2020-03-21: Ginseng Mountain

Having returned home from college, I headed out on my first mountain hike in several months. Mount Hayden, at 2930 ft, is the second highest peak in the town of Durham NY, and neighbors Ginseng Mountain, the fourth highest. The two are connected by a 3.5-mile of the Long Path that passes over Hayden's summit, through the Barlow Notch, and near the summit of Ginseng. This trail mostly follows the mountain ridge, straddling the border between the towns of Durham and Windham. Although I had climbed Mount Hayden three times before, this was my first time going all the way out to Ginseng. For those interested in the hike, a trip report is available here.

Note: Some of these images may not format properly on all devices. I apologize for any inconvenience.

Midday sun bathed icicle-stricken rocks along the steep trail up Mount Hayden.

Northward view of the Durham Valley through bare trees. This view is practically nonexistent in the summer.

A close view of Hull-O-Farms from Hayden's northern slopes.

Maple leaves from last autumns past coat the ground on the trail's steepest portions.

This old stump near Hayden's summit seemed to have its own little world inside of it.

A succession of mossy cliffs line both sides of the Barlow Notch, which separates Hayden and Ginseng.

Pools of meltwater were common around and on the trail, leaving my feet wet on more than one occasion.

Some overlooks on the south side of the notch allowed for this shot of the ski slopes on Cave Mountain in Windham, inactive due to quarantine.

Cliffs along the lookout were clad in a wide array of mosses and lichens.

Close-up of some lichens growing from the nutrient-starved surface of a rock.

View of Lake Heloise, an artificial water body that is the largest lake in Windham.

The distant summit of West Kill Mountain peers over the limb of the nearer Cave Mountain.

A view focused on the slopes and structures near the summit of Cave Mountain.

Bits of dead fields break up the expanses of mixed forest in rural Windham.

An abundance of flaky lichen coats these cliffs on Hayden's southern slope.

Near the lowest point in the Barlow Notch laid these remnants of a house that stood until fairly recently, miles from the nearest road.

Moss coats the old brick chimney as nature begins to reclaim it.

A shot of the Durham Valley from the Barlow Notch, looking north.

Buildings line NY-81 in Oak Hill, nearly five miles away.

A distant view of the hill country in southern Albany County.

Small mansions line a rural road somewhere in Westerlo.

Markers like these were interspersed along the trail, marking the border between Durham and Windham.

A small cairn I built atop a boulder in the notch.

A grove of young trees occupies a clearing near the summit of Ginseng Mountain. Without leaves I couldn't tell what kind of trees they were.

Moss and ferns give the wintry summit of Ginseng Mountain an unseasonable green hue.

A view from Ginseng's northwest slopes of Travis Hill Road, located seven miles away in Preston Hollow.