ALBANY CHAPTER of the ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB
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The Cloudsplitter Vol. 76 No. 1 January-March 2013 published by the ALBANY CHAPTER of the ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB The Cloudsplitter is published quarterly by the Albany Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club and is distributed to the membership. All issues (January, April, July, and October) feature activities schedules, trip reports, and other articles of interest to the outdoor enthusiast. All outings should now be entered on the web site www.adk-albany.org . Echoes should be entered on the web site www.adk-albany.org with your login information. The Albany Chapter may be Please send your address and For Club orders & membership For Cloudsplitter related issues, reached at: phone number changes to: call (800) 395-8080 or contact the Editor at: Albany Chapter ADK Adirondack Mountain Club e-mail: [email protected] The Cloudsplitter Empire State Plaza 814 Goggins Road home page: www.adk.org c/o Karen Ross P.O. Box 2116 Lake George, NY 12845-4117 7 Bird Road Albany, NY 12220 phone: (518) 668-4447 Lebanon Spgs., NY 12125 home page: fax: (518) 668-3746 e-mail: [email protected] www.adk-albany.org Submission deadline for the next issue of The Cloudsplitter is February 15, 2013 and will be for the months of April, May, and June, 2013. Many thanks to Gail Carr for the beautiful cover illustration of a winter elk herd. January 2, February 6, and March 6 (1st Wednesdays) Business Meeting of Chapter Officers and Committees 6:00 p.m. at Little’s Lake in Menands Chapter members are encouraged to attend - please call John Sheehan at 674-8121 Chapter Meetings are held at the West Albany Fire House (Station #1), 113 Sand Creek Road, Albany. Education Sessions start at 6:30 prior to the membership meeting. Programs begin following the Chapter business meeting. Refreshments are served after the meetings. January 8 (2nd Tuesday) MONTHLY CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP MEETING 6:30 P.M. Education Session: Used Gear Sale. Bring your used gear to sell and look for some bargains at our annual sale. No education session will be held this month to make time (and room) for the sale. Program: Ice-Climbing in the Adirondacks. Have you ever driven on Rt.73 near Chapel Pond in the winter and spotted people ice climbing. Ever wonder how they got up there. Tom Denham started ice climbing when he was 40 and give a slide presentation on this unique sport in the Adirondacks. He will also demonstrate some of the gear that is involved. February 12 (2nd Tuesday) MONTHLY CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP MEETING 6:30 P.M. Education Session: Camp Cooking. Several members will share their secrets for good meals while on backpacking and paddling trips. Program: Seneca Ray Stoddard. Noted photographer, naturalist, cartographer and Saratoga County native Seneca Ray Stoddard (1844-1917) focused his camera and pen on the recreation industry in the Adirondacks. He left a treasure trove of turn-of-the-century American visual history. Craig Williams, Curator at the NYS Museum will present a sampler of the artist's work and insights into the man. March 12 (2nd Tuesday) MONTHLY CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP MEETING 6:30 P.M. Education Session: Weather on Your Phone. Many of us carry smart phones on our outdoor trips these days. Meteorologist John Kent will share some good sources for weather information that can be called up through the phone. Program: Paddling in the Adirondacks and Beyond. Rich Macha, known to his loyal fans as "The Skipper," will take us on a water tour of the Adirondacks and other locales where he has paddled over the past years. Expect great photos and great stories. 2 ACTIVITIES SCHEDULE PARTICIPANTS’ RESPONSIBILITIES FITNESS: Know your level of fitness and limitations. The trip leader will ask questions about your experience, fitness, equipment, medical condition, expectations, etc. Be Honest! TRIP RATINGS: Understand that the level of effort is not the same as the level of difficulty. Trip ratings are for level of effort. Realize that “moderate” for a physically fit person may mean outrageously strenuous for a novice and/or unconditioned person. HIKERS EFFORT ELEVATION MILES TIME RATING LEVEL GAIN (FEET) (HOURS) A+ Very Strenuous 4,000+ 10+ 10+ A Strenuous 3,000+ 5 – 10 8 – 10 B+ Moderately Strenuous 2,000+ 5 – 10 6 – 8 B Moderate 1,000+ 8 --10 5 – 7 C+ Fairly Easy 1,000+ 5 – 8 4 – 6 C Easy Under 1,000 Under 5 Under 5 Not all trips fit cleanly into one of these categories. Some leaders may use A- or B- designations. Whenever you are unclear about a rating for a trip, leaders will be happy to explain what their designated rating means. PADDLERS MILES PORTAGES WATER CLASS A 12+ Long (½ mile+) II – Whitewater B 6 – 12 Short I – Moving C Under 6 None Flat BIKERS MILES TERRAIN A 30+ Moderate to steep B 15-30 Moderate C Less than 15 Flat to Moderate Please Note: Unless otherwise stated, please sign up with the leader for all Chapter activities. Do not simply show up at the designated meeting place. Arrive at the carpooling site before the stated departure time. Please pay the driver to offset the costs of driving. Do not bring a pet unless the trip leader agrees that it is okay, and bring a leash. Please stay with the group or ask to proceed and stop at the first intersection and wait for the entire group to re-assemble. You are expected to carry adequate equipment, water and food. If in doubt about what to bring, ask the trip leader! Suggestions for all seasons: Water: 2 - 3 Quarts Layered Clothing (NO cotton) Extra Socks Hat Shell (wind & rain) Extra Sweater or Jacket Headlamp Gloves Sturdy Boots Sun Glasses/Screen (SPF 15) First Aid Kit Food Map & Compass Waterproof Matches Emergency Blanket Winter Add-ons: Skis or Snowshoes Crampons Ski Pole or Ice Axe Extra Food Warm liquids Extra layers 3 MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN After the summer drought of 2012, the Fall season has shown a different side of nature's wrath. Our playground dodged the bullet this time but so many others did not. Let's not forget our brothers and sisters in our New York, New Jersey and Long Island chapters. There are so many ways to help. Usually it's a simple donation to the Red Cross or a similar NGO, but being the rugged outdoors people that we are, I would hope that some would consider some hands-on volunteer work. It seems that each quarter there is some big news from the main office. This quarter it's that the Club has formed a foundation called the ADK Foundation. Periodically the club receives large donations for specific projects to support our mission. Those donors usually want some control over or at least input into how the contribution is used. The Foundation will be a related but separate entity, governed by its own board, half of whose members will be ADK Board members. The Club also has the option to decline a donation if it is earmarked for a project inconsistent with its mission. Closer to home, the chapter will be looking to fill some key volunteer positions this year. Joe Polsinelli, our chapter treasurer, will be stepping down from that position at the end of this election cycle. We have an annual budget of about $30,000 that is managed by the finance committee. This position does not require any financial wizardry, just the ability to keep organized records and the time to write a handful of checks per month and attend the monthly Executive Committee meeting and 3 or 4 Finance Committee meetings per year. If you would like to get involved and give something back to the chapter, please contact me or our finance committee chair Thea Hoeth. Both phone numbers and e-mail addresses are in the Cloudsplitter and on the website. Also, the Chapter is considering hosting the club wide 2014 Fall Outing. Before making a commitment, however, we are looking for a person to chair a committee to organize such an event. It will be a significant undertaking but at the same time, it can be very rewarding. John Sheehan Winter 2013 THE CLOUDSPLITTER January-March 2013 Vol. 76 No. 1 Albany Chapter - Adirondack Mountain Club January – March 2013 Combined Activities Schedule Month Day Destination Or Event Leader Rating Jan 1 (Tue) Slide Kase B 3-5 (Thu-Sat) Club Days Adirondack Paddle ‘N Pole Macha 5 (Sat) Street & Nye Scaife A 6 (Sun) Pa's Falls XC Ski Macha B 6 (Sun) Moreau State Park Beginner Snowshoe Pacuk C 8 (Tue) MONTHLY CHAPTER MEETING--Used Gear Sale & Ice Climbing 9 (Wed) Hand Hollow XC Ski Traver C 9 (Wed) Moxham Mtn. Sheehan B 10 (Thu) Pack Demonstration Forest Breslin C 12 (Sat) Table Top & Phelps Berens A+ 12 (Sat) Santanoni Great Camp XC Ski Seward B 12 (Sat) Wright Kase B+ 12 (Sat) Buck [Young Adult Group] LaBarge/Spadaro B 15 (Tue) Pharaoh Phun #1 Antonio B+ 18 (Fri) Porter Mtn. Loop Hart A 18 (Fri) Prospect Mountain Snowshoe Henrikson B 19 (Sat) Big Slide Mtn. Young A 20 (Sun) Bennett Hill Hart C 21 (Mon) Huyck Preserve XC Ski Macha B 25 (Fri) Moreau State Park Antonio B 4 Month Day Destination Or Event Leader Rating Jan 26 (Sat) Gothics, Armstrong, Upper/Lower Wolf Jaw Warren A+ 26 (Sat) Colden Scaife A 27 (Sun) Grout Pond & Somerset Reservoir XC Ski Macha B 27 (Sun) New Member Orientation Feb 1 (Fri) Puffer Pond Hotdog Roast Antonio B+ 2 (Sat) Family Snowshoe - Moreau Lake State Pk.