginning of the trail is a little rocky, and the rocks were a little wet, so some caution had to be used. The DEC has just finished putting up new bridges over the creeks. We stopped by the big marsh and enjoyed the view. No more wading thru the water. A welcome surprise. Then it was onward to the Apple Orchard.
When we arrived at the Apple Orchard, the weather was still beautiful. It was around 1 PM. We stopped and had lunch. It was wonderful sitting in the sun. But, the apple trees didn't have a single apple. Quite a disappointment.
On the way back we decided to take the old Cairo highway instead of the trail by the big marsh. I would not recommend this route to anyone who wasn't an experienced bushwhacker. Getting lost is fairly easy. We down the old dirt road towards Capra Lake. Once we got to the DEC gate we bushwhacked down to the East Kill Creek and crossed it. This is the boundary between public NYS land and the NYS Health Dept land. We then followed the old turnpike. Sometimes, we would lose the road, but just kept hiking in the general direction. We skirted by Capra Lake, and sometimes got a view. Once we were below Capra Lake we cut across the creek again, and hiked back up to the car. Alexis fell into the creek crossing the creek, but she only got her feet wet. We were about 500' from the car, so it wasn't that bad.
Overall, it was a far more enjoyable hike then we had anticipated. In September and October this trail can be quite enjoyable. Especially if it has been dry. It can be quite the mud hole in the Spring. Here are some pictures:
Our route
The field by Colgate Lake Parking Area #2 - It was buzzing with butterflies, bees, crickets, and grasshoppers
Red Admiral butterfly
Monarch Butterfly
Monarch Butterfly
Monarch Butterfly
Honey Bee
A few Blackberries are still left
Cricket
It's going to be a good Acorn year
One of many wildflowers in the field
Alexis walking at the beginning of the trail
New bridge over the first creek
Before the big marsh
View from the north side of the marsh - looking Stoppel and West Stoppel Mtns
I took this picture about 15% of the way into the marsh - You can see Alexis near the edge of the marsh
Trail after the overflow of the marsh
the fungus season is in full swing - lots of beautiful mushrooms and fungus
Just walking into the Apple Orchard
Legal campsite inside the Apple Orchard
Trail on the way back
Blackhead Mtn and Arizona Mtn in the background - barely see Capra Lake
Slug on a tree near the parking lot
We left colgate lake around 3:30 pm - rained just after 4 pm as predicted - nice rainbow