Knob Lock Mountain, Elizabethtown NY
11/29/04

This nice little hideaway was a good workout for what I plan on doing later on next year, or even in the winter. It gave me a taste of cold temperatures, racing the sunlight, a trail-less peak, and using that grappling hook I have.

The mountain is located less then 2 miles away from the road, but still takes considerable effort to reach the top. There are lots of areas where there is thin primary growth (big trees and rocks) but the secondary growth is what slows a hiker down (3 foot trees, shrubs, landslide wash-down).

The path, or lack thereof, starts at the Giant Mountain trailhead (North). The first 1/2 mile is private land, so as soon as the sign "DEC Wilderness" came up, I took a sharp right and headed due west. The first mile was easy, but after that I was climbing up rocks bigger then houses, pushing through pine trees, and trying not to slide down any cliffs.

Because I didn't want to stop and lose my bearing, I only took pictures when I rested, or if there was a good view.

 

                               

                               

               

Movies

A brief explanation of the hike... in video