The Cloudsplitter Vol. 78 No. 4 October-December 2015 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 November 15, 2015 and will be for the months of January, February, and March, 2016. Many thanks to Gail Carr for her cover sketch of a fall moonlit night in the woods. October 7, November 4, December 2 (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 Tom Hart at 229-5627 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. October 13 (2nd Tuesday) MONTHLY CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP MEETING 6:30 P.M. Education Session: Birds - My How You've Changed! WAMC Radio's bird guy, Rich Guthrie, will review some of the pretty dramatic changes in New York's bird life since he started noticing birds 60 years ago. Rich will also give us a look ahead on changes coming for birds in the future. Program: The Mountains are Beautiful--Everywhere! Fasten your seat belts! Alan Via ventures farther afield with this best-of-show presentation of photos of the ADKs, Catskills, Greens, Whites and New Hampshire AND Arizona, Utah, and Colorado, THEN to the Alps, Dolomites, Iceland, New Zealand and Patagonia. Alan, author of The Catskill 67--A Hiker's Guide to the Catskill 100 Highest Peaks under 3500' and numerous articles, is busy working on two more hiking guides. November 10 (2nd Tuesday) MONTHLY CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP MEETING 6:30 P.M. Education Session: Winter Footwear and Traction Devices. Chapter Chair Tom Hart will review our options for winter outdoor footwear and the best crampons, creepers, etc. for getting traction on icy surfaces. Program: Raptors! Joyce Perry is a wildlife rehabilitator with Whispering Willow Wild Care Wildlife Sanctuary in Guilderland which helps injured and orphaned wildlife of all types. The Sanctuary is a charitable organization affiliated with Guilderhaven. Joyce will not only speak with us about raptors and owls in particular, she will be accompanied by some of her feathered friends currently in the sanctuary's care. Come ready to be informed and entertained. December 8 (2nd Tuesday) MONTHLY CHAPTER MEMBERSHIP MEETING 6:30 P.M. Education Session: Search and Rescue--Review of Recent Incidents. We open the annals of the NYSDEC Rangers and examine the recent incidents. What went wrong, what went right and what lessons can be learned? Program: Discover the Pine Bush--The next best thing to visiting the Pine Bush Preserve ourselves, the best remaining example in the world of an inland pine barrens, is having Jackie Citriniti, Environmental Educator, come to us. She'll take us on a virtual tour of the Pine Bush's geological history, ecology, and the endangered Karner blue butterfly. 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. 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: o Water: 2 - 3 Quarts o Layered Clothing (NO cotton) o Extra Socks o Hat o Shell (wind & rain) o Extra Sweater or Jacket o Headlamp o Gloves o Sturdy Boots o Sun Glasses/Screen (SPF 15) o First Aid Kit o Food o Map & Compass oWaterproof Matches o Emergency Blanket Winter Add-ons: q Skis or Snowshoes q Crampons q Ski Pole or Ice Axe o Extra Food o Warm liquids o Extra layers 3 THE CLOUDSPLITTER October-December 2015 Vol. 78 No. 4 Albany Chapter – Adirondack Mountain Club October – December 2015 Combined Activities Schedule Month Day Destination or Event Leader Rating Oct 1 (Thu) Moxham Mountain Quattrocchi B 3 (Sat) Thacher Park- A Walk on the Wild Side Schaller C 3 (Sat) Scarface Priest B 3 (Sat) Seward, Donaldson & Emmons Berens A+ 3 (Sat) Macomb, Carson, Hough Scaife A+ 3 (Sat) Hadley Mountain Prewencki B 3 (Sat) Altamont to Schoharie Circuit Bike Ride Siegard A 4 (Sun) SW Hunter & Hunter Johnson A 5 (Mon) Caroga Lake Area Chernoff C 6 (Tue) Hudson River Big Boom to Feeder Dam Breslin C 6 (Tue) Evening Paddle Mohawk River – Latham Dewes/Saville C 7 (Wed) North Point Loop Johnson B+ 10 (Sat) Peaked Mtn. Kase B+ 10 (Sat) Indian Head & Twin Susko A 10 (Sat) Ashuwillticook Rail Trail Bike Ride Seward/Groves B 10 (Sat) Long Path Peaks Cross, Pleasant & Romer Johnson A 11 (Sun) Race Brook Falls & Race Mtn. Sheehan B 12 (Mon) Overlook Mountain Gansfuss C+ 13 (Tue) MONTHLY CHAPTER MEETING--Mountains Tour with Alan Via 14 (Wed) Evening Paddle Hudson River – Bethlehem McGuire/Jacobson B 16 (Fri) Jay Range Antonio B+ 17 (Sat) Merck Forest Sheppard B 17 (Sat) Tabletop & Phelps Becker A 17 (Sat) Fifth Peak Priest B 17 (Sat) Pharaoh Mountain Seward/Groves B 20 (Tue) Evening Paddle Mohawk River – Rotterdam Saville/Rosenblatt C 21 (Wed) Notchview Traver C+ 21 (Wed) Crane Mountain Antonio B 22 (Thu) Pole Hill Pond Trail Breslin C+ 23 (Fri) Mount Greylock via Gould Trail Ross/McCarron B+ 24 (Sat) Taconic Crest Trail (TCT) Trail Work Pisaneschi B 24 (Sat) Wright, Algonquin, Iroquois, & Marshall Warren A+ 27 (Tue) Evening Paddle Mohawk River Full Moon Murray/Roslund C 27 (Tue) Hadley Mountain under the Harvest Moon Priest B 28 (Wed) The Pinnacle & Bolton Conservation Park Breslin C 31 (Sat) Berry Pond Kase B 31 (Sat) Halloween Jay Range Traverse & Death Mt Siegard A Nov 4 (Wed) Thacher Park's Trails with Views Breslin C 6 (Fri) Snowy Mountain Antonio B+ 7 (Sat) Mt. Marcy Scaife A+ 7 (Sat) Cascade & Porter Becker B+ 10 (Tue) MONTHLY CHAPTER MEETING--Raptors with Joyce Perry 11 (Wed) Cat and Thomas Traverse Traver B+ 13 (Fri) Tower Mt. From Rt. 20 Sheehan B 14 (Sat) Moreau Lake Park Waldman B 14 (Sat) Seward, Donaldson, & Emmons Warren A+ 14 (Sat) Charles Lathrop Pack Demonstration Forest Seward/Groves B 14 (Sat) Kaaterskill High Peak Kase B+ 4 Month Day Destination or Event Leader Rating 14 (Sat) Tibbits State Forest Susko C 18 (Wed) Hoffman Notch Antonio B 26 (Thu) Thanksgiving Breakfast - Little's Lake Burns/Reif Dec 5 (Sat) MacNaughton Warren A+ 5 (Sat) Dix & Hough Berens A+ 8 (Tue) MONTHLY CHAPTER MEETING--The Pine Bush (**venue change) 9 (Wed) Moreau State Park Breslin C 12 (Sat) Fifth Peak - Tongue Mtn. Range Seward/Groves B 13 (Sun) Christmas Carol Sing Reif 21 (Mon) Dial & Nipple Top Scaife A+ 29 (Tue) Fir Mountain Susko B 30 (Wed) Hadley Mountain Sheehan C+ All outings are listed online at www.adk-albany.org DON’T FORGET TO OPT OUT Paddle in a tight group when crossing large ACTIVITIES bodies of water. 2) Launch on Time -- Please be in your boats on the water and congregated near shore DESCRIPTIONS before the launch time.