With the possibility of thunderstorms today, we decided to stay away from any exposed peaks and instead headed to Long Mountain in Albany Township. The lollipop loop on this mountain is part of the Crooked Water Headwaters Forest and is about 5.5 miles long.
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| Start of the trail |
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| Boardwalk through ferns |
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| Hidden Falls |
From the trailhead, we headed up alongside Mill Brook, with its many pretty cascades. At the loop junction, we went right. After continuing to climb along the brook, we reached South Ledge, where we took a snack break.
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| As usual, Sampson greatly enjoyed the hike! |
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| A steeper section of trail |
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| View from South Ledge |
After climbing a little more, we crossed part of the expansive summit plateau. Soon after starting to descend, the trail reached North Ledge, where we had lunch. The views were generally pretty good, although the higher peaks in the Whites and Mahoosucs were in the clouds. Up until this point, we had seen a lot less people than usual for Long Mountain on a summer weekend.
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| View northwest from North Ledge |
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| View southwest from North Ledge |
After lunch, we descended back to the loop junction and the trailhead. We saw a lot more people (and dogs) on this section of trail! It ended up being a great choice for today's hike, and we didn't get rained on at all.
