The Lookout OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 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: Vacant Mal Provost 93 Kingsbury Road, Burnt Hills, NY 12027 VICE-CHAIR: 399-1565 Stan Stoklosa [email protected] 8 Archer Drive, Clifton Park, NY 12065 LOOKOUT EDITOR: 383-3066 Nicole Weinstein [email protected] 904 Myrtle Avenue Albany, NY 12208 SECRETARY: 482-2594; [email protected] Sally Dewes [email protected] [email protected] MEMBERSHIP: Dustin Wright TREASURER: [email protected] Mike Brun NORTHVILLE-PLACID TRAIL: 4001 Jockey St., Ballston Lake, NY 12019 Mary MacDonald 399-1021 27 Woodside Drive, Clifton Park, NY 12065 [email protected] 371-1293; [email protected] OUTINGS: DIRECTOR: Larry Woods Norm Kuchar 1120 7th Avenue 60 Fredericks Road Watervliet NY 12189 Glenville, NY 12302 810-7552; [email protected]; 399-6243 [email protected] [email protected] PRINTING/MAILING: Karen McKenney PROJECT COORDINATORS: 518-399-6606 Horst deLorenzi [email protected] 34 St. Judes Lane, Scotia, NY 12302 PUBLICITY: 399-4615 Roy Keats 1913 Baker Avenue Jacque McGinn Schenectady, NY 12309 79 Kenaware Avenue, Delmar, NY 12054 518-370-0399; [email protected] 438-0557 TRAILS: Stan Stoklosa [email protected] 8 Archer Drive, Clifton Park, NY 12065 383-3066; [email protected] YOUNG MEMBERS GROUP SILVER LAKE: Jonathan Lane Vacant [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] [email protected] On the Cover Photo by Rich Vertigan. Approaching Moxham cover Mountain in 2013. Inside this issue: OCTOBER-NOVEMBER 2015 Outings 2-3 Trip Tales 4-6 The Lookout Whitewater 7 The newsletter for the Schenectady Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club Annual dinner set for October 27 at SCCC The Annual Dinner of the Schenectady ADK Chapter will be on Tuesday, Oct. 27, starting at 5:30 p.m. at the Schenectady County Community College. The cost for the event is $24 per person and includes dinner and dessert. At 5:30 p.m., a wine and Please see Reservation cheese reception will take Form on Page 4. place, followed by dinner at Slate of Officers 6:30 p.m., and the speaker at on Page 8 7:30 p.m. Dinner choices are: breast of chicken with sau- sage and apple dressing; barbecued brisket of beef Photo submitted with wild mushroom sauce, caramelized onions and Johnathan Esper, shown above, will discuss the volcanoes and ice caves of Iceland at the Schenectady Chapter ADK’s Annual Dinner whipped Yukon Gold potatoes; and vegetarian Shep- herd’s Pie, made with Yukon Gold potatoes, vegeta- Caves: Photographing Iceland’s Amazing Nature.” bles and vegetable broth. Iceland is now one of the world's iconic nature desti- This year’s meeting program speaker will be Johna- nations for everyone from adventure travelers to pho- than Esper, whose talk is titled, “Volcanoes to Ice Continued on Page 5 Fall Picnic scheduled for October 17 Please join us for a fall picnic at Moreau Lake State Park Beach on Saturday, October 17th! This will be a perfect time to catch the foliage waning. We will plan for a 2 p.m. start time, so you can hike one of the trails, bike the road or paddle the lake before enjoying a gathering of friends, old and new, by the sandy shores. The New York State Parks Web page for Moreau Park is: http://www.nysparks.com/parks/150/details.aspx,. It pro- vides maps and information regarding activities available at this gem of a park. The Chapter will supply cold cuts, sandwich fixings, drinks, plates, cups and silverware. We only ask that each person bring a side or dessert dish to share. We have been told that the parking fee will have been suspended by that time. Please RSVP by: Wednesday, October 14th to Jacque McGinn, project coordinator at jev- [email protected] or 518-438-0557. 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 Friday, Oct. 9 Northville-Placid Trail Steward Trip Saturday, Oct. 10 Class B3D Indian Head & Twin Mountains, Roy Keats 370-0399 or [email protected] Class A-2A Please join me for another semi-annual cleanup patrol John Susko 383-1284 or [email protected] on the N-P Trail, between Lake Durant and Stephens This hike to two of the Catskill peaks on the Devil’s Pond. Side-cutting, drainage clearing, and light blow- Path offers several possible routes. Depending on down removal are expected. It is an easy introduction conditions we could take the trail from Prediger Road to trail maintenance. This is an out-and-back trip of and climb both peaks from Jimmy Dolan notch or do about 6 miles with a nice scenic spot by the lake for a through hike over Twin from Pecoy notch. We lunch. Limited to 6 participants. Continued on Page 3 The Lookout Pa ge 3 Outings Continued from Page 2 Thursday, Oct. 22 Buck Mountain Lake George could also add the longer, loop trail over Indian Head Class C2B which has good views to the East. Both summits of Ken Marcinowski 885-9400 or Nilde- Twin have good views to the West and South. The dis- [email protected] tance is 7 to 9 miles with 2,500 feet of ascent. We will climb to the summit of Buck Mtn. VIA the trail on the North Side from Shelving Rock Road Sunday, Oct. 11 which is shorter than the trail from Pilot Knob. There Mountain Biking in the Capital District will be great views of Lake George and hopefully Larry Woods 810-7552 or [email protected] some fall foliage. Round trip is 4.6 miles with 1,100 The ride will be on dirt roads and/or easy single track feet of ascent. Be sure to bring plenty of water as well trails, suitable for entry level mountain bikes. The ex- as lunch. Please call or email by Tuesday eve. prior to act route will be chosen based on weather and condi- the trip; meet up time will be 9 a.m. Rain will cancel. tions. Sunday, Oct. 25 Saturday, Oct. 17 Southeast Hollow to Petersburg Pass, Berlin, NY Unnamed summit just beyond Hope (bushwhack) Class B2B Class C2B This hike will be 1.75 miles up the access trail and 5.2 Walt Hayes, 399-7482 miles along the Taconic Crest Trail. A good hike for a This 1575 foot mountain is located about 0.6 miles late fall day and great views from Berlin Mountain. south of the entrance to the NYS campground on the Come join us. Contact Mary by Thursday, Oct. 22: Sacandaga River in the Town of Wells just beyond the [email protected] or 518-371-1293. border of the Town of Hope. The rocky summit has a Length: 6.95 miles.