4th Quarter 2020 NORTH WOODS NEWS THE QUARTERLY NEWSLETTER OF THE NORTH WOODS CHAPTER OF THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB
Ampersand Summit 9/18/2020 photo by Jess
From our Chapter Chairperson
Welcome to Fall! As beautiful as the Adirondacks are all year round, they are definitely awesome in the Fall. Every year I ask if anyone remembers the leaves being as outstanding, are the reds redder this year, do the oranges seem day-glow? All I know is I feel very thankful to be living amongst such beauty. I guess many, many people want to share in our experience based on the number of people we run into on our trails, on the water and on our roads. It’s suddenly the place to be and we’re already here! How lucky are we!
As you know, last quarter’s newsletter didn’t have any trip reports because we didn’t have any trips in the spring. Boring!! Outings with guidelines were added over the summer and those trip reports are included in this newsletter. Exciting!!! Enjoy!
Our 4th Quarter Outings schedule has been published with a few final paddles, numerous hikes, a golfing event and our hike into Copperas Pond with a hot dog roast at the pond. Many of us are finding that not only do we like our activities for the view and the exercise but the socializing is important. We seem to paddle slower and circle up for a conversation, our lunches at the mountain tops are longer so we have time to enjoy one another’s company. Please join the North Woods Chapter for our socially distanced activities and catch up with your friends! Gretchen
CHAPTER OFFICERS and Secretary: Susan Omohundro Conservation: John Omohundro COMMITTEE CHAIRPERSONS Treasurer: Elisabeth Craven Membership: Elisabeth Craven Chairman: Gretchen Gedroiz Director - Kathy O’Kane Newsletter: Jim Edmonds Vice Chair: Kathy O’Kane Outings: Carol Edmonds Programs: Marilyn Gillespie 4th Quarter 2020
Director’s Report by Kathy O’Kane, North Woods Chapter Representative on the Adirondack Mountain Club Board of Directors
ADK Board of Directors Meeting - October 3, 2020 (Via Zoom)
Highlights of the Board of Directors meeting include:
• The ADK new Bylaws vote counting is scheduled to take place on October 14 through the tellers appointed by President Andrews.
• The Adirondack Loj phased re-opening has allowed for solid bookings over the summer with about 65% capacity and with bunk rooms operating as single family units. Meals are not being served family style but with individual tables and service. After being shut down for the summer, Johns Brook Lodge is now open and running at 50% capacity. The High Peaks Information Center opened to limited indoor capacity and shows strong sales for retail and rental items, as well as providing information.
• In response to increased impacts in the Forest Reserve caused by a large influx of inexperienced hikers, a series of education videos were produced targeting novice hikers. These videos shared on social media and with local tourism agencies covered topics from camping at designated sites to digging a cathole. Two videos were also produced in partnership with the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program targeting paddlers. To view, click on You Tube in the upper right corner of the adk.org home page.
• The ADK trail work crew completed five projects this summer including: Avalanche Lake-Lake Colden Connector, Salmon River Falls, Mount Haystack, and the North Country National Scenic Trail. More information can be found on adk.org and search for “trail work 2020”.
• Seasonal Summit Stewards had a busy season interacting and doing essential eduction with a very novice group recreating in the High Peaks Wilderness.
• Membership report as of 8/31/20 - 17,691member households which includes the 558 essential workers who took advantage of the free membership offer in June.
• The next Board meeting is December 5, 2020.
Please Note:
Due to our current circumstances, the potluck suppers have been suspended for this quarter. In addition, we will not have an annual meeting this year. Contributions will be put on hold until we can meet together again. Kathy O’Kane has agreed to serve a second term as our Director.
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The History Corner by the History Guy
Rainbow Lake
Rainbow Lake, which our chapter has paddled many times, has been the scene of much history. This is the first of at least two stories about goings-on there.
From the 1870s into the early twentieth century, Rainbow Inn on the northwest shore hosted hunters, fishers, and summer vacationers. A fat book of memoirs by James Manchester Wardner, its builder and proprietor, relates its significant place among the tourist destinations of the region, such Paul Smith’s Hotel and the Meacham Hotel. (Footprints and Sunset on Adirondack Trails, 2010). Like Smith, a long-time friend, Wardner also seems to have been present or had a hand in a great deal of local development.
Wardner was born in 1831 on a Chestertown farm and spent his youth taking hunting and fishing trips along the Saranac River. He climbed Whiteface Mountain, from which he admired “Lac Alambie” (Lake Placid) and the hamlet of North Elba. After a stint as a teamster moving provisions west to Ohio, he returned to the mountains. He contracted with an Albany firm to deliver two tons of venison to Port Kent each spring. For much of the 1850s, he and his two partners lived near Osgood Pond, hunting, trapping, and collecting honey. They stocked up in Bloomingdale and occasionally passed through the small sawmill village of Saranac Lake.
Wardner met Paul Smith during his time as a market hunter, when both were planning to offer accommodation to “sports” from the city. Wardner built a camp a little bit east of Grassy Pond, calling it Rainbow. While operating it, he met and admired John Brown (although later he counseled Brown not to go to Harpers’ Ferry). He also watched Ahaz Hayes establish a colony of free black farmers along Negro Brook (north of Bloomingdale, visible on the bog trail).
For a time in the late ‘50s, Wardner guided for Smith’s hotel. One of his clients was the painter A. F. Tait, whose painting of Wardner’s tourist cabin adorns the cover of the memoir. Probably his most amazing guiding adventure involved him leading two Englishmen, on a bet, from Osgood Pond by canoe to Albany.
Wardner reports that in 1841, residents in southern Duane township were tired of traveling so far north as Duane Center to town meetings so they spun off the southern half as Harrietstown, named after supervisor Duane’s wife. A decade later, with Smith, Wardner split off the western portion of Duane to create the town of Brighton,
Page 3 4th Quarter 2020 and served as its supervisor for many years.
He completed a farmhouse near the shores of Rainbow Lake in 1860, married his childhood sweetheart, Delia, and established “Rainbow Inn.” When Delia died he married Addie, who like Paul Smith’s Lydia became central to the operation of the inn’s business. The inn was a temperance establishment from the outset: no liquor was served.
Fires enhanced by the dry slash that loggers left behind often swept through the region, leveling the settlements housing the sawmills and loggers. Wardner was burnt out by one of these in 1873. While rebuilding, he leased a sawmill on the Saranac River from the Englishman Keese, of Keese’s Mills.
In the 70’s a dependable wagon road was built across the large Toof Marsh, now known as Bloomingdale Bog, improving stage travel of tourists and provisions to and from the The Rainbow Inn Champlain ports. The stage line began running right past his inn on its way to Plattsburgh. As a result, the Rainbow Post Office was established in his hotel. The first telephone line was strung to the inn from Saranac Lake village in 1884. Wardner enhanced his Rainbow setting by damming the lake’s south end and raising the water level by six feet.
Paul Smith operated his tourist stage, pulled by six white horses, past the Jones Pond outlet, then Wardner’s Rainbow Inn, and on to Loon Lake and Plattsburg’s railroad depot. The white horse concept was apparently suggested by Smith’s guest P. T. Barnum. The Rainbow Hotel The Chateaugay Railroad laid a line from Plattsburg toward Saranac Lake through Toof Marsh in 1887. That’s our walking trail today. Why doesn’t it come all the way to the village? Wardner ran a stage for his guests from his own station on that line to his inn. Then Seward Webb built his Adirondacks and St.
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Lawrence Railroad right past the Rainbow Inn. This line went to Montreal and was later a segment of the New York Central.
Wardner helped the Sisters of Charity select a location for their sanatorium in 1894. The Gabriels Sanatorium, only the second in the region, eventually became Paul Smith’s Forestry school, then a state prison, and now awaits a new function.
Wardner died in 1903. In 1910, the inn became the site of the Independent Order of Foresters' Rainbow Sanatorium.
The Bard of Birch Street
The Bard of Birch Street is an Adirondack curmudgeon who Elegy on the Summer Outings rarely speaks, but when he does, his every utterance is in the form Three months have passed since the start of July, of a limerick. But the summer went fast, those three months sped by. Owl’s Head feels like last week, Just ‘ere paddling South Creek . . . We’d good times in those three months, you and I,. Hold fast to that thought, solace in the tumult ahead.
The Bard of Birch Street
The Outings Schedule
The 4th Quarter Outings Schedule was distributed to all North Woods Chapter members on September 16th.
Ooops … The fifth line of that schedule was a humongous typo. sorry …
If you would like a revised Schedule, or just another copy, North Woods Members can request one by email at [email protected] .
Remember, you can always see the current, up-to-date, sometimes revised and amended Scedule at the website address which is shown on the originally distributed Schedule.
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A Safety Note for Winter Hikers from the Outings Committee
When making your plans, please keep in mind that winter hikes often take far longer than summer ones. Good conditions at the trailhead are not a good indicator of conditions for the whole trail. It is not unusual to encounter bare ground, ice and deep snow all on the same trail. Be prepared for it all. Give yourself plenty of time. Do not join a group if you have an early appointment in the afternoon. It is never wise to hike alone, but it is especially dangerous to turn around early and hike back to your car alone in the winter. The mountains are fantastically beautiful this time of year, but we must be aware of their challenges.
TRIP REPORTS .... written by the Leaders of last quarter’s Chapter Outings
July 2, Hike: Owl’s Head Mountain - Leader: Barbara Hollenbeck An intrepid group of three set out on a very warm, humid day to climb Owl’s Head (near Long Lake). The woods were damp and the coolness of the forest canopy kept us comfortable. The forest here is old, with a great mix of trees - deciduous and evergreen. A recent rain had left the trail muddy in places, especially near the summit, where the combination of bedrock, mud, and roots made climbing (and descending) a bit tricky. We stopped about a mile from the summit to admire the remains of the foundation of the old Fire Observer’s cabin, and took a picture of our hiking poles resting on its “stoop”. We enjoyed the songs of many birds, including Hermit Thrush and Oven Bird. We encountered few people on the trail to the summit, but when we arrived at the fire tower there were about 20-30 people there, mostly families. It was like Grand Central Station! One family group had 10 people. Very few wore face masks, and we were wary of coming into contact with the COVID-19 virus, since we didn’t know where any of those people had come from or where they had been. But we found a spot away from the crowd and in the shade to have our lunch. One of our group climbed the tower. We stayed at the summit admiring the panoramic view of the Adirondacks for quite a while, waiting for the families to leave. They all seemed to leave at the same time, and it was wonderful having the summit to ourselves. The 6.25 mile hike was great, but it was so hot when we finished we decided to look for a place to relax and swim. The Lake Eaton State Campground was near, so we drove in and were given permission to use one of the campsites. The swimming was refreshing and the picnic table was perfect for finishing our lunches. It was a fine day.
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July 9, Paddle: Lower Saranac Lake - Leader: Elisabeth Craven On a sunny, steamy day, with temperatures in the upper 80s and low 90s, nine of us set out from Ampersand Bay. We followed the shore counterclockwise, explored the lower part of Fish Creek, and admired a blue heron that flew just ahead of us. The water levels were very low and the concentration of milfoil seemed very high, so we abandoned the creek and continued past Shingle Bay to Fern Island to camp site 10 for lunch and a welcome swim. One of our adventurous participants, though, did continue up Fish Creek, climbed over one beaver dam, but then did not tackle the 3-foot high dam that she encountered further up the stream. After lunch we paddled towards Lonesome Bay and back to our put-in, going between the shore and Eagle Island. Just a light breeze, which was behind us on our return. A bit over 6 miles of easy paddling, 9 for the creek explorer.
July 15, Paddle: Long Pond - Leaders: Linda and Edward Roesner We moved this outing back a day owing to the weather forecast, and we we re glad we did: we had a perfect day for paddling, light breezes, good but not oppressive sun, low humidity, temperatures in the 70s - a “10” by everyone’s account. The parking area off the Floodwood Road was a bit crowded, and we encountered other groups while both putting in and taking out, but we saw few other boats on the water, and many of the campsites appeared unoccupied. We paddled first into Pink Pond, admiring the rich flora in the channel and on the pond, but low water and beaver activity kept us out of the channels leading to Little Pink and the trailhead to Ledge Pond. We circumnavigated the perimeter of Long Pond proceeding clockwise, and reached the bay with the trailhead to Long Pond Mountain. Along the way we came upon the Doras, up from plague- ridden Florida and self-distancing on Hoel Pond for the summer, who’d paddled over to say hello to their old Chapter buddies. We settled on lunch at campsite 10, a nice point of land with a sandy spot for taking out and good views down ahead on the lake. Lunchtime talk of shoes and ships and sealing wax, cabbages and kings, and about the ethics of telling a Tom turkey the facts of life. Two of us went for a swim off the sandy spot in clear, cool, perfect water. After lunch the group split up, 5 decided they’d had enough paddling for the day and headed back, 2 decided to meander and explore in leisurely fashion, each on his/her own, and the remaining 3 of us continued our circumnavigation, checking out campsites, portage trails, and several interesting small bays and coves, ending up at the take-out at the same time as one of the meanderers. 5.5 miles of paddling for the early departers, 8.1 for the circumnavigators, and 10 for one of the meanderers. The easy carry to the put-in/take-out is 0.15 miles.
July 16, Bicycle Ride: the “Paul Smith’s Loop” - Leaders: Pati Peebles and Dave Staszak Five cyclists set out on their ride at 9 a.m., with Dave leading and myself as sweep. The morning was cool as we proceeded at a relaxed pace to Lake Clear for a compression stop and hydration, then moved on to the next regrouping, at the intersection of Routes 30 and 186. One rider considered turning back but changed her mind when reminded of the downhill glide ahead. At the junction with 86 a shuttered Donnelley’s thwarted one rider. We took off on the hill up 86 with zeal and passion, eager to reach and pass by the cemetery. Triumphant at surmounting the hill, we compressed again to hydrate at the darkened Pack Basket. Then we turned right and headed towards Jones Pond, and took a break at the boat launch there. We then proceeded to the final leg of the trip, passing Church Pond and heading to the parking area outside Paul Smith’s where the Michigan Man holds sway and our cars were parked. We went our separate ways for lunch, having logged 21.7 miles, 910 feet of elevation gain, and 2 and a half hours of riding. We were great.
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July 21, Paddle: Henderson Lake - Leaders: Susan and John Omohundro Every paddler except domestic couples had to drive their own car, so we eleven made quite a caravan to Tahawus, and a lengthy wagon train rolling our canoes down the trail beside the Opalescent Brook to the put-in on Henderson’s south shore. Trailheads have been very crowded this summer, but there was room for most of us in the small parking lot. As we launched, we met a paddle party of three returning who had arrived at 6 a.m. The views of Wallface, McNaughton, and Iroquois peaks reminded us why we wanted to paddle here. The high rocky cliffs along the shore were draped in cedars growing almost upside down. We watched an osprey hovering over the shallows, and spotted an eagle in the top of a pine tree. The water level was so low we couldn’t paddle up any of the tributaries. Some of the campsites were occupied, but the lake never seemed busy with boats.
July 30, Hike: Catamount Mountain Leader: Tom Donovan Three of us ventured on this outing on a beautiful sunny day, with temperatures in the 70s, capped off by a little rain shower at the end. I think we all felt the effects of the past 4 months: although not an easy hike, Catamount seemed a little more challenging this time around. But we took our time. We enjoyed the views and talked a lot. We saw about 20 other people along the way, and the good news is that almost all had face coverings and were good at social distancing. Great hike and workout.
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August 7, Paddle: Upper Saranac Lake - Leader: Elisabeth Craven It was a beautiful day to be on the water, with no wind to fight. We explored the east side of the lake first, paddling up the Black Pond Swamp Brook. We were able to get as far up the brook as the wooden footbridge. On the way we saw an alligator with its head showing above the surface - some said it was just some dead wood, but did not go as far as to test their hypothesis . . . Elsewhere on the lake we saw a loon with two large chicks, a blue heron, and an eagle’s nest, in addition to a handful of motor boats, all observations that were not in dispute. We had lunch on Green Island before going up the west side and exploring the nature preserve near Route 30 and Green Pond. A perfect day for the seven of us.
August 13, Hike: Blue Ledges (well, not exactly) - Leader: Carol Edmonds Four people dropped out of this hike, leaving only 3 of us to carry on. We decided that we were not all that enthusiastic about the long drive to Blue Ledges done in 3 separate cars. So, we elected to hike locally instead. We chose Winding River Falls, located outside of Tupper Lake. It is about the same length as the Blue Ledges hike. I had done this hike starting at Route 30, but this time we used a newer, marked DEC trail off Route 421. The trail winds through the woods, passing four large beaver dams along the way. It was definitely a warm day, but being in the shade in the woods helped to keep things bearable. When we got to the falls, we explored a bit, looking at them from several different angles, including from the bottom (where we couldn’t see much). The walk out, unfortunately, had more uphill than downhill, so we decided we would go swimming to cool off (this had been discussed before the hike, so we all had swimsuits with us - in case some readers might be wondering). We weren’t sure where to go to swim, but stopped at Bog River Falls to check it out, since it was on our way out. We ended up staying there for our cool-off. One of us was enthusiastic about trying out the slide into the river, but we all wanted to swim. In the end, we did all swim, but no one slid down the slide. We watched lots of kids and a few adults do it, but couldn’t work up the courage to try it ourselves. We did swim over to the bottom of the slide and let the current carry us. One of us (the writer) swam too close to the middle and ended up being dragged underwater by the current, only to come up coughing and sputtering, but none the worse for wear. We all agreed that the swim was the highlight of the day. This has been an unusually warm summer, and we have to be flexible if we are to enjoy it.
August 19, Paddle: Little Tupper Lake - Leaders: Linda and Edward Roesner Scheduling an outing on Little Tupper is not without its challenges. As is the case with all our outings, the trip is announced long in advance of the event itself, and who knows what they will be doing that far ahead, or what the conditions will be like? This is particularly the case for Little Tupper, which is famous for its daunting winds: proposing a paddle on this lake more than a day or two ahead of time is a risky business. The outing had been
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scheduled for August 17, and we had a full roster of 12 paddlers signed up, as well as 5 more on a waiting list, eager to join the group. But circumstances and the weather intervened; the trip was postponed two days, and we wound up with 10 paddlers in all. The moral of the story, I suppose, is that one should not despair if they find themselves on a waiting list - just hang on and see . . . SO, we launched our ten solo boats, nine canoes and a kayak, on a beautiful morning, with cool temperatures, nice sun, and gentle breezes (at first), from the State boat launch on the Whitney property. We crossed to the south shore and headed up a couple of miles, then crossed back over to the north shore to a stretch of excellent sandy beach, where we stopped for a stretch and an early lunch. We continued up the lake along the north shore, remarking on the number of seemingly unoccupied campsites despite the numerous cars we’d noticed in the parking lot. We paddled up to the top of the lake and scouted out the entrance to the channel leading to Rock Pond. We decided not to paddle the additional miles into that beautiful little pond, though, because the wind had begun to build, and we knew we had miles to go to get back to the take-out and did not wish to test Little Tupper’s cross-, head-, and tailwinds more than would be necessary. On the way back down the lake we paused again at the sandy beach, where some of us - well, one of us - went for a swim. Half the group continued on down the lake without stopping there, and the rest of us followed 20 minutes later, enjoying the 3 remaining miles of vigorous paddling and arriving without incident at the take-out. This wonderful lake did not disappoint in any respect. 9.6 miles of paddling.
August 31, Bicycle Ride: the Bloomingdale - Norman Ridge Loop - Leader: Linda Roesner It was a beautiful, cool morning as seven intrepid cyclists met at the abandoned church in Bloomingdale to begin a 20 mile ride that featured gorgeous scenery, challenging hills, and good roads. Two of our riders had e-bikes, but deployed the motor assist judiciously on the steepest hill while the rest of us fought our way up. We took off at 10 a.m., and cruised down the Oregon Plains and Swinyer Roads. The morning shade of the surrounding forest made many of us happy that we had brought jackets. But as we approached Route 3, the day began to warm up, just in time for the steep hill up to the Norman Ridge. We climbed the dreaded hill (the subject of much pre-ride conversation). No one had to get off their bikes and walk! At the top we shed our jackets and rested, relishing the panoramic view of the High Peaks and the beauty of the farmland. We saw a group of cows that included a nursing calf. The ride along the Ridge as we gradually descended was invigorating. At the bottom we turned onto the Fletcher Farms Road and enjoyed some rolling hills and a picture-perfect view of Whiteface Mountain framed in a landscaped driveway of one of the farms. Our next challenge was the steep, twisty-turny descent on the Franklin Falls Road to the dam at Franklin Falls Pond. This road has been repaved in recent years and now is far less hazardous that in the past, but it is still a thrilling ride. We had an extended rest stop at Franklin Falls Pond, munching on our snacks and enjoying the view down the lake. Then we began the pleasant ride along River Road, with it’s ups and downs and glimpses of the lake and the Saranac River, and cruised back into Bloomingdale. Everyone agreed that it was a perfect day.
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September 9, Paddle: Lake Flower to Kiwassa Lake - Leader: Elisabeth Craven The day turned out to be not only sunny and warm but also windless. We had a beautiful paddle to Kiwassa Lake. It was a treat to see the mountains from this angle: we usually have them behind us when we paddle in this area as we are coming from Second Pond through the locks. For a lunch spot we investigated the island, but the take-out was a little too acrobatic for our 10 boats. The lean-to near the channel into Oseetah would have posed still greater challenges. So we opted for the other campsite, this one on the point on the north shore. A pleasant, sunny spot filled with imposing glacial erratics, with plenty of space to “socially distance”. A loon couple with chick was nearby. Ten miles on the water. A fun late-summer outing—and the predicted afternoon thunderstorm did not materialize!
September 15, Paddle: South Creek to Weller Pond - Leaders: Linda and Edward Roesner We had well nigh perfect weather for this outing, with temperatures in the mid 40’s at the put-in (after an overnight frost) and around 60 by lunchtime, with virtually no wind for the paddle out to Weller and only a moderate crosswind for the return paddle: perfect conditions except for the high gray haze that we initially took for a bit of lingering fog but that we came to realize was smoke in the upper atmosphere from the wildfires in the Far West, a haze that blanched and darkened what would have been a brilliant blue sky, and dimmed what would have been bright sunlight. The nine of us launched from the busy parking area on South Creek, and were relieved after the frenetic activity there to find that both Middle Saranac and Weller showed no signs of that business. Although several of the campsites on Middle Saranac were occupied, we had our choice of campsites on Weller for our lunch stop. We were pleased to see that South Creek had plenty of water in it and was largely clear of obstructions, and that the same was true for the channel into Little Weller. To be sure, that may have been the result of the very heavy traffic sustained by this popular trip throughout the summer. Crossing Middle Saranac, we were struck by the number of cormorants, as we had been on Oseetah and Kiwassa Lakes the week before: there was murmurings about them being a threat to the loon population owing to their voracious feeding. In any case, we wondered if they are normally found in these waters in such numbers. From Hungry Bay we had easy access into Little Weller Pond, a place of haunted beauty and one of my favorite places in the Adirondacks. We toyed with the thought of poking around in the unofficial “campsite” there, but were dissuaded by the ooze and slippery logs at the uninviting head of the scraggly trail leading a little way back into the thick damp woods. Moving on back into Weller Pond, we settled on Tic Island for our lunch, and with a little scrambling and community effort managed to get all 9 boats up over the rocks without damage to vessels or mariners. We then circumnavigated the Pond a bit, passing by (the then unoccupied) site 85, near the spot where Martha Reben had built her storied cure refuge, then checking out the trailhead to the long carry over into Upper Saranac Lake. Then, noticing the just freshening wind, we headed back to South Creek over a characteristically ebullient Middle Saranac Lake. 8 miles of paddling all told, always a great paddle, small wonder that it is so much sought out by locals and visitors alike.
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September 18, Hike: Ampersand Mountain - Leader: Jess Collins It was a good call to postpone this hike by a day in order to dodge the rain: with the sky now washed clear of smoke and haze caused by the western state wildfires, we had nothing but a bright, vivid, sunny day ahead of us. The four of us began our trek armed with masks, stopping along the way to allow others to pass with safe social distancing. Hiking first through a wooded area of huge hemlocks, we crossed log bridges, stepping stones, and a long narrow boardwalk before starting our ascent to the 3,352-foot summit. The trailwork was amazing, we literally walked up a stone stairway much of the way. We diverted from the path a couple of times, trying to locate the cave. Upon reaching the massive summit of solid vast granite, we were greeted by chipmunks running amok, as well as by a brisk northwesterly wind. We had lunch, then explored the summit, locating the bronze plaque dedicated to the “Ampersand Hermit” Walter Channing Rice, designated observer for the fire tower from 1915 to 1923. We also noted the four rusted foundation supports remaining from the old fire tower. Finally, and what we really came to see: the 360-degree geographic, from north to south and from east to west, truly one of the most panoramic vistas in the Adirondacks! Also providing a view were the reflecting pools of rainwater formed in the rock surface that mirrored the sky above. Definite “oh wow” moments were had. We then said our goodbyes to the “chippies” and headed back down the trail.
September 22, Hike: Gilligan Mountain - Leaders: Susan and John Omohundro As we drove to the rendezvous in Keene Valley, it was summer; when we pulled out again at 9:30 for the trailhead, it was fall. This equinox day was ideal: calm, 60s, and blue. Well, sort of blue—was that high thin haze from the California fires? Hikers bad- mouthed the leaders when they encountered the unadvertised steep sections, but forgave us when they stepped onto the excellent lookouts toward Rocky Peak, Giant, and the Dixes. The woods were filled with oak trees, and acorns cracked underfoot.
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The trail was as dry as dust. As we lunched on the summit, another hiker arrived to string up his hammock for a short nap. In the parking lot after, we celebrated with brownies, then re-convened at Split Rock Falls up the road to admire the split rock, even if the falls were puny this day.
September 23, Bicycle Ride: a loop outside of Plattsburgh - Leader: Betsy Clark Four of us met at Clinton Community College on the outskirts of Plattsburgh to bicycle a loop of approximately 27 miles on a day that started cool and cloudy, and with sprinkles of rain. The journey began with a screaming ride down the college hill to intercept Route 9. From there we traveled south to get off this major road and onto quiet country roads. We passed through farmland, forest, and apple orchards on gentle paved roads for about 13 miles. Our only wild encounter was with a turkey vulture that we apparently disturbed at his lunch, as he left his meal and proceeded to follow the lead cyclist, swooping down and up several times on his massive wings. At one point Barbara even noted his red wattle. After that excitement we turned back north, and almost immediately stopped to admire the falls at Ausable Chasm, which one of our group had never seen. Following lunch we pointed our bicycles toward Port Kent, with half of our ride still to come. We enjoyed lovely Wickham Marsh views before encountering “the dreaded hill” of the journey. Surviving that, we had a flat push for the last several miles along Route 9 once again. But what miles those were, with gorgeous Lake Champlain and Vermont beside us, and blue skies and 70 degrees enveloping us!
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