[Journal Entry for October 12, 2018; Jim’s Pond, Black Rock Forest, Cornwall New York]. I hiked in Black Rock Forest in the late afternoon. I parked at the hiker’s lot on Reservoir Road and took mostly woods roads to Jim’s Pond. I made four long detours, visiting viewpoints on the shores of Upper Reservoir, Aleck Meadow Reservoir, Arthur’s Pond and Bog Meadow Pond. All these ponds – and Jim’s Pond, too – are beautiful, even though the fall colors have not yet peaked. Today, colors are most vivid at Upper Reservoir. Jim’s pond extensive cover of water lilies gives it a very striking appearance, too.

I had started my hike with the aspiration of climbing up to the Eagle Cliff overlook, which is on the ridge above Jim’s Pond, but decided to head back after visiting Jim’s Pond, instead, for I was running out of daylight. I did climb the ridge, but headed in the opposite direction from the overlook, taking the Scenic Trail (blazed in white), Ledge Trail (blazed in yellow) and Chatfield Trail (blazed in blue) over to Chatfield Road (a woods road). I reached the viewpoint on Tamerack Pond just as the sun was setting over the hills on its far side. The leaves of Mountain Laurel, so dense around the lakeshore, were reflecting its rays.

The sun had set well before I reached Aleck Meadow Reservoir. I took the Honey Hill Trail (blazed in white) back to the Science Center, finding that the woods on the far flank of Honey Hill were very dark and the trail hard to follow. I was relieved when I finally reached Mailley’s Mill Bridge. Daylight was about gone by the time I reached my car.

I had a sausage and pepper pizza pie at Leo’s in Cornwall New York, before heading home.

About four hours.