The trail led down into the shallow col between Little and Big Crow, and soon we were ascending again, sometimes steeply, towards the summit of Big Crow. The views from the top of Big Crow now included the rounded bump of our just-visited Little Crow, but was otherwise similar to the previous lookouts. It was interesting watching the approaching weather continue to push and seep over the top of the crest of the nearby Great Range. So far, still dry for us and not one drop of rain!
Interesting Pressure Waves
The trail became much more distinct as we began our descent off the eastern side of Big Crow, due no doubt to the fact that the peak is much more accessible from the nearby Nun-da-ga-o trailhead than from the way we did it. After a short but steep descent into the forested bowl below Nun-da-ga-o ridge, we hiked a bit along a flat trail, soon arriving at the trailhead.
Jenn and Sophie waited as I rode the mountain bike back down to the lower start point to retrieve the car. I had a quick look before heading back up, verifying that the start of the Franco-American trail is at a pullout very close to the junction of Hurricane and O'Toole roads. I'm still unsure as to the whereabouts of the official NYSDEC trail start - something I'll have to look for more closely next time.
After fetching Sophie and Jenn, phase 2 of our day came to a close. We headed further along twisty Hurricane Road, arriving in about 10 minutes to a junction with route 9N. Immediately across the highway was the start of our third and final outing for the day - the eastern trailhead to Baxter Mountain.
Interactive trackmap with photo points - The Crows - click map to view
Start Time:
9:03a.m.
End Time:
10:49a.m.
Duration:
1h46m
Distance:
3.22 km
(2.0 mi)
Average Speed:
1.8 km/hr
(1.1 mph)
Start Elevation:
1720ft
(524m)
*
Max Elevation:
2822ft
(860m)
*
Min Elevation:
1719ft
(524m)
*
End Elevation:
2213ft
(675m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Total Elevation Gain:
1143ft
(348m)
*
Total Elevation Loss:
654ft
(199m)
*
* : +/- 75 feet
Elevation Graph
