Helderberg Escarpment

Immediately prior to visiting the PhotoPlus Expo in New York, I went on a hike to Thatcher State Park, part of the Helderberg Escarpment, northwest of Albany, New York. This was the second time, in a week, I visited the same sections and grabbed some images.

My first hike through the wooded trails was with a few people from the local photographer meetup group and, on a sunny, warm (for upstate New York) day, the hiking was magnificent. We stayed on a level trail, so carrying equipment and moving about was no problem.

I left the group near after a few hours and, with my son, Zachary, drove to the overlook, where you can see a few small towns below the escarpment. I was on one leg of a "V", and, looking down and to my right, I could see the town of New Scotland laid out in a patchwork of fall colors. There are also a few homes speckled here and there and, when I looked at the images I took, I could clearly see the details of these homes--had there been anyone about, I would have been able to see them as well.

Initially, I had chosen one these images to give as a gift to my father-in-law, a wonderful photographer and friend of the arts. However, upon looking at a print, once I got home, I really didn't like seeing the homes and other remnants of civilization.

I had also taken some other images of the trees, in fall colors, on the other leg of the "V" and liked some of those compositions more. I settled on one such image to use until I watched the local weather report. The meteorologist said the Albany area had not yet peaked with the fall colors.

This area and other parts of New England are famous for "leaf-peeping" in late September and early October. This year, we had a particularly wet summer and expected great color.

Based on the weatherman's report, I decided to hold the image back from serious consideration until I could get back to Thatcher State Park during peak fall foliage. That, according to the report, would be the next week. So, I said a few prayers and scheduled a visit back the next weekend.

Originally, I had planned on taking the entire family, but my wife came down with a bad case of bronchitis and Zachary opted out. My daughter, Alex, 14, wanted to come, so she put on her preppie outfit (not something I would recommend for a hike, but what do I know... I'm just her Dad!) and we, along with Macbeth, our 94 pound dog, hiked for a few hours as I waited for a later afternoon sun.

The day was just as crisp as the previous week, but the temperature was slightly cooler; ideal hiking weather and a special time for me to spend alone with Alex.

A few hours later we drove back to the escarpment and I took out my Canon XTi and a 100-200mm f/4.5 zoom lens (and polarizing filter) I always carry about. I also had a 28-90mm, but don't really like it as much.

The weatherman was right as the colors were both more intense and there more trees that had put on their fall clothes. I shot mainly at 100mm and between f/11 and f/16 in RAW format (I now always shoot RAW). This is the picture you see at the top of this entry.