Adirondack Mountain Club — Schenectady Chapter Dedicated to the Preservation, Protection and Enjoyment of the Forest Preserve
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The Lookout FEBRUARY-MARCH 2015 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: VACANT SECRETARY: NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL: Sally Dewes Mary MacDonald [email protected] 27 Woodside Drive, Clifton Park, NY 12065 371-1293; [email protected] TREASURER: OUTINGS: Mike Brun Larry Woods 4001 Jockey St., Ballston Lake, NY 12019 1120 7th Avenue 399-1021 Watervliet NY 12189 [email protected] 810-7552; [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 1804 Van Cortland St., Rotterdam, NY 12303 381-9319 [email protected] WHITEWATER: Ralph Pascale 50 Johnston Avenue Cohoes, NY 12047 235-1614 [email protected] On the Schenectady Chapter hikers on No. 8 Mountain. Photo cover provided by Norm Kuchar. Inside this issue: February-March 2015 Outings 2-4 Trip Tales 5 The Lookout Whitewater class 6 The newsletter for the Schenectady Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club Chapter Board seeks new board members The Schenectady Chapter of the guests to membership, inform- Project Coordinators perform Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) ing the Chapter Board and The duties as requested by the is seeking board members for the Lookout editor of new or rein- Chapter Chair, which generally positions of Membership Chair and stated members and maintain- includes taking on a project or Project Coordinator. Information ing a current mailing list. two during the course of a about the positions is below: Chapter year. A Project Coordinator at- If interested, please contact The Membership Chair has tends Chapter Board meetings Schenectady Chapter Chair Rich the responsibility for supplying and participates in decisions Vertigan at 518-381-9319 or verti- information on the ADK to pro- regarding general Chapter [email protected]. spective members, inviting Board and Main Club business. Board appoints Trip leader workshop new Outings Chair is proposed for March The Schenectady Chapter ADK The Schenectady Chapter will be presenting a workshop for new, Board has appointed Larry Woods prospective and experienced Trip Leaders. The purpose of the work- of Watervliet its new Outings Chair, shop will be to provide a good basis for planning and leading all replacing co-Chairs Herb Terns and types of Chapter outings, not just hikes and whitewater. Gillian Scott. Formerly serving as Project Co- We will be using the recently updated, Schenectady ADK Trip ordinator and Whitewater co-chair, Leader's Guide. The text covers all stages, from trip preparation to Woods has extensive outdoor seeing that participants enjoy themselves and look forward to their knowledge and experience. next ADK outing. As Outings Chair, Woods will be responsible for attending Chapter Whether you are new to the outdoors or a seasoned veteran, this board meetings; organizing outings workshop will be very informative. It is not difficult to lead a suc- by securing volunteers to lead hikes, cessful ADK outing, it just takes the right preparation. backpacking trips, flat-water canoe trips, cross-country skiing and The workshop will take place in March. The exact date, time and snowshoe trips; collecting Trip Ta- location will be determined by group interest. les for The Lookout from completed trips; maintaining and growing a list Please contact Larry Woods if you would like to attend. (518) 810- of outings leaders; and reporting 7552or [email protected] any outings-related safety issues to the Chapter Chair, Board, and Main Club. Pa ge 2 The Lookout 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 Larry Woods at 518- 810-7552 and let him know. Wilderness First Aid Course The Schenectady Chapter Board agreed to provide partial 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 reimbursement. For further information, call Larry Woods at 518-810-7552. 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 Saturday, Feb. 7 Saturday, Feb. 7 Long Path in Schenectady County - trail work, Class C2C East Branch of the Sacandaga Ski Trip, Class A2B Walt Hayes, 399-7482 Roy Keats 370-0399 or [email protected] The Long Path starts at the George Washington Bridge and will This is a classic ski trip going from the trailhead at Thirteenth end in Lake Placid when complete. There is need for side-cutting Lake to Route 8 near Bakers Mills. The trip has a couple of inter- on a local section of the Long Path. This outing will attempt to mediate downhills coming from Thirteenth Lake down to the fix that situation. I hope to greatly improve hikers’ enjoyment of Sacandaga Valley. After reaching the valley the trail generally this section of the Long Path. Clippers will be the tool of choice follows alongside the East Branch for a very scenic tour. Near to finish this work. Come enjoy an easy day in the woods with Route 8 there is a relatively steep ascent out of the valley fol- minimal driving. lowed by a steep descent to the parking lot. The trip is about 11 miles long. This is rated as an intermediate trip. The Lookout Pa ge 3 Outings Continued from Page 2 Friday, Feb. 20 Tues Feb. 10 TCT – Petersburgh Pass to Rte. 346, Petersburg, NY Windham High Peak & Burnt Knob; Class B2C Class B2B John Susko 383-1284 or [email protected] Mary MacDonald at [email protected] or 518- We’ll take the trail from the end of Big Hollow Road over Burnt 371-1293 Knob to the top of Windham. This is a longer and less frequently used approach to Windham; but, it provides several good views. This trip will require snowshoes and/or microspikes. The ridge is We will either return the same way or spot a car at Peck Road windy in winter. After initial climb from Petersburgh Pass up and do a through hike. The distance is 7 - 8 miles with greater toward the Snow Hole, we walk along the ridge and gradually than 1,500 feet of ascent. down to the terminus of the trail at Rte. 346. Wear (and bring more) warm clothing and bring lunch, water and snacks. About 8 Saturday, Feb. 14 miles. Road Distance: About an hour from the Capital District. Pharaoh Lake Ski Tour; Class A2C Roy Keats 370-0399 or [email protected] Saturday, Feb. 21 Ski Trip to Rock Lake; Class: Intermediate This ski starts at Beaver Pond Road just north of Brant Lake. The Mike Brun, 518-399-1021 or [email protected] trail has only one sustained uphill grade, but has enough ups and We will ski from Benson to Rock Lake.