Looking Back--September Highlights

The fall foliage season has kept me so busy guiding, I haven't had the minutes to post on a regular basis. From Crane Mountain to the summits of Hadley and Chimney Mountains, the views have been incredible and the company full of curiosity and some very intriguing questions, several of which have sent me running to the library the next day. After all, exactly what was going on climatologically early in the 20th century when there were so many fires in the Adirondacks?

October Programs and A Saturday Adventure Package

October Mid-Week Programs for Women:
Mountain Hiking Wednesdays October 4, 11, 18
Siamese Ponds Wilderness Treks Thursday mornings October 5, 12, 19
Click on the Links for Details.

And what's new?
The Vanderwhacker Mountain Escape Package
Saturday, October 21 8am-6pm
I've been yearning to offer a women's adventure package on a fall Saturday when all the participants have the chance to spend the entire day immersed in wilderness.

First, we'll get acquainted over a hearty breakfast at Cafe Sarah's in North Creek. Then we'll bond while hiking up a beautiful, moderately challenging mountain in the wilderness of northernmost Minerva. At the end of the adventure, when we're all mellow and ready to relax, we'll spend the late afternoon and early evening toasting our toes by a warm fire while we dine at the coziest and best local restaurant I know, The Black Mountain in North Creek. The costs of breakfast and dinner are all included in the package price of $80.00.

Now this is the kind of adventure package that I'd be eager to sign up for. But what about you? Is there a package or program that you'd like to see? Please submit your ideas in the comment section below or drop me an e-mail.

A Southern Beauty

A trip south yesterday, south to the southernmost Adirondacks to climb a popular mountain renowned for its bare rock summit and 300-degree views. I had a perfect day to scout out this gem for my clients who are new climbers. It's an hour and a half ascent for intermediate hikers, maybe just under two for novices--a relatively easy ascent.

But best of all are the rewards at the top--a summit that's large enough to afford many people their own private picnic spots and a sturdy firetower that offers views of the High Peaks, including Mount Marcy. Volunteers maintain the wide trails, which will make this my top choice for my intermediate snowshoers who are ready to tackle a mountain.

Mountain Ash in All Its Glory

Scouting Out Winter Snowshoe and Cross-Country Trails

I know it seems I'm rushing things, but it's time for me to begin preparing for winter wilderness adventures. In my spare time this past week, I've been trekking all over, searching for the best winter trails. Finding great cross-country ski trails has been more difficult than finding new snowshoe hikes because of all the down trees and the fact that snowmobilers didn't maintain the trails last year, due to the lack of snow.

But I found a beautiful ski trail yesterday that will make a fantastic wilderness day trip. The trail is gentle and rolling, perfect for beginner and intermediate skiers, and leads 2.5 miles through woodlands to a remote bog just north of Eleventh Mountain. Very, very few down trees over the trail. (So unusual!) The bog itself is long and narrow and will be fun to explore come winter. I was thrilled to see numerous bear tracks on the trail and hoped I'd catch a glimpse of one, but because it was a a warm mid-day hour, the bears were surely snoozing.

I'd like to say I can't wait to ski it, but that would be almost blasphemous, rushing this beautiful season.

Maples are Turning...

As I've hiked all over the Gore Mountain region in recent days, my eyes have been studying the foliage of deciduous trees. I can't help myself, I'm a leaf nut. Some trees are already changing color, and each day there are more leaves showing signs of losing their deep green hues. Does this mean that the peak foliage season will arrive early this year?

Predicting the peak--that approximately 10-12 day period of time when a region's foliage is its most colorful--is impossible to achieve with any accuracy this early. Too many variables influence the timing--wet or dry conditions in September, windstorms, air temperatures, not to mention the overall weather picture of the entire growing season, to name only a few.

Nevertheless, it is possible to say that because there is scattered color already as we enter the second week of September, the red maples and sugar maples will be progressively turning in the days and weeks ahead. Consequently, there will be a fair number of trees brightening up the forest for hikers to gawk at by the weekend of the 16th-17th of September, and a splendid array by the next weekend, the 23rd-24th (although not peak). That's as far out as I'll stick my neck today.

Fall--The Favorite Season

Of all the seasons, most adults living year-round in the Adirondacks name autumn as their favorite. "No bugs," usually begins their lists of reasons, followed by beautiful foliage, clear skies, and cool temperatures. And, as many have told me, fall really begins with the Labor Day Weekend, not September 20-23, the usual days of the autumnal equinox. (This year it falls on Saturday, the 23rd.)

Of all natural phenomenon, the green leaves changing to brilliant reds, oranges, and yellows, is the one that has most captivated my imagination throughout my lifetime. I study and observe every aspect of the change, and this year I'll share them with you in this blog.

Yet I'll go even a step further than that as I report all this fall on the troubling issues facing the trees in the Northeast, and, in particular, the Northern forests. And I'll pinpoint what's being done and not being done to save trees, and what each of us can do to make a difference.

September Events: Women's Hiking in the Gore Mountain Region
I. Mountain Hiking (Tuesdays Sept. 12, 19, 26) 8:30-2:00pm (Click on the link)
II. Nature Hiking (Wednesdays Sept. 13, 20, 27) 9:00-1:00pm