[Journal entry for November 23, 2018; Butter Hill, Cornwall New York]. I had been planning to hike in Black Rock Forest, but when I arrived, I learned that it was closed for the hunting season, so I hiked in neighboring Storm King State Park, instead. This park, which like Black Rock Forest is located in the Hudson Highlands west of the Hudson River, has two adjacent peaks, Butter Hill and Storm King Mountain. My hike today took me only to the former. It is said to have the better views and it is also marginally taller, by 40 feet.

I parked on the east side of Route 9W, in a parking lot below a prominent cliff that faces south west. The afternoon was clear and cold - in the high Twenties, Fahrenheit. A little snow was on the ground. The sun, when I started at 2:30 PM, was already looking pretty low in the sky. I was not well-prepared for hiking this area and had no map, so I took only well-marked trails and returned by the same route at I took up. I first took the Butter Hill Trail (blazed in orange) uphill, passing a ruin with three picturesque stone pillars and a small stone foundation. The trail follows the top edge of a south-facing scarp, and offers nice views of Crow’s Nest Mountain (the next big hill to the south), the Hudson River and Mt Taurus (also called Bull Hill) on the far side of the river. The patches of snow on the ground were in places four to six inches deep, but the trail was mainly snow-free. A little hoar frost poked up from the soil. Pitch Pines and Scrub Oak decorated the rock ledges. The trail dipped down to a saddle with a small, seasonal pond. The Butter Hill Trail ended and I switched to the Stillman Trail (blazed in yellow) and took it steeply uphill. Once atop Butter Hill, I visited three overlooks. One looked north, towards the Hudson River at Newburgh New York. I could see the Newburg-Beacon Bridge spanning the Hudson River, and the confluence of that river with Moodna Creek, with its marshes. In the far distance, I could see Shawangunk Ridge, and beyond it, the Catskill Mountains. As second, east-facing overlook offered a superb view of Mt Taurus, on the east shore of the Hudson, and of the Little Stony Point peninsula that extends out into the river. Taurus is marred by the prominent scar of an old quarry, which has taken a big bite out of its southern flank. The summit of Mt Beacon is visible, too, but the view of the main part of that mountain is obstructed by Storm King. The third viewpoint looks south towards Crow’s Nest Mountain. Route 9W hugs its western flank. I was also able to find westward views, towards Black Rock Forest and Schunemunk Mountain, but they are not as dramatic and were, on this afternoon, somewhat obscured by the glare of the sun.

I retraced my path off the mountain. I had to drive north to Angola Road, to make a U-turn that would take me southward and homeward, so I took the opportunity to view the late afternoon sun lighting up the hills of Black Rock Forest. I parked on Muser Drive, just off of Angola Road, and walked around a field, admiring the shadows of the hills as they grew with the failing light. The overlook at the top of Black Rock Mountain was barely visible in the distance. The Forest is bare; the leaves that remained during my last visit two weeks ago are gone. For a few minutes, a sundog shone the sky.

Night had begun by the time I arrived home. About two hours.