Interesting Places & Friendly Faces: New York: Touring the Hamlet of Warrensburg

After several days of touring the area with our wonderful hosts it was time for a solo tour. Phyllis and Al are wonderful guides as they play tour guide for every visitor and believe me they do have visitors!

An impromptu song session
in Phyllis and Al's home

So, we headed down the road towards the Warrensburg Fish Hatchery. Now this hatchery has a long and interesting history. In the early 1800s it was a farm and sitting on the banks of the Hudson River this makes total sense.

Adjacent to the Hudson River

water descends the mountain to the tanks

and is then released to the river

Photos complements of Warrensburg Fish Hatchery

Long about 1880 the farm sold and eventually purchased by the State of New York for operation as a Fish Hatchery. At some point around 1900 the state wanted to close the hatchery; however, the people of Warrensburg had other ideas and purchased the property.

Main office of the hatchery
Photos complements of Warrensburg Fish Hatchery

So, it has been an operating hatchery since the early 1900's. Today you can take self-guided tours through the facility and view Brook Trout, Rainbow Trout, and Atlantic Salmon in various stages of development.

Tank #7 where the fingerlings mature
Photos complements of Warrensburg Fish Hatchery

In speaking with the hatchery staff we learned they use weight to calculate the number of fish at each stage. First they weigh several eggs to determine the approximate number of eggs being hatched. Before transferring to a new tank a few sample fish are weighed and again the number is approximated.

Fingerlings in the tank.
Photos complements of Warrensburg Fish Hatchery

Once in the larger pools it is easier to count the number of fish that don't survive their leap to dry land and then subtract that from the original number. Somehow, I can't imagine getting an accurate count but she assured me the count is valid. Should you have a free hour or two, a trip to the hatchery is well worth your time.

Lovely flowers along the hatchery nature trail

Next stop...Hackensack Mountain Park which is just off the main road through Warrensburg. Now Hackensack is a relatively small Adirondack mountain and rises 1,357 feet above the town.

Bill climbing up the side of Hackensack Mountain

This is not your typical hike... oh it starts out innocent enough by wandering around the base of the mountain, through a swamp, and along side a stream. But then it starts to rise and the trail is both steep and rocky.

Notice this is truly a climb and not a hike!
It is not for the timid.

The meaning of the name “Hackensack” is derived from the Algonquin word Achkincheschakey (A-kin-hes-kakee) which means, “where two rivers come together”. And it is true as it is the confluence of the Hudson and Schroon Rivers. At one time, a quarry on the mountain produced stone from which a number of buildings in Warrensburg were built. The quary is easy to understand when you hike this rocky mountain.

One view from the top of Hackensack Mountain

From the peak you find many views of the mountains in both New York and Vermont. In fact, for a short time in the 1970’s, there was a small, Town operated ski center known as Blister Hill located on the south end of the mountain. Today there are multiple trails that crisscross the mountain which become snow-shoe trails in the dead of winter.

The Green Mountains of Vermont
viewed from the Hackensack Mountain crest

We finished the day with a short hike in the Pack Forest which is directly across the road from Al and Phyllis' camp in the southern Adirondacks. The forest covers 2,500 acres of woodlands and used for educational purposes. Here you will find several ponds, streams, and an 85-acre lake along with dorms, classrooms, dining hall, and other camper facilities. There are miles of trails and roads that explore the area from the banks of the Hudson River to mountain peaks.

White 'paper' birch abounds in the forest

With only a few hours left in the day and no map we traveled the well marked paths and trails except for the poorly marked trail that paralleled the highway to and from our hosts' camp.