The Lookout 2014-0607
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The Lookout June/July 2014 Adirondack Mountain Club — Schenectady Chapter Dedicated to the preservation, protection and enjoyment of the Forest Preserve http://www.adk-schenectady.org Adirondack Mountain Club — Schenectady Chapter Board ELECTED OFFICERS APPOINTED MEMBERS CHAIR: CONSERVATION: Rich Vertigan Mal Provost 1804 Van Cortland St., Rotterdam, NY 12303 93 Kingsbury Road, Burnt Hills, NY 12027 381-9319 399-1565 [email protected] [email protected] LOOKOUT EDITOR: VICE-CHAIR: Nicole Weinstein Stan Stoklosa 904 Myrtle Avenue 8 Archer Drive, Clifton Park, NY 12065 Albany, NY 12208 383-3066 482-2594; [email protected] [email protected]; [email protected] MEMBERSHIP: Maria Beurmann SECRETARY: 5 Wing Road, Rexford, NY 12148 Sally Dewes 399-7409; [email protected] [email protected] NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL: Mary MacDonald TREASURER: 27 Woodside Drive, Clifton Park, NY 12065 Mike Brun 371-1293; [email protected] 4001 Jockey St., Ballston Lake, NY 12019 OUTINGS: 399-1021 Herb Terns and Gillian Scott (Co-chairs) [email protected] 372-8478; [email protected] PRINTING/MAILING: DIRECTOR: Karen McKenney Norm Kuchar [email protected] 60 Fredericks Road 518-399-6606 Glenville, NY 12302 PUBLICITY: 399-6243 Roy Keats [email protected] 1913 Baker Avenue Schenectady, NY 12309 PROJECT COORDINATORS: 518-370-0399; [email protected] Horst deLorenzi TRAILS: 34 St. Judes Lane, Scotia, NY 12302 Stan Stoklosa 399-4615 8 Archer Drive, Clifton Park, NY 12065 [email protected] 383-3066; [email protected] SILVER LAKE: Jacque McGinn Harold McCumber 79 Kenaware Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054 1074 Madison Avenue, Troy, NY 12180 438-0557 274-3960; [email protected] [email protected] WEB MASTER: Rich Vertigan Dan Gray 1804 Van Cortland St., Rotterdam, NY 12303 48 Empire Drive, Niskayuna, NY 12309 381-9319 428-3059 [email protected] [email protected] WHITEWATER: Larry Woods 1120 7th Avenue Watervliet NY 12189 271-0270; [email protected] Ralph Pascale 72 Willow Street Cohoes, NY 12047 339-4810; [email protected] On the Photo of whitewater activitycourtesy of Ralph Pascale. cover Inside this issue: June-July 2014 Outings 2-4 Whitewater Schedule 8 The Lookout Teen Trails Winner 7 The newsletter for the Schenectady Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club Bike Path Cleanup INNING set for June 14 The Schenectady Chapter will celebrate National Trails Day a bit belatedly with the An- nual Schenectady Bike Path Cleanup (est. 1993) on Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to noon at the Seneca Street crossing. Bring sturdy shoes and gloves and sun- screen and perhaps your favorite trail tool as we pick up trash and trim brush to keep the bike path an inviting place to recreate. We provide juice and cookies and fruit. An excellent Photo courtesy of Gillian Scott. chance to introduce kids to trail work. Contact Stan Stoklosa at 383- ‘Travel’ to Norway on June 18 3066 or stan- [email protected] to sign The Schenectady ADK Chapter has and Gillian Scott as they discuss their up. scheduled an inning about Norway on trip to the Scandinavian country. Wednesday, June 18, at 7 p.m.at the They’ll share photos from their visit, Clifton Park-Halfmoon Library, 475 To receive The Lookout including a stop in Svolvaer, a small digitally, via email, Moe Road. Norway is known for its fjords, po- town north of the Arctic Circle, and please contact us at: time spent at Rondane National Park, lar explorers and the midnight sun. It’s the country’s oldest national park with schdyadk also home to 44 national parks and 10 peaks over 2,000 meters. There they @gmail.com some fantastic hiking and scenery. Join husband-and-wife Times Union out- stayed at Rondvassbu, one of the more doors columnists (and Schenectady than 400 huts nationwide operated by ADK outings co-chairs) Herb Terns the Norwegian Trekking Association. Pa ge 2 The Lookout June-July 2014 Innings and Outings How do I sign up for a hike? For futher details or to sign up for a hike, call the trip leader. Try to call at least two days in advance, as leaders may cancel on the day before an outing if there is insufficient interest. Leaders reserve the right to refuse participants for any reason, including lack of experience and/or lack of physical fitness. All equipment and supplies are the sole responsibility of the trip participants. What do I need to bring? The trip leader will let you know if any special equipment (crampons, snowshoes, etc.) will be needed. In general, you should always carry food, water, rain gear, map, compass, headlamp, first aid kit and extra clothing, including hat and gloves in case tem- peratures drop. Clothing for wet or cold weather should not be made of cotton — use a synthetic fleece or wool. If in doubt, ask the leader. What if I don’t have snowshoes/crampons? The chapter has hi-tech snowshoes and one pair of universal fit crampons available for rental at $5/trip. Contact Stan Stoklosa at 383-3066 to arrange for pick up from his convenient location in Clifton Park. Gear is also available to rent at local retailers.. Should I reimburse drivers for gas? Yes! Each rider should pay their driver four to five cents per mile, depending on the current cost of gasoline. With gas at $2 per gallon, four cents per mile should be used and at $2.50 per gallon, five cents should be used ($3/gallon – six cents, etc). The kind of hikes I’d like to do aren’t listed here — what can I do? Trip leaders may be willing to plan trips based on member suggestions. If there’s a specific trip you’d like to do, contact Herb Terns at 372-8478 and let him know. Wilderness First Aid Course The Schenectady Chapter Board agreed to provide partial ($150) tuition refund for outings leaders who take Wilderness First Aid courses. The program is modeled after the 46ers current program so people who are both 46ers and Schenectady trip leaders can get a total of $200 reimbursement. For further information, call Larry Woods (271-0270) or Herb Terns (372-8478). HIKE CLASSIFICATIONS Distance Leader’s Pace Terrain Examples A+ 13 Miles or More 1. Fast A Very Difficult A+1A Most Difficult Trip A 8-12 Miles 2. Moderate B Strenuous B2C Moderate Trip B 5-8 Miles 3. Slow C Average C3D Easy Trip C Under 5 Miles D Easy Wednesday, June 11 Saturday, June 14 OK Slip Falls Explore Colonie Town Park Class B2B Class C3D Walt Hayes, 399-7482 Dan Gray [email protected] 518-428-3059 This is a repeat of the trip Norm Kuchar had in This trip is open to all, but geared to- May. This hike on newly opened route to OK Slip wards families with children ages 0-5 Family- Falls had a large number of requests for participation years old. We will hike several of the Friendly so we thought it should be offered a second time. It short trail loops, exploring the pond will be about 700 feet of ascent with a round trip dis- and vies of the Mohawk River. There will be many tance of six miles. opportunities for families to get back to cars if needed. Meeting time will be mid-morning and firmed up once participants are confirmed. Continued on Page 3 June-July 2014 The Lookout Pa ge 3 Innings and Outings Continued from Page 2 Saturday, June 21 Saturday, June 14 Mt. Everett and AT Northbound, MA 9am to Noon Class: B2B Bike Path Cleanup: Rich Vertigan, 381-9319 or Seneca St Crossing Family- [email protected] The Schenectady Chapter will cele- Friendly brate National Trails Day a bit belat- We’ve been picking off pieces of the Appalachian edly with the Annual Schenectady Bike Path Cleanup Trail in Massachusetts, and we'll continue that on this (est. 1993) on Saturday, June 14, from 9 a.m. to hike. We’ll start in Mount Everett Reservation, make a noon. Bring sturdy shoes and gloves and sunscreen quick 0.7 mile trip up Mount Everett, and then retrace and perhaps your favorite trail tool as we pick up trash our steps heading north to Jug End Road to a spotted and trim brush to keep the bike path an inviting place car. Total distance is 5.3 miles, with a significant net to recreate. We provide juice and cookies and elevation loss (really!). We're hoping the laurel will be fruit. An excellent opportunity to introduce kids to in bloom as it was the last time we came here in late trail work. Contact Stan Stoklosa at 383-3066 or stan- June. Raindate will be June 28. [email protected] to sign up. Sunday, June 22 Saturday, June 14 Owl Head Lookout and High Bank. Saunders, Buck and Bear Mountains Class B2B Class A2A Elie Bijou [email protected] 873-2119 9-9 Herb Terns, 372-8478 p.m. Fri 6 p.m Or [email protected] Let’s hike this lovely trail to OHL with its wonderful We’ll explore these three peaks in the eastern Dix view. We will then proceed to High Bank, an interest- Mountain Wilderness. All three look to have some ing area, for lunch. Distance: 8.2 mi RT, Ascent 1,100 views. We’ll likely bushwhack under the Northway ft. near Shingletree Pond. Round trip will be about 7 miles with nearly all of it off trail. Saturday, June 21 Wittenberg & Cornell Mountains Monday, June 16 (Raindate June 17) Class A2B+ Sly Pond (AKA Gamawakoosh) John Susko 383-1284 or [email protected] Class B2B We’ll take the trail from Woodland Valley along the Walt Hayes, 399-7482 Burrows range to these two Catskill peaks.