ECHOES FROM THE TRAIL    

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 MtN. – Long & Black Ponds
Leader: Jim Schaller

We met at the Adirondack Visitors Information Center at Paul Smiths. The trail begins there, following the old Jenkins Mountain Road .  PSC has Forest Ecology placards along the road, explaining their Forestry Silviculture program. The trail winds across a couple of glacial eskers before a long woods walk to the open rock summit of Jenkins Mtn.   We enjoyed a beautiful day-= and views of the lakes and distant mountains. About a third of the way back, we cut off on the Long Pond Trail, soon arriving at a leanto on the pond.  We took the easterly trail around Black Pond, and at a footbridge connecting two land points, a loon surfaced just a few feet from us, providing a closeup view of this wild bird we so often hear in the distance with its eerie calls and “yodeling.”  We ended at Keese Mills at a spotted car.  Hiking were Anita Whalen, Tony Calvagno, and Jim and Bonnie Schaller.  

Sep 3 (Thu) Loon Lake Mountain (Fire tower)
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 Loon Lake Mountain that it was again legal to climb the mountain after at least three decades of closure. The summit is State land, but the access was blocked by a lumber company’s hunting club lease. That ended in April 2009. So we changed our schedule from St. Regis Mtn. to Loon Lake . We found the old trail to be unmarked (signs or discs), unmaintained, and badly eroded on steep sections, with lots of blowdown. But the route was marked with orange flagging and was passable. The first mile or so is along a gravel haul road, and then the old trail diverges (straight up!). After winding through spruce on the summit ridge, we came out on the open top and the Fire Tower. The lower set of steps is dangling and other steps are broken, making the tower un-climbable. But great views are had from the open rocks in almost all directions. The St. Lawrence River is to the NW, Lyon Mt. to the NE, Whiteface and other High Peaks to the South.  Lake Kushaqua lies to the West below us.  Only a slight distant haze prevented a perfect viewing day.  It was great to be back on this old Fire Tower Mountain that I first climbed 42 years before! Hiking were Tony Calvagno and Jim and Bonnie Schaller.

Sep 4 (Fri) St. Regis Mountain (Fire tower)
Leader: Jim Schaller

Again there was one other hiker, and we agreed to re-schedule again, doing St. Regis Mtn. instead of Debar Mt.   After a 3.4 mile ascent, with a steep section at the top, we reached the open rock summit. The Fire Tower here is closed  with two sets of stairs removed. But it is hardly needed, as views from the rocky summit are great, reaching from the north to the south, including distant High Peaks and dozens of lakes and ponds beneath. We were surprised to be all alone on the top—at noon!  But we passed a procession of about twenty five hikers while on our descent. At one brief rest stop, a huge old dead tree suddenly came loudly crashing down to earth—only 100 feet off the trail or so.  Wow!  Just one more “force of nature”! Climbing were Tony Calvagno and Jim and Bonnie Schaller.  

Sep 8 (Tue) HOUR POND
Leader: John Antonio

WOW!! What a view! A pristine Adirondack pond nestled below a massive mountain.  As we all approached this place what a thrill we all received … it seems as if you were the first person ever to discover it.  The trail we took was a somewhat newly marked path that leaves the west side of Thirteenth Lake and winds it way through a handsome forest.  A high point (?) of the trip was crossing a long beaver dam while trying to keep your feet dry.  Some of us were not successful.  All of us agreed lunch at the pond was unbeatable.  We spotted a car so we were able to make a loop and returned along part of the Puffer Pond trail that starts out at the Old Farm Clearing trailhead.  As we wound our way through the pine forest of the old farm a red squirrel must have taken exception to our presence and actually bombarded us with pinecones.  Honestly – that’s true!  Participants were Cliff Prewencki, Anita Whalen, Lori McCarron, Bill Shapiro, Charles Beach, Bob Hefley and the leader.

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) PHARAOH LAKE & MOUNTAIN
Leaders: Sue & Ted Wright

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 Adirondacks , had lunch amidst a large group and then returned to our cars by 5:00 p.m. The mountain climbing contingent didn’t reach the trail head until 6:20, a bit longer than expected.

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 Loj Road ), warmed to comfortable (56 degrees at 3:30), and was sunny, clear and breezy with colorful foliage all day.  Don Berens, Julie Gibbons, Wayne Gray, Shashi Narayan and Jennifer Reidy made quick work of the walk to Marcy Dam where we had a good view across the water of our peak bracketed by Mount Colden and Avalanche Pass to the SE and the MacIntyre Range and Caribou Pass to the NW.  Another twenty minutes brought us to the Kagel Lean-to, near which we forded Marcy Brook where Wright Brook joins it.  We kept to the right (SE) bank first of Wright Brook and then of its unnamed tributary draining Caribou Pass.   At first, it was mostly open woods in a gently rising broad valley.  Then the narrowing valley on our right squeezed us left into thick spruce up against the steep cliffs of Avalanche Mountain 's NE ridge.  We found a beautiful mossy gully that led us perhaps three hundred feet up through the cliffs to the ridge crest where GPS told us we were only 0.2 miles from the summit.  The trees were thick but we soon saw the summit across a dip in the ridge.  As we approached the dip, we found ourselves atop a 20-foot cliff band, but soon found breaks to allow us to descend the band and continue up the ridge to the summit which we reached before noon.  We admired the bare rock slides on Mount Colden , ate a leisurely lunch, and started back the way we had come through the thick trees.  Within two minutes, we were still in the thick trees, but we were no longer on the way we had come.  We quite unintentionally avoided the ridge-top cliff band and instead dropped steeply but steadily down the shady, sprucey, mossy north slopes of the mountain toward the stream draining Caribou Pass.   We had awesome views of Algonquin and Wright Peaks in the sun above us and of the bright blue pond of Marcy Dam below us.  After we descended to within earshot of the stream, we walked for a while down its rocky bed.  Although the route was lovely, well defined and sure to lead us back to Marcy Brook, it had uneven footing and frequent deadfall blocking quick progress.  So we returned to the SE bank and made our way uneventfully back to the lean-to and to the crowds of trail hikers descending after a marvelous day.  Back in the Loj parking lot, most of us discovered evidence that our euphoria might have been caused by an unusually intense application of "Adirondack Acupuncture" for we found hundreds of flat green-brown needles resting between our clothes and our skins.  

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 Adirondacks had to offer—sun, clouds, mud, autumn color and even the few morning snow flurries that the weatherman promised.  A total of 9 hikers enjoyed this moderately paced 5 mile walk in the woods.  The group included a range of hiking skills from the very experienced to first time hikers. The afternoon temperature was comfortable and we enjoyed lunch on the banks of the Hudson River at the base of the cliffs across the water.  We also had plenty of time to explore the views both up and down stream.  The fall colors provided a striking contrast with the “white waters” of the Hudson .  The photo opportunities were plentiful, and a number of us took full advantage.  Although rafting season was still in progress, we did not encounter anyone on the water.  The group included:  Peg Carucci, Jean Jones, Mary Nicotera and Jim Hussey (with their two canine companions), Kevin Sheehan, Fran Balch, Bob Heffley, Brian Washburn and the leader.  

Oct 3 (Sat) SEWARD MOUNTAIN
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 Saranac Lake , the sun behind us broke through the clouds to ignite brilliant rainbows in front of us.  While four of us stayed in the North Country Saturday night, the remainder who drove south were treated to further atmospheric delights.  As we drove into Keene Valley, a nearly full moon over Giant Mountain shone on a silver fog bank floating above the Ausable River, and as we descended from the highlands near Lake George, lightning repeatedly flashed across the southern sky.  There may be some hikers who thrive on sunny, cloudless days, but we enjoyed the visual fruits of the Adirondack damp.  

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 Lower Ausable Lake one of our party (new boots) had developed a nice set of blisters.  A quick change of plans – we all took a side trip to Rainbow Falls (highly recommended by the AMR gatekeeper) and then split up forces.  The leader accompanied the tender foot back to our cars.  The rest of the group completed the day’s planned journey and, all things considered, it was a successful trip. Participants – Lori McCarron, Terry Rodriguez, Karen Ross, John Sheehan, Mark Hoffmann, Tom Chera, Eric Gillette and the leader.

Oct 14 (Wed) GLENS FALLS & LAKE GEORGE BIKE RIDE
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) THACHER PARK - LONG PATH LOOP
Leader: Jim Schaller

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 Nature Center . We started out on the Long Path  from Old Stage Rd. to High Point Cliff. And from there we went on to Hang Glider Cliff.  We enjoyed good views of the autumn colors, and distant mountains were visible under cloudy skies. The rain held off all day, but temps in the low 40’s and a stiff breeze made our stays on the cliffs brief ones. We continued on the Long Path, Salisbury Trail, Blue Trail, and finally the Yellow Trail back to the cars  by noon!  The hike was an introduction to Thacher Park North’s trail system  to some of those on the trip. Sections of the Long Path had just been brushed out only days before.  The group enjoyed the forests and fields of the hike. Those hiking were Anita Whalen, Gina Smith, and son Austin, Martha Waldman, Janet Twardzik, Marie, Neil and Ann Cherkosly, and the leader/ trail-sweep – Jim and Bonnie Schaller.  

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) HURRICANE MOUNTAIN
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 Lower Ausable Lake .  We climbed past Indian Head and its views of the frigid, wind-whipped lake to Elk Pass and its thinly iced ponds.  Four of us donned foot spikes, while one of us went "pointlessly" up the steep, shaded, icy climb to the windy summit of Nipple Top, which we reached under high, dark clouds at 11:00 a.m.  We enjoyed views in many directions as we ambled under the re-emergent sun over the ridge trail to half-open Dial, wooded Bear Den, and the wide open shoulder of Noonmark where we paused to work on our tans.  A steady descent through the 1999 fire clearing brought us back below the snow line.  Then a downhill shuffle through a carpet of beech leaves brought us back to the road and a pleasant stroll back to the cars before 4:00 p.m.  

Nov 7 (Sat) MT. MARCY  
Leader: Bob Scaife

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 Indian Falls we were treated to 2 inches of fresh snow and a wonderful vista of the bright white MacIntyre range against a blue sky.  The snow did not deepen appreciably with altitude.  As we approached Marcy, a dense and intricately patterned layer of high clouds swept in from the west on a stiff breeze, dimming the light and adding drama to the distant views.  Though the temperature had warmed into the mid thirties by 10:40 a.m. when we reached the summit, the wind was chill and our pause was brief.   We descended the steep and rocky southwest face of Marcy carefully to avoid the occasional patches of ice, and some donned crampons for the ascent of Skylight.  After an all-too-brief enjoyment of the broad, open summit of Skylight, we began our return trip. The leader’s belief that the best part of the trip was the opportunity to climb Mt. Marcy twice was not widely shared.  Fortunately the return of a bright sun and the winter-blue sky crowning the mountain above made the re-ascent of Marcy enjoyable for all.  While we had the summit to ourselves in the morning, when we returned at 1:30 p.m., we found many other hikers also enjoying the wonderful late fall day.  A steady pace carried us the 7.2 miles back to the trailhead with a bit of light to spare, but none wasted.  Photos from the hike may be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/rpscaife.  

Nov 8 (Sun) Louden & Bog Meadow Trails
Leader:  Dave Fiske  

Nov 9 (Fri) SILVER LAKE
Leader:  John Antonio

Mission accomplished.  The lean-to at Silver Lake (7.4 miles in on the southern trail head of the Northville Placid Trail) was our lunch destination and we arrived there at 11:55.  All decked out in orange (hunters about), we started our pilgrimage at 8:30 in 32 degrees but in total sun as opposed to the overcast day that was expected.  Passing the beautiful Rock Lake and the pretty little marsh-like Meco Lake on our journey, it warmed to 55 degrees.  We had to contend with one somewhat tricky stream crossing which only seemed to enhance our trek.  We all agreed that the dusting of about one inch of snow added sparkle to the already beautiful forest that we were traveling through.  On the return trip we did meet up with a hunter from Pennsylvania who told of spotting only two mice on his hunt.  Back to the cars at 3:45, we now see possibilities of future trips in this area.  Enjoying the woods were Bruce Allard, Lori McCarron, Andy Janz, Claudia Rosenholz, Charlie Beach and the leader.

Nov 10 (Sat) FIVE RIVERS ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION CENTER
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 Environmental Center . We saw a semi-tame heron, hawk, snakes and mallards and lunched at a shelter. Hikers were Gail Carr, her son-in-law, Herb Whittam with his daughters Blythe and Celeste, Christy Callaghan-Leue and Syma Lapides.  

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 Mount Williams reservoir rediscovered Newton’s Law of Gravity.  We started at 8:30 a.m., summitted Mt. Williams at 10:40 and Greylock at noon.  We were back to our cars at 4:10 and, according to a trail worker we passed on our hike he told us covered about 11 miles with an elevation gain of about 3,200 feet.  Getting back to Newton ’s Law, the BIG experience of the day was the descent in the LEAVES!!  Without exaggeration they were shin to knee deep and the most slippery ever encountered.  We had at least eight tumbles and one busted lip.  Almost eight hours out because of conditions, but we had a great group and breathed a big sigh of relief when we finally arrived back to our cars.  Participants were John Sheehan, Lori McCarron, Charlene Schaeffer, Sharon Bonk, Kendra Pratt, Anita Whalen, Blanche Nelson, Lori and Tom Chera, Eric Gillette and the leader.

Nov 10 (Sat) JAY RANGE
Leader: Skip Young

Nov 16 (Mon) MT. TREMPER
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 POND WILD FOREST
Leader:  John Antonio

This was a scouting trip.  The plan was to visit three ponds in this area … Berrymill Pond, Bass Lake (yes, Claudia – it is BASS Lake , even though some prankster erased the “B” on all the trail signs and trail head) and Moose Mountain Pond … to check out the lean-to for a future adventure.  Our party of three had just a great walk in the woods.  We completed our checklist and the only other person we saw that day was a local hunter who gave us some good info concerning this area.  Participants – Lori McCarron, Claudia Rosenholz and the leader.

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 Ausable River to right beside it. We stopped at both Wedge Brook Falls and Beaver Meadow Falls for photos. After passing along meadows and wetlands, we arrived at the Lower Ausable Lake , where we had lunch on the edge of the dam.  Then we ascended Indian Head cliff for great views of the Ausable Lakes and nearby High Peaks . A steep “down” and slight “up” took us over to Fish Hawk Cliff, with more lake and mountain views. We then cut over to the Gill Brook Trail , took that out to the Lake Road , and followed that out to our cars. We left the woods at dusk, finishing up a great day’s hike!  Those hiking were: Lori McCarron, John Susko, Susan Roberts, Claudia Rosenholz, John and Jane Husson, and the leader/ trail-sweep – Jim and Bonnie Schaller.  

Dec 7 (Mon) WINDHAM HIGH PEAK
Leader: Katie Henrikson

Heavy clothes, winter boots, Stabilicers, tea in the thermos - it must be a winter hike! Eight people started out for the top of Windham High Peak ; one turned back for lack of water, and the other seven reached the top in good time. The fresh snow revealed tracks of animals walking up the trail, including a bobcat track and several bear prints. On the way down, we picked up a hunter on his way out of the woods. Enjoying a fine early winter day were Charles Beach, Judy Brandow, Ray Henrikson, Lori McCarron, Susan Roberts, Bonnie Schaller, Frank Schellhorn, and the leader.  

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 Pharaoh Mountain but the most amazing sight of the day was the pattern on the frozen pond of semi-circles created by?  It seemed like a Zamboni was let loose in the Adirondack wilderness to create a work of art.  Back to the car, lunch in the Severance Hill parking lot with another 50 to 60 minutes to the summit of Severance.  Nice views of Schroon Lake and the distance mountains around Lake George .  We completed the day with coffee and chocolate cookies at Stewart’s in Schroon Lake.  Participants – Lori McCarron, Karen Ross and the leader.   

Dec 12 (Sat) MT. COLDEN
Leader: Bob Scaife

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 Lake Arnold and more rapidly on the lovely climb through snow-laden spruces from there to the bald shoulder of Colden.  As we pushed upward through as much as 18 inches of fluffy powder, the clouds descended.  When we emerged from the protected forest into a moderate breeze on the summit of Colden, the tops of the highest surrounding peaks were hidden from view.  The wintry conditions prevented more than a brief stay at the summit and we soon began the return trip, enjoying the softness of the snow perhaps even a little more on the descent than on the ascent.  Photos from the hike may be viewed at http://picasaweb.google.com/rpscaife.  

Dec 15 (Tue) BLUE AND SAWYER MOUNTAINS
Leader:  John Antonio

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 Blue Mountain .  The trees were just laden with snow … it was truly a fairy tale picture.  The mystery of the day was following a snowshoe hare track that disappeared into thin air?  Since no views were to be seen we decided to skip Sawyer and ended up having lunch in a fellow hiker’s beautiful Adirondack camp.  Participants – John Sheehan, Lori McCarron, John Susko, Charles Beach and the leader.

Dec 27 (Sun) XC SKI LEADER’S CHOICE
Leaders: Sue & Ted Wright

Several people were apparently put off by the rain and cancelled, but we picked Lapland Lake and found that it had snowed several more inches there. It was a bright, sunny day about 32 degrees. Group consisted of Ted and Sue Wright, and Nancy Feiker.  

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 Wilmington turn, but snow covered below that point.  We never used our headlamps, because the wide, white ribbon of road was easy to follow even in the cloudy dusk and night.  When we dropped below the clouds, we glimpsed the lights of the hamlets in the Saranac River valley to the north.  We followed the snow-freshened WMH all the way to the toll gate which we reached at 6:25, considerably after mid-afternoon.  There was an interesting symmetry to the trip; it took us over five hours to do the first two miles, it took us under two hours to do the last five miles.

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 Adirondacks .  There was plenty of lake effect snow early in the season and much of it was still hanging onto the trees making us feel like we were in a Robert Frost poem.  We started the hike at the trailhead at the west end of Durant Lake .  Much to our surprise and delight, the trail was broken into Cascade pond.  After weeks of single digit temperatures, we decided it was safer to cross the frozen pond than to cross the narrow two-log bridge that carries the trail across the pond’s outlet.  At that point the trail was unbroken for the next .75 miles until we reached the Northville Placid trail.  You can always depend on the NPT in that area being broken by skiers and hikers.  We had a pleasant lunch at the Stephens pond shelter and headed out to find the car we had spotted at the trailhead adjacent to the Durant Lake state campground.  Enjoying this winter outing were Lori McCarron, John Susko, Matt Sirni and the leader. 

Jan 8 (Fri) MOREAU LAKE STATE PARK
Leader: John Antonio

If you are still one of the few that have not yet discovered the Moreau Lake State Park , listen to this advice.  Get yourself up there to the park office, purchase a trail map for two bucks and prepare to be amazed at the abundance of trails that await you. We started our hike on the Red Oak Trail and ascended the fairly steep Moreau Overlook Trail.  We then kicked around on the Ridge Run Trail and then for a bit on the Western Ridge Trail … five and a half hours later we returned to our cars.  The day’s excitement came when crossing a stream that we all thought was totally frozen over one of our party broke through and ended up with some wet boots.  Luckily it was a short distance to the car and warm dry socks.  Participants – Lori McCarron, Judy Halstead, Sal S. and the leader.

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) MT. MARSHALL
Leader: Bob Scaife

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 Austerlitz , we found a good base with a few inches of powder on top for our snowshoe hike up Harvey Mtn.  Not only was every branch coated with fresh snow, but the sun shone, adding a sparkle to ground and a clear blue sky above.  Temperatures in the 30s allowed us a comfortable lunch break at the summit with views reaching to the Catskills.  Taking advantage of a perfect January day were Paul Breslin, Matt Sirni, John Tifft, TuAnh Turnbull, Brian Washburn, Deb Wein, and the leader.

Jan 30 (Sat) CLIFF MOUNTAIN
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, Marshall , Avalanche and Cliff and of rocky Iroquois, Boundary, Algonquin and Colden gleaming white above tree line.  The trail along the Opalescent River is always a treat; today yellow icicles hung from the rocks over the rushing green water and white river ice.  After a break at the Uphill Lean-to, we took the herd path, drifted in with a little fresh powder snow, up the steep and sometimes icy ledges of Cliff whose summit we reached at 11:30.  It was sunny and calm with fine views of Redfield, Marcy, Colden and the MacIntyre Range .  To the north, a plume of snow blew eastward off the top of Whiteface.  Kathy shared cookies to improve our already ebullient mood.  Gravity cooperated to speed our descent in our track back to Uphill Lean-to, along the Opalescent, and back across Flowed Lands.  The rest of our exit, with views of Mount Adams and the Santanoni Range and temperature rising to plus 10, was completed before 4:00 p.m. without further adventure.

Feb 2 (Tue) MOOSE MOUNTAIN COOKOUT
Leader: John Antonio

A blazing campfire at a remote lean-to in the Hammond Pond Wild Forest …does it get any better than this…YES!!  It does if it’s winter and you have a bunch of gourmet hotdogs grilled on a sunny day with a bunch of friends (all hikers become friends on a day like we had.)  Participants – Lori McCarron, Anita Whalen, John Susko, Claudia Rosenholz, Anneliese Lawson, Sharon Bonk, Susan Roberts, John Sheehan, Charles Beach and the leader.

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

Starting from the Old Farm Clearing Trailhead we were intent on exploring the “new” trail to this pond that was until recently available only to bushwhackers.  Bare boots would have sufficed, but we used snowshoes, wanting to keep the somewhat light snow covering as skiable as possible.  Within the first hour of travel we arrived at the first new bridge that crosses the East Branch of the Sacandaga River.  All were awestruck at the ingenious and beautiful handiwork that we recognized went into its construction.  After stopping at Botheration we pushed on to the frozen shore of William Blake Pond to refuel.  Before we completed the last leg of our journey, a trip up Balm of Gilead Mountain, we took a side trip to the Hooper Mine.  Participants:  Lori McCarron, Claudia Rosenholz, Charlie Beach and the leader.  

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

Several mid-week snowstorms had blanketed the northeast, and a Saturday morning storm slowed the drive to Upper Works where George Baranauskas, Don Berens, Wayne Gray and Dan Lockart met at 5:30 a.m. to see how far they could get toward Gray and Skylight.  Friday snowshoers had packed the Calamity Brook Trail as far as Flowed Lands; beyond that, the way was unbroken.  Under gray clouds and intermittent flurries, we tromped a track across Flowed Lands and through the Lake Colden campground to the trail along the Opalescent River.  A month ago, the river had burbled under eponymous green ice; today, it was silent under a shroud of alabaster white snow.  We took turns breaking trail in deepening snow to the Uphill Lean-to and steeply up to Lake Tear of the Clouds.  We tried Gray Peak first.  Frequent knee-deep snow required "doggie-digging" to move snow from belly height on the uphill side, between our legs, and under our snowshoes on the downhill side.  Two of the cliffs that in summer force the herd path to detour were so deeply covered in ice and snow that we could walk up them in our cleated snowshoes.  Those obstacles and some thigh-deep spruce holes slowed our progress; it took us 1:40 to climb the half-mile from Lake Tear to the top of Gray in a snow squall.  But we retraced our steps and slid down the cliffs back to Lake Tear in just twenty minutes.  Next, we headed across Lake Tear to Four Corners and the trail to Skylight.  High on Skylight the trail markers were only inches above the snow or buried altogether.  We spent some time searching for the way, finding more spruce traps before we found a marker 100 yards beyond the previous visible one.  As we neared tree line, the clouds lifted high enough to reveal Iroquois, Colden and Gray, but not so high as to show us Algonquin, Marcy or Haystack.  Then clouds closed in as we summited Skylight.  After tagging the top, we followed cairns and our tracks back to tree line and enjoyed a descent on the trail we had broken.  For the rest of the day, the weather gradually improved, allowing us to enjoy some distant views and blue sky.  As we re-crossed Flowed Lands, we watched a hazy setting sun in the southwest illuminate white-capped Colden with a dark cloud looming behind in the northeast.  Sunset overtook us on the Calamity Brook Trail and was soon followed by a rising full moon.  Moonlight and headlamps lit our way back to the trailhead which we reached just after 7:00 p.m., 13-1/2 hours after we began there.  It would have been nice to have six or ten more hikers to help with trail-breaking, but if it had to be only four, I'm glad I was joined by this persevering crew.  

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

Shakespeare wrote of "the uncertain glory of an April day."  On this day, uncertainty prevailed but there were glimpses of glory for hikers Don Berens, John Bien, Bob Scaife and Karen Wilson, and for John's Chessie named Ranger.  The plan was to hike a loop atop the C-shaped ridge which almost encircles a deep valley called the Hopper.  The 3,491-foot highpoint of the ridge is the summit of Mount Greylock and the highpoint of Massachusetts.  We left the Haley Farm at 7:00 a.m. in 39 degree light rain, crossed a farm field and found the trail in the open oak woods.  The bare ground was littered with acorns and displayed tiny bluets and purple trilliums.  Within the hour, we climbed into a spruce forest shrouded in cloud which soon spit sleet and wet snow.  After a break at the Stony Ledge lean-to, we gazed at views into the mists where the Hopper below and Mount Greylock above were supposed to be seen.  From the Sperry Campground, we detoured into the Hopper to view the March Cataract which was still splashing in April.  As we resumed our climb, the falling snow more and more thoroughly covered the trees and the ground.  We reached the otherwise deserted summit at 10:15 in snow and fog which almost obscured the top of the memorial tower.  Nearby, we took an early lunch in the four-walled comfort of the Thunderbolt Shelter before resuming our walk around the Hopper.  The Appalachian Trail took us north - still in snow - over Mount Fitch to Mount Williams, then below the snowline to Mount Prospect.  As the afternoon progressed, the clouds dropped rain less often and lifted to reveal occasional views of the farms below.  From the ridge below Mount Prospect, we even saw our parked cars ninety minutes before we reached them.  The steep and sometimes rocky descent led us to the gentle trail along Money Brook flowing out of the Hopper and back to the Haley Farm which we reached at 2:30 p.m.  It had only warmed to 43 degrees, but it was - for the moment - dry when we loaded the cars for the drive home, glad that we had ventured out on an unexpectedly rewarding day.  

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 30^th 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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