Mt.Olga and Hogback Ski Area

I decided to combine two of my favorite outdoor activities, hiking and exploring abandoned places. There's no better place to do that than Mt.Olga in southern Vermont. This place is rich with modern history. The Hogback Ski Area was open from 1946 to 1986, and the slopes covered the northeast slope of the mountain. It was an extremely popular ski area during its heyday. Today, it's one of the most well maintained remnants of New England skiing history.

The old sign advertising the gift shop.

We arrived at the trailhead early and we enjoyed the sunrise from many of the abandoned ski slopes. I recommend taking Tower Trail as it has the most sights to see, and even some signs about the wildlife. The trail utilizes the old ski trails and slopes. The first thing we came across was some nice views and old supports for the chairlift.

Looking east from an old ski slope.

The support for the double lift.

The cables were still present on the supports, and they didn't even look that old. We came across are first building after a few minutes. If you come here just to climb the mountain, you'll be done in 30 minutes. It's not that difficult at all. I also advise you not to go in these buildings. It's legal, but probably not safe for your lungs because of the mold. The first building was at the top of a lift.

Bella poking around.

The setting couldn't have been better. Early morning skies with the sun through the trees was an amazing sight. Atop the second lift was one of the prettier buildings. The structure had been repurposed as a hut to warm up in when hiking and skiing.

The cabin atop the second lift.

A few more lifts and huts later, we ended up at the summit. This isn't a difficult hike at all, and there is a firetower and antennae on top. I didn't climb the firetower as the stairs didn't seem stable and they were slippery. There is a small, concrete building to the left of the tower. I have no clue to what it was used for.

The firetower atop the mountain.

The unidentifiable structure on the summit.

I wanted to check out the buildings on the side of the road, so we chose to sled down the single lift. We did bring small sleds for this exact reason. Its a comfortable, safe and quick way to get down a mountain. The single lift brings you right down to the roadside structures. One of these includes the most iconic building with the words "Hogback Ski Area" on the side.

I don't know why the doors open.

We went back up the mountain and took Bishop Trail to Rim Run, which is one of the old ski trails during this places operation. Going down Bishop, we ran into a few foundations and nice areas for the sleds. I highly recommend using these. At the bottom, we came across the base of the double ski lift. There was a big barrack like building, which is likely a cafeteria or medical center.

The barrack at the bottom of the slope.

Rim Run continued up to the road where we came across yet another small, dilapidated structure. I would highly recommend visiting the gift shop after exploring the mountain. The viewing deck offers a fantastic 100 mile view looking into New Hampshire and Massachusetts. Another small cabin-like building lies under this place. I have no idea what it could be. It was likely a rentable cabin during its operation.

Gallery

Bella sitting by a viewing shack.

A shed atop the single lift.

The ski hut from a different angle.

One of many huts.

One of the older foundations.

The base of the double lift.

Behind the barrack-like structure.

The "100 Mile View" looking into New Hampshire.

The mysterious hut below the gift shop.

Overall, it was a great day. I highly recommend this trip. You can legally explore the property, as well as enjoy great views from the gift shop and firetower. Also, if you do this hike you must bring sleds. It's safer and faster. The kiosk at the trailhead has some maps that include the old ski slopes. If you're into abandoned places and hiking, you'll love this mountain for a multitude of reasons.

Abandoned Motels of the Mohawk Trail

Have you ever had something planned that you were very excited for, but it ended up not going to plan? Has the same thing happened to you, but you decided to do something else that turned out to be better then the original plan? Well, this is a good example of that. Me and my uncle were going to do Mt.Holyoke but the skies in the area were not clear. We then decided to just drive the Mohawk Trail, but we also found some abandoned motels.

The row of rooms in front of Motel Two.

These motels were plentiful along the road. I can only imagine how busy these places must have been when they were functional. I do want to say, I didn't go close to any building with "No Trespassing" signs or go inside any building. If you visit these motels I also advise you not to go into any of them. These places will be mentioned east to west on Route 2.

MOTEL ONE
The first abandoned motel you encounter driving east to west is gray and mostly roofless, with a white building in front along with a red sign. We visited this one last, but found it to be pretty cool. We didn't get close to this one, as there are multiple "No Trespassing" signs displayed on it. 

Notice the torn roof.

When approaching, I noticed a tree with a blue border around it. I looked closer and realized it was a filled pool with a diving board. I would really have liked to see this place when it was up and running. If anyone has anymore info on any of these, please leave a comment or email me. I want to know when these were functional.

The old pool with the diving board to the right.

MOTEL TWO
This one is the most interesting of all. First, there were no "No Trespassing" signs anywhere on the property but we still didn't go inside any buildings. We began at the gift shop, and all we were doing was enjoying the fantastic vista. From here, Negus Mtn. and Mt.Clark are visible. I wanted to photograph the gift shop from higher up so we crossed the road and saw some shacks in the woods. I was of course intrigued and we explored them.

The sturdiest shack.

The shacks were extremely dilapidated. Some old signs advertising Mountain Dew and Cocoa Cola were stood up in the buildings. There was another small building up the hill we went to. If anyone has any idea what this was I'd like to know. A ruler was on the wall, along with a small compartment with what looked like chicken bones.

The building up the hill.

We continued down slope to the roadside motel. It's basically a line of yellow motel rooms. The room farthest to the left was labeled with a five. This means the other buildings, which I assume are cottages, were running at the same time, as there were four of them. I couldn't help but peek through one of the windows. This one room was stuffed with decorations and furniture from the other rooms. It must have been nice when these were functioning to walk out of your room and have a great view of the Deerfield River.

The roadside portion.

MOTEL THREE
This next one isn't really a motel. This place has several wigwams and a great view looking into Vermont. You can also see Mt.Greylock and Mt.Berlin from the old viewing deck. Much like the last motel, people stop here even today for the views.

Looking into Vermont.

Again, we didn't go up to the wigwams due to the several "No Trespassing" signs. This place is above the infamous "Hairpin Turn" and Golden Eagle Restaurant. My uncle actually stayed here once when it was operational. He was able to identify which hut he stayed in.

Gallery

The view from the second motel. The gift shop is to the right.

The second cottage.

Likely a bathroom.

One of the old signs. Likely taken from the gift shop.

Mt.Greylock from the viewpoint at the Wigwam Gift Shop.

Sign in front of the first motel.

The garage and torn roof.

Likely the restaurant.

The pool, taken from the diving board.

This isn't really a hike, so I can't say I recommend it if you're into hiking. If you like old places and history, I would recommend this. Once again, if anyone has any information on any of these places, I would love to here it. Either leave a comment, or email me. Sorry if this didn't have much personality in it. It's more of a report and less of a blog on a hike. I'm trying to introduce variety to my blog. Hope you enjoyed!

Buck Mountain

I decided to change things up for once. We've been going to Vermont and New Hampshire for the last few hikes, so I came up with the idea of going to New York, more specifically, the Adirondacks. This is my second hike in the Adirondacks. The range is the next frontier to me. I actually did Algonquin Peak seven years ago but I forget most of it. It felt like a fresh start so I decided to do an introductory hike. That hike is Buck Mountain, situated to the east of Lake George.

The sign at the trailhead.

We began up the trail. The hike itself isn't difficult in any way. There are several different stream crossings that don't present much of a challenge. I had spikes on and they still weren't that hard. Most of the trail was iced over, but could be done without spikes by walking on the side of the wide trail. There are multiple icy waterfalls on the side of the trail with steep rock faces. 

The rocky and icy side of the mountain.

After the last junction with the Connector Trail, the trail gets the steepest, but not anything to complain about. With all the leaves off the trees, we could see Pilot Knob and Crossett Pond on the way up. You'll know your approaching the peak when you see a big, grassy ledge area. From here you can see Lake George, Crane Mountain and even some mountains in Vermont like Dorset Peak and Equinox Mountain.

Pilot Knob as seen from the first ledge.

We entered the woods again and found ourselves on a long ledge that the trail follows. The summit area is quite nice. It reminds me of Brace Mountain, another peak in New York. The true summit is an enormous rock ledge where most of the Adirondacks can be seen. You can see the High Peaks, Pharaoh Mountain, Crane Mountain, Gore Mountain, the Tongue Range and even Black Mountain.

The ledges at the top, with Crane Mtn. and Gore Mtn. in the distance.

We stayed on the summit for a long time, but it started to get cold so we began the journey down. When we came to the first ledge, we met a guy named Don and his dog Norvert. It was nice talking with him on the way back down the mountain. I've also decided to start a gallery in my blogs where I can show extra photos.

Gallery

Looking into the High Peaks.

Bella with Lake George in the background.

The view east with Equinox Mountain in the back.

Overall, this is a great beginners hike for someone who wants to start hiking in the Adirondacks. With a great view over Lake George and another into the High Peaks, I highly recommend this hike in the winter, as it does get crowded in the summer.