
Reports
from Chapter activities during 2009 and 2010
Sep
1 (Tue) ROSS, WHORTLEBERRY & BIG BAD
LUCK PONDS
Leader: John Antonio
For seven of us this was the first visit to these gorgeous bodies of water, and listening to the different reports from our party it seems like all plan on a return trip in the future. The day was, weather-wise, perfect. The trail started out a bit muddy but dried up and got prettier as the day progressed. The only “glitch” all day was a brief 10 to 15 minute bit of time in which we were slightly twisted and missed a trail sign. This area is loaded with many old logging roads and church camp paths. We all felt we spent a great five and a half hours in the woods. Participants were Bill Shapiro, Padma Krishna, Cliff Prewencki, Lori McCarron, John Sheehan, Stan Lockwood, Kathleen Sheppard, Mica the dog and the leader.
Sep
2 (Wed)
Jenkins
Leader:
Jim Schaller
We met at the
Sep
3 (Thu) Loon
Leader:
Jim Schaller
Only one other person joined us for this day.
Upon our arrival at Buck Pond Campsite, a Ranger gave me information on
Sep
4 (Fri)
Leader:
Jim Schaller
Again there was one other hiker, and we
agreed to re-schedule again, doing St. Regis Mtn. instead of
Sep
8 (Tue) HOUR POND
Leader: John Antonio
WOW!!
What a view! A pristine
Sep
10 (Thu) PADDLE NORTH HUDSON-LUZERNE
Leader: Bill Valentino
We put in at the DEC boat launch
south of Luzerne and paddled north against an easy current up to the Town.
Some of us played in the stronger current near the town and then we all rode the
current assist back to the launch area. Other than losing one of our
members on the ride up because of an unfixable tire blow-out this was one of
those days of really nothing extraordinary, just plain vanilla fun. Our
group included Marlee and Hank Bickel, Emily Reed, Bob Heffley, Etta Menges,
Marty Connor, David Palat, Tim Lawson and the leader.
Sep
13 (Sun) HURRICANE MOUNTAIN
Leader: Dave Fiske
Sep
19 (Sat)
On a perfect fall day, fifteen of us set out
for the Pharaoh Mountain Wilderness. At the parking place, since the road to the
trail head is so deeply rutted, rocky and full of puddles, we split into two
groups. Those who would climb the mountain (Mary Walsh, Kathleen McGarry, Janice
Miller, Anthony Calvagno and John Tift) drove in the only SUV to the trail head,
while the rest of us (Gail Carr, her son-in-law Herbert Witham and his daughters
Allegra, Blythe and Celeste and her nephew Dan, Frank Visco, and Arthur
Fontijn), walked in. We hiked to the peninsula, now called Watch Rock, one of
the most beautiful spots in the
Sep
26 (Sat) AVALANCHE MOUNTAIN
Leader:
Don Berens
This
bushwhack hike to a 3,800 foot trail less peak on the first Saturday of autumn
was like "pulverized pepper." It was fine! The
day started frosty (28 degrees on the
Sep
26 (Sat) GIANT VIA OWL HEAD
Leader:
Bob Scaife
After a last-minute change to the route,
George Baranauskas, Roman Laba, Kathy Pacuk, Arnie Tran, Kay Tran and the leader
set out from the quiet North trailhead to hike over Giant Mountain and Rocky
Peak Ridge to New Russia. A gradual
two mile ascent through a lovely hardwood forest brought us to the open rock and
panoramic views of the Owl Head lookout. Here
we enjoyed cooling breezes, a cloudless sky and a sunlit vista of mountains in
colorful fall drapery. Leaving this
pleasant spot, we descended into the valley of Roaring Brook and hiked for three
miles through a sun-dappled forest of maple, beech and birch, catching glimpses
of the eastern slides of Giant between the splashes of leafy red and orange
overhead. From the deeply shaded
valley between Giant and Green, we began our ascent of Giant.
The temperature dropped as we climbed and we found frost, a chill breeze
and a small crowd of hikers awaiting us at the summit.
There and on the steep descent of the sheltered and sunny East side of
Giant we shared the trail with a group of St. Lawrence University students
celebrating “Peak Day”. On Rocky
Peak Ridge, we found again a brilliant, warm sun and a refreshing, cool breeze.
After exchanges of cameras and photographs among the groups at the
summit, we continued on our sunny path, down past Mary Louise Pond to the twin
summits of Rocky Peak and then steeply downward to Bald Peak.
Onward and downward, we found ourselves out of season for the blueberries
of Blueberry Cobble. Ever onward and
downward from the birches into the pines and oaks, through the dark hemlocks,
along the mossy brook, continuing down the very last hill to the trail’s end.
Photos from the hike may be viewed at: http://picasaweb.google.com/rpscaife.
Oct
1 (Thu) BLUE LEDGES
Leader:
John Sheehan
It was a crisp autumn day with
everything the
Oct
3 (Sat) SEWARD
Leader:
Don Berens
Overnight
rain had stopped and wind had blown much of the tree-drip off the green
spruce and colorful hardwoods when Don Berens, Randy Caldwell, Don
Duthaler, Dawn Mallory, Denise Mongillo, Shashi Narayan and Tim O'Connor met at
the trailhead on Saturday morning. We walked a brisk pace in comfortable
(mid-50s) temperatures under overcast skies on the trail past the Blueberry
Lean-to, but we slowed considerably on the herd path to Seward. The
unnamed brook draining the north slopes of Seward splashed with white
rushing water. Fungi gleamed in the moist forest, many brown, some
gold or pink, and one spectacular horn of shaved white coconut.
We climbed into the clouds, past tiny patches of snow, over occasionally icy
rocks, to the breezy, misty summit of Seward for a standing lunch break.
The mud and rocks on the traverse toward Donaldson continued to slow us.
When we reached the herd path junction, we calculated the likely time over
Donaldson to Emmons and back, then down to the valley trails, all in
anticipation of sunset, and decided not to undertake a long descent and exit in
darkness. Instead, we skipped further peak-bagging and started immediately
down the Calkins Brook herd path on which we had occasional rain showers
followed by intermittent sun. The skies dried by the time we reached the
trails, where we resumed the brisk pace of early morning. Rain
returned as we were changing clothes at the trailhead. On our drive from Coreys
to
Oct
9 (Fri) INDIAN HEAD AND FISH HAWK CLIFFS
Leader: John Antonio
The
forecast said “Rain”, but we all wanted to go hiking so – we went!
And – you know it – no rain. We
left the hiker’s parking lot of the AMR at 9:20 a.m. with the three gals
really setting a brisk pace. Upon
reaching
Oct
14 (Wed) GLENS FALLS
&
Leader: Virginia Boyle Traver
I thought everyone would cancel
when the forecast was for 27 degrees to start the day and 40 by mid-afternoon,
but no, my stalwart crew of avid bikers out to have a social ride stood up to
the test! We started out bundled up and shed outer layers as we negotiated
hills and valleys. Colored leaves made for a pretty day, and conversation
was lively. Out for exercise, scenery, and fun were Claudia Summers, Janet
Tully-Kuzman, Deb Wein, and the leader.
Oct
18 (Sun)
Nearly every weather prediction called for
some rain that day, but we decided to give it a go anyway. So, ten folks met at
the
Oct
24 (Sat) BASIN & SADDLEBACK
Leader:
Bob Scaife
This trip was officially
cancelled because threatening weather made a group hike seem inadvisable.
The leader decided to brave the elements and was accompanied in the
endeavor by Kathy Pacuk. At 6:30
a.m. at the trailhead, the temperature was 45 degrees and skies were overcast.
Soon a steady rain was falling, and so was the temperature.
On the Shorey Short Cut above Slant Rock we began to find a skin of ice
on the rocks and trees and stopped to strap traction aids on our boots.
The rain fell harder and the trail became an ankle-deep brook before we
reached the Range Trail. Turning
onto the Range Trail toward Basin, we climbed steeply upward through iced
waterfalls cascading off the frozen ledges.
When we reached the summit, thoroughly soaked but warmed by our
exertions, we found the southwest (windward) side of the rocks coated with a
thin layer of ice. It was not a good
day to descend the steep and shadowed north side of Basin or to ascend the
Saddleback cliff, so we put our one peak in the bag and turned back.
When we reached the brook crossing above Slant Rock, we found that the
placid stream we had easily 2-hopped across three hours before was now a raging
white torrent that could not be safely forded.
A short, thick bushwhack and four difficult log crossings brought us
safely across all the un-bridged tributary streams and to the east side of Johns
Brook, roaring white from bank to bank, 2 to 3 feet above normal flow.
As we slogged downstream beside the thundering brook, the rain ended.
The sun broke through the clouds shortly before we reached the trailhead,
at about 5:15 p.m. On the drive
home, in dry clothes and with warm hot chocolate in hand, we agreed it was a
great hike, but not one we cared to repeat soon.
Nov
6 (Fri)
Leader: John Antonio
Nov
7 (Sat) DIAL & NIPPLETOP MOUNTAINS
Leader:
Don Berens
A
brisk, clear, 20 degree sunrise greeted John Arnason, Don Berens, Kathy
Pacuk, John Sheehan and Bryce Waldrop near the Ausable Club. The bare
ground at the register succumbed to thin but widespread day-old snow as we
ascended the road to
Nov
7 (Sat) MT.
MARCY
Pam Barbeau, Dan Lockhardt,
Denise Mongillo and the leader found clear skies, a dusting of snow and crisp 17
degree temperatures at the trailhead. The
day was too nice to leave any of it unused and the group decided to add Skylight
to the day’s agenda. At
Nov
8 (Sun) Louden
& Bog Meadow Trails
Leader: Dave Fiske
Nov
9 (Fri) SILVER
Leader: John Antonio
Leaders: Sue & Ted Wright
A
day which began November-cloudy turned into a glorious, sunny four hours' amble
through the paths and museum exhibits of the
Nov
10 (Sat) MOUNT GREYLOCK
Leader: John Antonio
You
remember that old Blood, Sweat and Tears tune – “What Goes Up Must Come
Down”? Well – it’s true.
Eleven of us, taking the AT from the
Nov 10 (Sat) JAY
Leader: Skip Young
Nov
16 (Mon) MT.
Leader: Katie Henrikson
We had a beautiful day for this Catskill hike. The sky was
bright blue, the temperature was mild and the company was pleasant. The fire
tower, closed in August, had been rehabilitated and was open for climbing. A
fine day was had by Charlie Beach, Ray Henrikson, Anneliese Lawson, Hilaire
Meuwissen, Kendra Pratt, Maureen Roeth, Charlene Shafer and the leader.
Nov
17 (Tue) HAMMOND
This
was a scouting trip. The plan was to
visit three ponds in this area … Berrymill Pond,
Nov 18 (Wed)
YOKUN RIDGE/KRIPALU
Leader: Virginia Boyle Traver
Nov
19 (Thu) AUSABLE CLUB – INDIAN HEAD CLIFF
Leader: Jim Schaller
Eight of us started out at the Ausable Club
on a fairly mild, sunny November day. We took the West River Trail which is
always a pleasant hike, ranging from going high above the rushing torrent of the
Dec 7 (Mon)
Heavy
clothes, winter boots, Stabilicers, tea in the thermos - it must be a winter
hike! Eight people started out for the top of
Dec
11 (Fri) SPECTACLE POND AND SEVERANCE HILL
Leader: John Antonio
Three
of us on two relatively short jaunts. It
was only an hour into Spectacle Pond with the only nervous moment being the
crossing of the last bridge on snowshoes. It
was kind of skinny and totally slippery but we had no mishaps. From
the pond’s edge you get a great view of the cliffs on
Dec 12 (Sat) MT.
A
light coating of new snow, crisp morning air and mostly sunny skies greeted
Michael Jensen, Dave Kocian, Jeanne Michela, Claudia Warren and the leader as we
set off at first light from the Loj parking lot. We enjoyed the walk to Marcy
Dam at a moderate pace and stopped briefly there to admire the view of our
destination peak, shadowed by colorful puffy clouds in the bright morning sun.
At the Avalanche Camp trail junction, we encountered 8 inches of unbroken
snow and our pace slowed. The snow
depth increased gradually as we approached
Dec
15 (Tue) BLUE AND
Off
we go on a foggy, drizzly, completely cloud covered day.
In other words – we know no views are going to be had.
Starting in 37 degrees on a semi-broken trail we all agreed the best part
of the day was near the top of
Leaders: Sue & Ted Wright
Several
people were apparently put off by the rain and cancelled, but we picked
Dec 28 (Mon) WHITEFACE
& ESTHER
Leader: Don Berens
We
planned a sunrise start and a comfortable early winter tune-up hike
under ten miles with a mid-afternoon finish. Reality was different, though
all turned out well for George Baranauskas, Don Berens, Jim Dean, Michael
Jensen, Tim Kase, Dave Kocian, Jeanne Michela, Christiana Mulvihill and Laurie
Schweighardt. We left the toll gate on the Whiteface Mountain Highway
(WMH) at 8:15, considerably after sunrise. We wore snowshoes, the
temperature was in the 20s and it snowed all day. A half-mile up the road
we turned south to bushwhack along a stream and up the north slopes of Esther.
It was wet, slow going as we took turns breaking untrodden snow, often through
thick woods, over and under blowdown. We were equal to the forest's
challenge, vowing that we would be as dense as the spruce, and unpacking the
oft-carried persevering spirit. We summitted Esther at 1:15, five hours
and less than two miles from the tollgate, averaging only 0.25 mph on the
bushwhack, far slower than any previous time on that route. Our pace
improved down the unbroken herd path where we felt the west wind freshening.
It further improved on the marked trail toward Whiteface. At 3:10, we
reached the bottom of the stone retaining wall at the Wilmington Turn of the
WMH. We paused in the shelter of the wall to eat and drink before
continuing higher back into the wind. As we broke trail across the slope
between the bottom of the wall and the upper edge of the woods, our track
undercut a ten-foot high by ten-yard wide slab of new snow lying over the icy crust
beneath. We started an avalanche, which built to a foot and a half deep.
Fortunately, the snow was light and it stopped as it reached our tracks, so no
one was even staggered, much less buried. When we topped the wall we
elected to leave the trail and walk up the WMH into the blowing snow and cloud.
The forty-foot high rock cut was plastered with rime and icicles. We
paused at the Castle at the upper end of the WMH, pulled facemasks out of our
packs and then snowshoed up the stairs of the tourist trail toward the summit.
Seven of us summitted at 4:00 in a cloud of blowing snow pellets. Two
retreated to deal with numbing hands in the lee of the Castle where we all
reunited, grabbed our headlamps and left down the WMH at 4:30 just after
sunset. It was occasionally icy near the wind-blown
Jan
2 (Sat) FEEDER CANAL PARK
Leader: Dave Fiske
This annual trek into the city of Glens Falls took place on a tolerably nice January morning. Lunch at the Rock Hill Bakehouse Cafe was up to their usual standards. Traditionally, we walk back to the starting point on city streets, and this time the leader came prepared with a street map, so that we did not have to ask a mail carrier for directions, as happened one time! Hiker-munchers were Fran Balch, Amanda Bouchard, Laura Fiske, the Zoske family, and Mark Zwinak.
Jan
6 (Wed) CASCADE & STEPHENS POND
Leader: John Sheehan
Was
it a stroke of luck or a fine piece of planning?
Whatever it was, four hikers enjoyed a beautiful winter day in the
central
Jan
8 (Fri)
MOREAU
Leader: John Antonio
If
you are still one of the few that have not yet discovered the
Jan
11 (Mon) GARNET HILL XC SKI
Leader: Katie Henrikson
There was a competing bus trip to Garnet Hill two days before this outing, so attendance was low. Nevertheless, it was a lovely day, clear, crisp, cold, with good snow and great trails. Enjoying the day were Lori and Mike McCarron, Ray Henrikson, and the leader.
Jan
16 (Sat)
Our mixed group of experienced and aspiring winter peak-baggers set out in high spirits at 6:30 a.m. from the Upper Works trailhead for a day of comradeship and winter adventure. The trail was well packed, but not frozen, so snowshoes (or skis for one participant) were needed from the beginning of the hike. The weather was unseasonably warm, with air temperatures just above freezing throughout the day, and the skies were grey, though not heavy. A steady pace soon brought us to the Flowed Lands where we stopped at the unoccupied lean-to to snack and adjust gear in preparation for the snow-laden spruces we expected to find along the herd path. When we arrived at the herd path, just beyond Herbert Brook, we found a well-established track, so our progress up the mountain was quick and the snow only rarely cascaded from the trees onto our heads. We all greatly enjoyed the time spent on the frozen and snow-covered Herbert Brook, which tends to mud and slippery moss in summer. The established snow-trench we followed kept to the summer herd path very well even through the thick and snow-covered spruces near the summit. Arriving at the top at 11:00 a.m., we took turns squeezing into the small summit clearing for photos. The mountain was shrouded and no distant views were available, so we did not tarry. On the descent, some found an opportunity to explore steeper and untracked portions of Herbert Brook and took great delight in leaping into the deep, soft snow below each ledge. We returned to the trailhead with two hours of daylight to spare, leaving plenty of time for an exit 26 pizza stop. Participants were Laura Gerson, Wayne Gray, Tim Kase, Akos Mersich, Christiane Mulvihill, Laurie Schweighardt, Arnie Tran, Kay Tran, Skip Young and the leader.
Jan
17 (Sun) NOONMARK
Leader: Nola Royce
Although the calendar said it was mid-January, it felt more like spring as nine
hikers (four local Albany chapter members and five friends from the North
Country, Vermont and Maryland) gathered at the Ausable Lot to take the jaunt up
and over Noonmark. The folks from Albany were Pete Sage, Sal Sannuto, TuAnh
Turnbull and the leader. Peggy and Marc Faucher, friends from Vermont, with whom
I’ve traveled in Asia, came over via the ferry, and Marsha Kameron and Meg
Maxwell, hiking friends from Lake Placid and Ausable joined us, as did George
Banks, whom I haven’t hiked with since the early 80’s when he joined me on
my last winter 46 on Cliff. George’s wife had started up the trail ahead of us
and we met her along the way. As we ascended the peak, the clouds lifted and
drifted away from each of the lookouts offering us fantastic views of Giant,
Whiteface, the Great Range and more. At the last protected spot before the
summit, George Banks’ wife Rita was hunkered down waiting for us. We reached
the summit around noon and, although it was windy, it was warm and not
unpleasant to be out in the fresh, brisk air. We opted to descend the mountain
on the Chapel Pond side so we could see if we wanted to also do Round Mountain.
The trip down was quick, although a couple of icy sections required a bit of
quirky maneuvering. Reaching the junction with Round, we saw that no one was up
for it, and, since it was nearly 2:00 p.m., we headed for the cars. Much has
changed and much has stayed the same in all my years of hiking in the high
peaks. There are more restrictions on where to park, where you can access trails
and what equipment you must use on your feet when on trails that are shared with
skiers. One thing will never change though; these mountains are magnificent and
always awe-inspiring. People come to the woods for many different reasons, some
to find beauty or solace, others to find excitement or just a good workout.
Groups gather and friendships are made and kept, sometimes for years; and
whether a newcomer or an old-timer, it is always a good day when in the woods
and on the trail. The experience is energizing, relaxing (when done), and
certainly rejuvenating to body and soul.
Jan
21 (Thu) HARVEY MTN. SNOWSHOE
Leader: Virginia Boyle Traver
Barely
a ground covering of snow carpeted the Capital Region, but just to the East in
Jan 30 (Sat) CLIFF
Leader: Don Berens
It
really is better in winter! Don Berens, Jim Dean, Tim Kase, Dan Lockart,
Kathy Pacuk, Laurie Schweighardt and TuAnh Turnbull left the Upper Works
trailhead at 6:30 a.m. with snowshoes, headlamps and many layers of
insulation. The full Wolf Moon, closer to earth and so reportedly 14%
larger and 30% brighter than any other full moon in 2010, shone in the clear
western sky, but it did not warm the minus 11 temperature. The rising sun
soon made headlamps unnecessary, but it took longer before any of those
many layers was unneeded or unwanted. An inch of new snow with ten-minute
old snowshoe tracks covered a firm packed trail that had nicely filled in the
summer mud and rough spots. We took a short cut across the frozen surface
of Flowed Lands with views of wooded Calamity,
Feb
2 (Tue) MOOSE MOUNTAIN COOKOUT
Leader: John Antonio
A
blazing campfire at a remote lean-to in the
Feb 11 (Thu) PROSPECT MTN. XC SKI
Leader: Katie Henrikson
Feb 13 (Sat) THACHER
PARK XC SKI
Leaders: Sue & Ted Wright
Originally destined for Thacher Park, with no snow in our area despite two record making blizzards in the mid Atlantic, we switched to Prospect Mountain XC ski center, which is 8 miles east of Bennington, Vermont. There we found four inches of new powder atop a base of a foot. It was a cloudy day but not too cold. Unfortunately, our one sign-up bowed out when she couldn't borrow skis. Moral of the story: don't give up if there's no snow in Albany.
Feb
19 (Fri) BOTHERATION POND
Leader: John Antonio
Feb 20
(Sat) SAWTEETH, GOTHICS & ARMSTRONG
Leader: Bob Scaife
A
low cloud ceiling that persisted throughout the day obscured the dramatic views
that characterize this route. Pleasant (for mid-winter) temperatures, perfect
snow conditions and a congenial group compensated for the absence of more
spectacular visual treats. Participants
were: Kevin Cox, Jim Dean, David Lovelady, Maria Garcia, Kathy Pacuk, John
Sheehan and the leader. Congratulations
to Jim Dean on the completion of his winter 46 on Gothics, and thanks to Kathy
Pacuk for providing cookies to celebrate the event. Photos from the hike may be
viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/rpscaife.
Feb
27 (Sat) GRAY & SKYLIGHT
Leader: Don Berens
Mar 5 (Fri) SILVER
LAKE
Leader: John Sheehan
It
was a clear and sunny day in early March when four hikers, John Antonio, Lori
McCarron, Shannon Smith and the leader set out from the southernmost end of the
Northville-Placid trail in search of the “best little outhouse in the
Adirondacks.” I had done the
Whitehouse to Canary pond section twice with the same leader who both times was
singing the praises of the new outhouse, recently built by the Schenectady
chapter, just 2.5 miles further south at Silver Lake. My curiosity was peaked
and I had to plan this trip. We
began hiking just after 9:00 a.m. not really being sure what to expect out of
the snow conditions. March can be a tricky month with changing snow conditions,
especially after the two late February storms that finally hit the northeast
where they belong. Trail was broken
for the first two miles by skiers but a single ski track was not enough to
accommodate our snowshoes. We found, however, that the snow was solid enough to
easily walk on top of the crust alongside the ski tracks. We arrived at Rock
Lake at approximately 11:00 and decided not to take the 0.1 mi. spur to
the lake, leaving that option open for the return trip.
This proved to be a wise decision since the snow got deeper and softer as
we headed north. This was likely due
to a lake effect band, and as the day warmed and the snow softened, walking was
a little slower. Arriving at the
Silver lake shelter just before 1:00 pm we were all ready for lunch and an
extended break. I am always amazed
by how good a PB&J sandwich can taste after a 7.3 mile walk in the woods.
The outhouse on the other hand was a bit of a disappointment.
With 4 feet of heavy, compacted, frozen snow on the ground, we could not
get the door open. All this for
naught. The return trip was
primarily downhill but the effect of gravity was more than off-set by
deteriorating snow conditions. We again decided to bypass Rock Lake since we
expended so much energy in the deep snow. It was a great hike on a beautiful day
with a great group but by 4:00 p.m. and after 14.6 miles, we were all glad to
see the trailhead.
Mar 6 (Sat) HAYSTACK
Leader: Bob Scaife
Fortune
smiled on us when mid-week hikers broke out the trail to Haystack through the
heavy wet snow of the previous week. A
bit of shoveling was required to get our vehicles safely parked in the heavily
rutted and slightly plowed Garden parking lot, but we were on our way up the
Johns Brook valley by 6:30 a.m. Morning
sun brightly lit the snow-covered summits that were visible through the open
forests of the lower valley. As we climbed up the side of the valley and then
returned to the brook, the temperature also rose and then descended back into
the mid-teens. In the upper valley, the snow trench in which we walked deepened
and, pleasantly, the snow softened underfoot. Several remarked at the smoothness
of the snow-filled trail, free of rocks, roots and mud.
We climbed into blinding sunshine at 11:00 a.m. and were greeted by an
imposing view of the Haystacks, snow covered, gleaming with ice and rising
precipitously against a deep blue sky. The
ice and rime of early winter had departed from Little Haystack, so with a bit of
caution we could follow the normal trail over its round top and down the steep
south face. A 20 to 35 mph gusting
wind added some challenge and kept us cool in spite of our exertions.
By noon, all were gathered on the summit of Haystack, warmed by the sun,
chilled by the wind and awed by the grandeur of the mountain.
On our descent, we detoured around Little Haystack on the west side, a
route made easy by the deep and well-consolidated snow on the slopes below its
rocky dome. Pleasant stops for
brownies (thanks, Kathy!) and for tea at the warming hut helped break up the
long walk down the valley. Congratulations to Laurie Schweighardt on the
completion of her second round of the Winter 46. Participants were Terryl Brown,
Randy Caldwell, Dave Kocian, Roman Laba, Dawn Mallory, Denise Mongillo, Kathy
Pacuk, Laurie Schweighardt and the leader. Photos from this hike may be viewed
at http://picasaweb.google.com/ljschweighardt/Haystack.
Mar 7 (Sun) SANTANONI
GREAT CAMP
Leader: Nola Royce
Spring is arriving in the North Country. Sunday's cross-country ski trip into the Great Camp at the Santanoni Preserve started early and with some slick conditions under our boards, which ranged dramatically in style and age. Regardless of the equipment, we adjusted to the conditions and after a few flops and fits and starts, the sun warmed us and softened the trail, temperatures reaching to a balmy 40 something degrees. We were treated to clear skies and lovely views of the mountains and lake. Lunching at the picnic tables was a bit breezy, so we donned a few extra layers and sipped hot drinks as we munched. The ski out was fast and beautiful. This was a real treat. Last year's ski trip was cancelled, due to a blizzard. I've been to the camp many times and can appreciate how much work is being done to preserve it. Having seen, once again, what a treasure this place is for New Yorkers and those who come from elsewhere to see it, I was moved to comment that I'd be writing a check to support that work when I got home. I think that at least a few of us will be doing so. I'd urge you all to go in, summer or winter, and see for yourselves just how amazing a place this is. Participants were Meg Maxwell, Chris Hess, Joe Pasinelli, who was one of the people snowed out last year, Andy Ruby and his friend, Eric, and Tom Conry. Tom and his wife were up in the Long Lake area for the weekend and had hiked up Goodnow the day before. Tom's wife opted not to ski and entertained herself until we came out. I think Tom will owe her a nice dinner for that!
Mar
20 (Sat) TREADWAY & PHARAOH MOUNTAINS
Leader: Don Berens
As
the last winter sunrise tickled the high clouds with pink, we spotted two cars
at the Crane Pond trailhead. We then packed ten of us (George Baranauskas,
Don Berens, Jim Dean, Wayne Gray, Marcia Hanson, Val Keen, Roman Laba, Denise
Mongillo, Jean Quattrocchi and Tuanh Turnbull) into two more cars to drive
to the Putnam Pond campground entrance. On the way, we struck one
dim-witted squirrel and avoided three wild turkeys. At the campground,
in unseasonably warm temperatures (it was 32 degrees at 7:30 a.m.) we
experimented with microspikes, but soon switched to snowshoes in the rapidly
softening snow. We walked around the south end of ice-covered Putnam Pond
and followed the trail to Treadway Mountain. Some of us persevered with
snowshoes the whole way; others switched to bare boots for the snowless patches
on the south facing slopes. From the gentle rocky slabs high on Treadway,
we enjoyed views of Pharaoh Lake, Pharaoh Mountain, and - in the
northwestern distance - Skylight, Marcy and Haystack. From Treadway's
summit, we took visual and compass (295 degrees magnetic) bearings which led us
on a pleasant hour-long bushwhack down the snowy north slopes of Treadway to the
snowless Tubmill Marsh Trail along the shore of Crab Pond where we shed
snowshoes for the rest of the day. After crossing the bridgeless outlet of
Crab Pond, we took a lunch break at the lean-to beside Oxshoe Pond (Gesundheit!)
where we saw plastic flamingos foraging near some unoccupied tents. We
resumed our walk, passing Glidden Marsh on our way to the shady Pharaoh Mountain
Trail where we all celebrated the arrival of equinoctials spring at 1:32 pm
EDT and many of us switched to microspikes. Higher up, the snow deepened
and softened and - since it was in the mid-50s - much running melt water
was heard, seen and felt. The summit of Pharaoh Mountain offered at least
three lookouts. One offered a look northeast over Pharaoh Lake toward
Treadway Mountain. Another provided views south to Brant Lake and west
over the Desolate Swamp to Schroon Lake. The third and highest overlooked
the other two. We lingered for a while, but all departed the top by 3:40
p.m. for the descent past Glidden Marsh, Crane Pond and Alder Pond - and the
roaring cascades of the Alder Pond outlet stream - back to the spotted cars by
6:10 p.m. We retrieved the cars left near Putnam Pond at about sunset
and drove home without incident. It was a fine way to end the winter and
start the spring!
Apr 2 (Fri) PEAKED MTN. POND & PEAKED MTN.
Leader: John Antonio
Well, as we all know from experience, they don’t always go as drawn up. The plan was to make the pond where some would stay for lunch while the rest would enjoy their mid-day meal on the top of Peaked Mountain. Conditions, both of health and nature, were to conspire against us. While heading up Peaked Mountain Brook one member of our party decided that today was not the day for her to be tramping around in the woods. So, accompanied by two others, we decided to split our forces. Nine would go on and the other three would return to the trailhead. As we continued our hike we were to discover the usually easily rock-hopped stream would turn out to be somewhat tricky due to the volume of snow melt. Finding suitable crossings would necessitate some off-trail exploration, so we merrily plunged into the woods, keeping close to the ever flowing brook. The first and most difficult crossing was solved by finding a beaver dam. It would have been the perfect solution if not for an eight foot breach that meant a brief barefoot ford. That experience was not the highlight of the day for some! More troublesome crossings and at times thigh-high deep snow slowed our pace enough to where we decided the pond was going to be our deepest penetration into the woods that day. Snookered (no mountain summit) but not overly disappointed (I hope) our group included: Lori McCarron, Dale Blanchet, Susan Roberts, Claudia Rosenholz, Cathy Gilchrist, Tom Ryan, Patty Costa, Martha Zibro, Marilyn Huber, Doug Rickert, John Susko and the leader.
Apr 10 (Sat) CASCADING
WATERS VIII
Leader: Gene Reilly
We
had a rather large group of 15, including the leader, for this trip!
One drawback to such a large group is keeping them all together, and the
lesson of staying with the group was brought home with minor inconvenience.
All along the West River Trail the water was flowing heavily with
spectacular cascades and waterfalls in the Ausable River, at Wedge Brook falls,
Beaver Meadow Falls and Rainbow Falls.
Because of the treacherous conditions in the canyon, we could not safely
get as close to Rainbow Falls as we would have liked, but we all were very
impressed. We were such gluttons we
even made part of our return along the Gill Brook to take in more cascading
waterfalls and pools. Unfortunately,
that’s where one member of our group at the tail end had an unpleasant and
close-up experience between a rock and a nose!
Due to the group being spread out over some distance there was some
miscommunication regarding the direction from which a whistle sound was heard.
This resulted in a slight delay for the leader to attend to the injury.
The bleeding nose was already plugged and bandaged when the leader reached the
injured party and companion. Knowing
the trail fairly well, the leader decided to evacuate the injured party to the
Lake Road through a very short section of woods for easier walking rather than
continue the entire distance on the banks of the Gill Brook.
Once those accompanying the injured party arrived at the junction of the
Lake Road and the Gill Brook trail, the leader was informed that rather than
wait with the rest of the group one member of the advance party had gone back up
the Gill Brook trail solo to assist in the rescue of the injured party.
This resulted in about a 45 minute delay until the would-be rescuer
realized the need to turn around and descend back to the junction.
During this delay the injured party was sent on ahead with companions to
seek medical consultation. Participants
were Bill Schollenberger, Luci Neal, Maria Garcia, Luis Pacheco, Vic Greco, Joan
Savage, Hank Bickel, Marlee Bickel, Steve White, Lisa Murphy, Marianne Comfort,
Maria Rawson, Tycho Spadaro, and the leader, Gene Reilly.
We’re already looking forward to next year’s annual Cascading Waters
hike! Check out 29 Cascading Waters
photos at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/techvalleytrekker/sets/.com
Apr 13 (Tue)
FIFTH PEAK LEAN-TO
Leader: Katie Henrikson
What
a beautiful day to be out in the mountains. The sun was shining, the temperature
was moderate, and the bugs were not out yet. The snow and ice were all gone and
the mud was not too bad. We found the lean-to without difficulty, despite the
removal of the sign at the trail junction and most of the trail markers. Yellow
violets and spring beauties were in evidence on the trail. Having a fine time on
a good day were Charlie Beach, Ray Henrikson, Anneliese Lawson, Cindy Mayer,
Bonnie and Jim Schaller, and the leader.
Apr 17 (Sat)
MT. GREYLOCK
Leader: Don Berens
Apr
20 (Tue) BIKE UNCLE SAM BIKEWAY &
OAKWOOD CEMETERY
Leader: Paul Breslin
This
was a beautiful sunny day for an early season bike jaunt. Participants all
called at the last minute, no doubt after knowing it would be a nice day. We
decided to start at 10:15 rather than the originally planned 8:30. We met at the
114th St/Gurley Av Parking area. We biked north to the trail end and back as a
warm-up and then proceeded up short, but steep north entrance to Oakwood
Cemetery. Oakwood is truly a local treasure. There are over 20 miles of roads
and paths in the cemetery. Many prominent people are buried here including,
Uncle Sam (Wilson), Emma Willard, Russell Sage and three Civil War Generals.
There is a spectacular look-out location where you can see a panorama from the
Catskills beyond the Empire Plaza to foothills of the Adirondacks beyond the GE
Silicone Plant in Waterford. We dismounted frequently to check out gravestones
and to see some of the nature areas including a waterfall in an area known as
Devil's Kitchen. The leader used two books: Trails with Tales and Natural Areas
of Rensselaer County to enhance the experience. Trip participants were Fred
Barker, Helena DeCaprio, Leon Barnish, Lorraine Smith and the leader. Helena
tracked lots of info with her 'electronics.' Total miles biked was 8.5 miles.
The overall time was 3 hours with one hour and 13 minutes of biking at an
average speed of 6.9 mph. The rest of the time we were exploring on foot.
Apr
22 (Thu) NORTH MTN. & STOPPEL POINT
Leader: Jim Schaller
Eight
of us started out from the North Lake Campsite on a sunny April day. We used the
Rock Shelter and Mary’s Glen Trails to reach the Escarpment Trail. Soon we
were scrambling up the rock ledges that took us to North Point, and nice views
of the Lakes, Hudson Valley and nearby Catskill peaks. We pushed on to North
Mountain and later Stoppel Point. There at a rocky outlook we had lunch. A brief
shower passed by before the sun returned. We
examined the wreckage of the old airplane crash on Stoppel’s north slope. A
steady descent led us down to Dutcher’s Notch and the Colgate Lake Trail.
We took that - a long four miles – out to the road and spotted cars.
The highlight of the day, however, was back on the North Lake Road afterwards.
As we approached the parking lot, three dark objects appeared ahead on the road.
Sure enough—there were three black bears!
A mother bear and two yearling cubs! They lingered on the road for us to
get a good look before ambling off into the woods.
It was a special treat to top off a great hike! Those hiking were: Anita
Whalen, Katie Henrikson, Charlie Beach, Anneliese Lawson, Lori McCarron, Cal
Johnson, and the leader/ trail-sweep – Jim & Bonnie Schaller.
Apr 29 (Wed) NEW
& PROSPECTIVE TRIP LEADERS WORKSHOP
Leader: Virginia Boyle Traver
We
had a great turn-out for this season's outings leader training. Please
look for listings in future Cloudsplitters from Marlee Bickel, Kevin Cox, Mary
Angela Demczar, Kathy Pacuk, Phil Sapone, Sue Sheridan, and Adam Sullivan. We
welcome them to the ranks of outings leaders!
May 1 (Sat) PLATTEKILL
WALK
Leaders: Sue & Ted Wright
What started out completely cloudy soon turned into a glorious spring day. A total of seventeen hikers turned up including eight guests: (Gail Carr's son-in-law, Herb Whittam and three daughters: Allegra, Blythe and Celeste, his nephew Daniel and Monica Copagna; Geld Carpenter, Nancy Bugl, and Stefani Neubert's Leslie Di Paolo and Jamie Clements) plus Carol Winner, Kathy Shanger, Jim Torriani and the leaders. We identified many wildflowers: colt's foot, trout lily, Jack-in-the-pulpit, purple and yellow violets, wild oats, gand barren olden alexander, wild strawberry, barren strawberry, wake robin trillium, bishop's mitre, pussy toes, fringed polygula, wild geranium, tooth wart, dogwood and meadow rue. We had lunch beyond the power line and got back in three and a half hours to the very crowded parking lot. It pays to get there early.
May
4 (Tue) CAT & THOMAS MOUNTAINS
Leader: Katie Henrikson
These two mountains on Lake George have been popular since the Lake George Land Conservancy opened the trails several years ago. We found many spring flowers, including gaywings, painted trillium, star flower, and coltsfoot. The trails were covered with red efts; we frequently had to step aside to avoid crushing them. Despite the forecast of a 60% chance of rain and thunderstorms, just rare brief showers fell while the hike was on. Five minutes after we drove away came the cloudburst. Enjoying the day were Dan Baker, Charlie Beach, Ray Henrikson, Kendra Pratt, Bonnie and Jim Schaller, Mary Seeman, and the leader.
May
11 (Tue) PADDLE MOHAWK & HUDSON RIVERS & PEEBLES ISLAND
Leader: Marlee Bickel
The
morning started out chilly with temperatures about 47° and water temperatures
at 57°. However there was little or no wind, a beautiful blue sky and warm sun
so our chilly morning quickly became a pleasant day for a paddle trip. Ten
paddlers launched from Waterford and paddled up the Hudson to Campbell Island
for a round-trip of 6 miles. Along the way we spotted an osprey, red-tailed
hawk, a heron, an eagle’s nest, an eagle in flight, several geese and duck
families and a plethora of turtles on our return trip. We had lunch at the
intersection of the Erie and Champlain Canals. After lunch six paddlers headed
back out to explore the waters around Peebles Island and play in the waterfall.
Our pleasant day ended around 2:30 p.m. Our group consisted of: Susan Sheridan,
Sandy Constanza, Katie and Ray Henrikson, Linda and John Alstead, Charlene
Shafer and John Tracy. Marlee Bickel lead with Hank Bickel as sweep.
May
13 (Thu) HARLEM VALLEY RAIL RIDE
Leader: Virginia Boyle Traver
This
week had to have been one of the coldest and wettest of the spring with a break
just long enough for a perfectly sunny biking day. Early spring foliage
gave a lush bright green to trees and farmland along the picturesque rail trail.
With a chilly start, we soon warmed up traveling at a consistently good clip to
the destination in Wassaic. But we
took our time returning to Millerton with a lunch stop and a few moments to
enjoy the wildflowers. Getting the 2010 biking season off to a great start
were Paul Breslin, Helena DiCaprio, Kathleen Millett, Karen Ross, John Tifft,
and the leader.
May
15 (Sat) THE RANGE TRAIL
Leader: Don Berens
Seventeen
miles, five High Peaks, additional bumps both named and unnamed, and 6,000 feet
of climbing! Was this a hike for the fit or the foolish? The
foolishly fit? Or even the fittingly foolish? Don Berens, Roman Laba,
Christiane Mulvihill, Dave O'Hanlon, Bob Scaife and Claudia Warren set out
to find out. It was in the 50's and breezy all day, and overcast most of the day
with occasional brief morning rain showers and late afternoon intervals of sun.
Adirondack trails are always somewhat muddy, but on this day, perhaps because of
the low snow winter, our trails were drier than on many summer and fall
days. We left the Ausable Road parking lot at 6:00 a.m. and made quick
work of the road walk to the Lower Ausable Lake dam. From there, our pace
slowed as we took the aptly named Scenic Trail up the serrated east ridge
which gives Sawteeth its name. We continued to yo-yo along the ridge top
trail, crossing Pyramid and reaching Gothics before noon, with views of Ausable
Lake below and High Peaks all around. Bareboot telemarking was used to
descend the snow patches on Gothics' northeast ridge to the trail junction in
the Gothics-Armstrong col where we took a lunch break. There, by
pre-arrangement, Roman and Dave split off and descended past Beaver
Meadow Falls to their car. After a lunch break, the rest of us made
steady up and down progress over South and North Armstrong to Upper and Lower
Wolfjaw. On Armstrong's open summit ledge, the wind took the hat from
one hikers' head, but fortunately blew it into a bush instead of into space.
As the afternoon passed, we met two separate groups of college-aged youths who
knew roughly where they were and exactly where they wanted to go (Marcy and
Gothics respectively), but who had no realistic idea of how long it might take
them to get there. After we discussed some basic facts of time and
distance, they continued southbound, but apparently scaled back their ambitions.
We continued northward and tagged the viewless, wooded summit of Hedgehog at
4:00 p.m. before turning down the W. A. White Trail. We descended from
spruce forest through leafless birches and budding maples, past violets and
bluets, across the Ausable River and back to the car at 6:00 p.m. We
concluded that it May be foolish to try to fit this climb into any
pre-conceived seasonal category.
May
15 (Sat) BIG SLIDE VIA BROTHERS
Leader: Gene Reilly
This is one hike where I came out with more hikers than I went in with! This trip was postponed from one week earlier due to a surprise 30th birthday party for the leader’s son in Philadelphia. Despite the postponement four good natured hikers were still able to accompany the leader on a wonderful hike. The leader was even able to bring pressure to bear so that one hiker BAKED homemade from scratch oatmeal raisin cookies with walnuts & chocolate chips!! We were all watching the weather forecast and Saturday was supposed to be pretty good –mixed clouds and sun with chilly temperatures - although not as good as Sunday. As we drove over Rt. 73 toward the Garden, the skies were very overcast with fog and rain clouds producing a steady drizzle. We donned our shells and set out with bright hopes of clearing skies later in the day – after all, we could actually see two small patches of blue sky far off in two different directions. Over the first two Brothers and onto the third the rain had stopped but a chilling wind was continually present, requiring a few layering adjustments. Hiking along the backside of the third Brother toward the junction with the Slide Brook trail we encountered ice and snow on the trail and in the woods, approximately a foot thick in some places although solid and easily traversed. Once we hit the trail junction and began climbing the last few stretches up to the summit, we realized the clouds had indeed disappeared and we had the beautiful sunny day we had hoped for! We spent about an hour on the summit eating lunch and naming peaks within our sight. The site of the large slide with the side trail viewpoint beneath the summit was nearly the undoing of two of our party, one on the ascent and the other on the descent. For some reason both individuals had gotten off trail and nearly became very familiar with the slide. Our party having all successfully bagged the peak without real incident, we had been descending for about an hour when we encountered a man and a woman coming up the trail around 3:00 p.m. The man asked the leader about the location of the DEC outpost, complained about being on the wrong trail because the multiple brook crossings just couldn’t be right, and appeared to be fatigued and distressed. When we explained how long ago we had left the summit, the couple decided to join our group on the descent, at least down to the main trail on the Johns Brook Valley floor. It turned out they had set out to hike Marcy with no maps, compass or guidebook and when they had reached the ADK JBL property they decided to take the relatively short (but quite steep) 2.3 mile side trail to Big Slide as a consolation instead. They stayed with our group while we had a mini-tour of the Johns Brook Lodge and Grace Camp and then hiked out to the Garden parking lot with us. Hikers were Ellen LaTerra, Tycho Spadaro, Jeff Cardinal, Mary Helen Hughes, and the leader, Gene Reilly. Many thanks to Ellen for the cookies – I don’t know HOW you could resist eating any yourself!
May
20 (Thu) WINDHAM HIGH PEAK, BURNT KNOB & ACRA POINT
Leader: Jim Schaller
After spotting cars at the end of the Batavia Kill valley, we returned to Peck Road to begin our 10 mile hike. We headed up the pleasant, gradual ascent to Elm Ridge lean-to and the junction with the Escarpment trail. We then climbed up to Windham High Peak and its views over the Hudson Valley. We were surprised to find that from about between the 2,500 to 3,000 ft. elevations, all the hardwood trees were hit with a late frost, leaving the leaves wilted and turning brown. Next came a steep descent before climbing again to Burnt Knob. The summit has ups and downs and nice views both toward the Catskills and Hudson Valley. Then we were down and back up to Acra Point and one last view over the Batavia Kill valley. After a trek across the ridge from Acra, we headed down the Batavia Kill trail to the cars. It hit a high temperature of 88 degrees by afternoon, and we felt it, and so did “Louie,” Karen’s dog, who just had to lie down in a flowing stream to cool off! Black flies were just beginning to be bothersome, and the spring crop of caterpillars was already falling from the trees onto us! But we had a good spring hike with bird songs and wildflowers to add to the enjoyment. Those hiking were Anita Whalen, Cal Johnson, Roman Laba, Karen Ross (and Louie), and the leader/ trail-sweep, Jim and Bonnie Schaller.
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