TL John Barron  Participants:  John Omohundro, Susan Omohundro, John Barthelme.  We had perfect conditions- warm sun and dry trails.  Interesting geology, many kinds of birds, good views over still frozen lakes and plenty of history (both on the trail and on the drive).  The rough terrain gave us a good workout.  Supper at The Mill in Brockville on the way home finished a good day.

TLs John and Susan Omohundro  Participants:  Helen Harrington, Carrie, Sabrina and JoAnn Whitford, Jonathan Barney, Joyce Chambers, Ann and Armond Spencer, Tom and Ann Ortmeyer.  A washed out road and occupied lean-to caused us to walk farther than planned on to  find a new picnic spot further east on Huckleberry Lake’s shore.  Some walked on to Moon Lake while others prepared a cook fire.  After our gourmet picnic we took turns reading aloud from nature writings.  On the way out, we picked up a lot of litter.

  TLs Ann and Armond Spencer. Participants:  Eileen and Tom Wheeler.  Because of the weather, and the interests of the participants the Blue Ledges trip was replaced by a birding trip on the Sabbatis Road and a hike on the railroad from Sabbatis.  Saw a lot of birds and got very wet.

TLs Duncan and Lois Cutter.  Participants: Ann and Tom Ortmeyer, John Barthelme, Bruce and Rosalie Smith, Armond and Ann Spencer. Jim Bullard showed up to take some pictures. .Trash got all picked up, lunch got eaten up, canoes got paddled up, and then we drifted down.  Sunny skies, lots of smiles, at Everton Falls .One fun day.  P.S. The first aid kit was initiated.  We patched up one participant  who latched onto something sharp in the course of  trash pickup.

TL Bill Romey.  Participants:  John Omohundro, Susan Omohundro, Linda Moerschell, Nancy LaBaff, Ken Coskran.  The six of us took off from Potsdam on a sunny, warm Mother’s Day. We left the trailhead at 9 A.M and got into packed snow within an hour.  It was a good chance to compare types of crampons.  Heard Winter wrens and saw much damage to fir trees caused by insects. Near the top, there was a lot of rime ice and up to four feet of snow on the trail. Had a nice lunch at the top socked in by mist and clouds, most of the time in 30-degree temperature reminding the Omohundros of the Maine coast.

TLs Cliff and Gloria Daly. Participants: Armond and Ann Spencer, John and Niall Barron, John Barthelme.  Our spirited party of seven showed up on this overcast, showery day to find the usual litter souvenirs populating the nooks and crannies of the Lampson Falls surround.  Afterwards we headed to the Spencer’s home where we enjoyed refreshments on the backyard veranda among the swooping rose breasted grosbeaks, hummingbirds and finches.

TLs John and Susan Omohundro. Participants:  Ann and Armond Spencer, John  Barron, DL Thomas, Sandra McCloy, Blair Madore, Darrell Rimbert, Daniel Romlein, Daniel, Andrew, Dianne, Nathan, Peter and David Brouwer, David  Trithart.  The sun came out and so did 17 people to build bridges, clear blowdown, put up signposts, hack back weedy bushes and remove troublesome obstructions in the footpath.  A productive afternoon.

TL Betsy Tisdale   Participants:  Elaine Kuricana, Alexander Brehn, Bobbie Hawks, David Tisdale.  A rare beautiful day, violets, bellwort, centaria, unfolding ferns, rattlesnake plantain, musical streams, along an exquisite old woods road.  Two immature bald eagles soared right in front of  us on our perch overlooking Snake Den Harbor above Lake Champlain.  A truly divine day.

TLs Peter O’Shea and Eileen Wheeler.  Participants:  John Barthelme, Sheila Cerwonka, Mary Jo Whalen, Carolyn and Gene Kaczka, Ann and Tom Ortmeyer, Ann and Armond Spencer, Harold Ellington, Mary Beth Warburton, Tom Wheeler.  We joined forces with the High Peaks Audubon group (who had scheduled an outing at the same time) for several enjoyable hours of birding as we walked the old railroad bed and the Mountaineer Trail at Massawepie.  59 species were heard or seen, including 12 warblers and 4 raptors.  Peter pointed out an unusual butterfly, the Jutta Artic, and the blooming bog laurel.  On this beautiful day, the bugs weren’t too bad – although it was obvious the birds had plenty to eat!

TL Sandy Hildreth  Participants:  John and Sue Omohundro, Holly and Ron Chorba, John and Niall Barron, Ann and Armond Spencer,  Mary Ann Hebert, Jane Subramanian, Dick Mooers.  12 hikers summited this easy mountain, saw the first pink lady slippers of the season, enjoyed a great panoramic view, and after descending, walked the trail through the Nature Conservancy’s Silver Lake Camp Bog – with just a little bit of rain and hail.

TL John Barron. Participant: Tom Ortmeyer. We acknowledged an extreme heat warning by starting an hour earlier than planned. The circular route was quite level and easy. Both border settlements were scenic gems. We checked out a Canadian National Wildlife Refuge ten minutes from Fort Covington and decided it was worth a return visit, bringing canoes instead of bikes.

TL Nancy Skiff. Participants: Paula Skiff, Robin Einbinder, Russ Mastling, Michael Tessier, Elaine Tessier, Marc Tessier, Lorraine Chapman, Kenneth Williams. The hike to Bear Mt. was sunny and bright, the trail was wet and muddy in spots. The views of Cranberry Lake were brilliant. Marc (5 years old) and his family enjoyed a cool swim. It was a great day.

TLs David Trithart and Rose Rivezzi. Participants: Ken Williams, Karin Snyder, Elizabeth Snyder, Marko Bitene, Albert Trithart. With the original date a total rain-out we waited for the sunny day that came on Sunday. Catamount is definitely a challenge with the extensive exposed rock and the scrambling that is required. But the views are definitely worth it. A parade of hikers followed the intrepid ADKers to the top.

TLs Eileen Wheeler and Peter O’Shea. Participants: John Barthelme, Bernie Carr, Tom Wheeler. We enjoyed an easy bushwhack up an esker to look at two remote unnamed ponds which are gradually filling in. Interesting dragonflies were abundant. In addition we identified many butterflies, birds, and bog plants. Next it was on to breezy Streeter Lake for lunch on this warm day. John and Bernie cooled down with a swim in Crystal lake, our final destination. Great company; lots to observe and learn.

TL Sandy Hildreth. Participants: Pam and Rick Abell, Tom and Ann Ortmeyer, Peter and Marilyn Gillespie. A lovely evening paddle. We saw two loons and one leech. Note that boats must now be carried about a quarter of a mile from the parking lot to the launch site.

TL Geri Ames Participants: Lois Rader, JoAnn Den Bleyker, Susan Omohundro, John Omohundro, Alison Charles, Morgan Perkins. For a short paddle, our trip took five hours! The scenery was beautiful with Cardinal flowers along the shoreline and a nice sandy bottom allowed us to stop and swim three times. The water temperature was delightful. You could swim without moving an inch due to the current and that was fun. Rocks in the river also provided us a place to perch and sun ourselves and talk. Good company, beautiful scenery and perfect weather added up to a delightful trip. Oh, the ice cream stop in Winthrop made the day.

TLs Linda Moerschell and Nancy LaBaff. Participants: Chuck Tracy, John Barron, Ken Coskran. On a sunny day the five of us made our way to the summit of Giant via the Zander trail. Giant took our breath away, not only because of the ascent of 3050 feet in 3 miles, but for the frequent and spectacular views. We enjoyed our lunch at the top but were soaked by a sudden hail storm early in the descent. Soon we were viewing the storm in the valley to the East below us and it wasn’t long before we were descending in sunshine and dry rocks again. A torrential downpour hit just minutes after we were in our cars on the way home.

TLs Blair and Margaret Madore. Participants: Cole Madore, Kurt Terrance, Jake Whitecrow, Kyle Delormier, Angela Thivierge. After a beautiful, short, steep climb we enjoyed blueberries, tree climbing and great views. A picnic and swim at Lake Colby rounded out the trip.

TLs Duncan and Lois Cutter. Participants: Paul Cutter, David Brouwer, John Barron, Susan Omohundro, John Omohundro. A perfect day to paddle, bushwhack and then swim. Chicken wire covering the slippery planks on the carry in gave our feet a secure grip. Good, clear panoramic views from the Baldface rock ledges.
Baldface Mt. Photo, l to r: Lois Cutter, David Brouwer, John Omohundro, Duncan Cutter, Paul Cutter, John Barron. Photo Susan Omohundro.
Debar Pond Photo, l to r: Duncan, Lois, and Paul Cutter. Photo John Barron.

TL Robin Rhodes-Crowell. Participants: David Crowell, Emma and Naomi Crowell, Grace Sawyko, Elise Franck, Leon Sawyko, Maggie Willette, Gene Willette, Joel Foisy, Gretchen Koehler, Lee Francis, Jean Fallon, Sylvia and Gaetan Foisy. We enjoyed the summit of Mt. Arab on a perfect summer day. The view was clear all around and many of us ventured up the fire tower. All the children did well on the hike and we were blessed to have a variety of ages along.
Photo, l to r: Lee Francis, Sylvain Foisy, Gretchen Koehler, Gaetan Foisy, Joel Foisy, Elise Franck, Carol Franck, Leon Sawyko, Grace Sawyko, David Crowell, Emma Crowell, Robin Rhodes-Crowell (leader), Naomi Crowell, Regina Willette, Jean Fallon and Maggie Willette.

TL Bill Mueller. Participant: Armond Spencer. Great day for a beautiful hike. Clear skies, cooler weather, good company. Hope more folks come next year. A unique view from Blue Mountain to the East and a full panorama South to West over the Five Ponds Wilderness.

TL Lyle Montgomery. Participants: Shirley White, Megan White, Nancy Skiff, Paula Skiff, Butch and Caroline Durant, Nancy LaBaff, Alka Srivastava. Nine enthusiastic hikers climbed Pitchoff Mountain on a clear sunny day and were captivated by the views and sparking Cascade Lake below us. Wild blueberries, and bright red bunch berries were abundant. A brown snake was spotted on the ridge. We couldn’t resist a quick dip in Cascade Lake following our descent.
Photo, l to r: Nancy Skiff, Caroline Durant, Butch Durant, Lyle Montgomery, Nancy Labaff, Megan White, Alka Srivastava, Paula Skiff, Shirley Whitewas. Photo by Nancy Labaff.

TL David Trithart. Participants: John Barron, Jean Barron, Lee Francis, Rose Rivezzi, Niall Barron, Fiona Barron. A nice day made the fine trails seem all the more pleasant. An easy stroll, a few ripe berries and water warm enough to entice a few swimmers.
Photo, l to r: David Trithart (Potsdam), Jean Giblin (Ottawa), Lee Francis (Hannawa Falls), Fiona Barron (Ottawa), Rose Rivezzi (Potsdam). Photo by John Barron.

TL Nancy Skiff. Participants: Carolyn Durant, Butch Durant. A cloudy day meant cloudy views at the top The rains came a mile and a half from the finish. The day was spent identifying trees, looking at old water sources, exploring a small dam, and enjoying friendships.

TLs Ann and Armond Spencer. Participants: Tom and Ann Ortmeyer, Alison Charles, John Omohundro, Don and Betty Peckham. We had a nice paddle, and saw quite a few birds on a windy but pleasant evening. We enjoyed some fine food at our picnic, but the high point of the evening was when a great horned owl landed in a tree very close by and sat for a while before continuing on its way.

TLs John and Susan Omohundro. Participants: Bob and Janet Wakefield, Dick and Alison Charles, Tom and Ann Ortmeyer, Ann and Armond Spencer, Sheila Cerwonka. A fine quiet evening exploring the long areas of this Oswegatchie flow. We especially enjoyed the jumbled rock formations, waterfalls, and flowers along Skate Creek. A cool dusk overtook our picnic supper.

TL: John Barron. Participants: Chuck Tracy, Alicia Schantz, Lorrie Wemett. Billed as a classic, and it was. Bright sunshine showed the scenery to best advantage. Lorrie deserves honorable mention for adapting so well to the rigors of mountain hiking, living, as she does, in Palm Harbor, Florida.

TLs Ann and Tom Ortmeyer. Participants: Ann and Armond Spencer, Ken Williams. We had a great day for this nice 14 mile RT bicycle trip from St. Regis Falls to Everton Falls. We snacked at the falls with a cedar waxwing, but found the ice cream shop already closed on our return to town.

TL: Tom Wheeler. Participants: Ann & Armond Spencer, John & Susan Omohundro, Eileen Wheeler, Marsha Akins, Chris Lafty, Darcy Derouchie, Alicia Schantz, Lorrie Wemett. The Jay Range did not disappoint: cliffs, open rock ledges, forests. The ridge line led us to ever changing scenery, from the high peaks to Lake Champlain, and the mountains of Vermont. The weather was excellent for hiking and the mountain rewarded all who came on this spectacular hike. Photo: Tom Wheeler

We couldn’t have had a better day to be out on the Lake Lila and up on the stone cliffs of Frederica Mt. A group of four canoes and one kayak paddled directly across the lake to the trail up the mountain. After enjoying the views from the top (and lunch), we all took leisurely routes back to the put-in. A good day. TLs: Ron Johnson and Nikki Coates. Participants: John & Sue Omohundro, Rich Paolillo, Nick Pavone, Cris Winters, Duncan & Lois Cutter, Jeannette Costello

TL: Dick Mooers. Participants: Marilyn Fayette, Mary Jane Watson. This paddling trip on 12 miles of the historic Rideau Canal was completed in sunny, breezy weather. We launched at Upper Brewers Lock, which we portaged around and saw loons and osprey. We are eager to return to paddling in the Rideau Canal System’s two rivers and its many rock-bound lakes.

TL: Lyle Montgomery. Participants: Shirley White, Nancy Skiff, Vasily Cateforis, Marsha Akins. We climbed over the Brothers to the summit of Big Slide, enjoying clear panoramic autumn vistas at every turn, and leap-frogging with another group of exuberant children, dogs, and mothers. The cascading waters of Slide Mt. Brook and the gentle Phelps trail made for a very pleasant return hike to the Garden.

The weather was cloudy but no rain. There was a nice view from the summit with good fall colors. Rain had made the Copper Rock Falls trail muddy so we went on to Rainbow Falls which was quite impressive. John led a chorus of camp tunes on the way out. TL: Tom Ortmeyer of Potsdam (far right). Participants (from left): Niall Barron, Jean Gilbin, Fiona Barron, Rosalie Campbell, Ann Ortmeyer. Photo: John Barron.

Trail work this fall involved more than 25 volunteers during two rainy, but very productive days. Projects completed include: A new 28 foot bridge over O’Malley Brook, two new bridges on the west side of the trail, four bog bridges that traverse muddy areas, and a new section of trail that traverses the northwest side of the river. In addition to ADK volunteers, there was a strong contribution from the SUNY Potsdam Wilderness Education Program, the Clarkson Mountain Biking Club, and the International Mountain Bikers Association (IMBA)).

Special thanks go to Chad Crosby, Phil Bridgeman, Bob Dowman, and Wes Lampton (Coordinator of the ADK trails program)for the many hours they spent organizing the projects, recruiting volunteers, and leading crews during the weekend. TL: Mark Simon.

Chad Crosby (foreground) and Lucas Monroe install planking on a new bridge during a volunteer trail maintenance weekend at Stone Valley near Colton in mid October. Photo: Tom Ortmeyer.

TL: John Wood (Thanks John for stepping in to lead the trip, since the original trip leader was ill) Participant: Donna Parisi. Snow!! We found two inches of heavy, wet snow on the ground in the morning. Branches were down and wet snow was dripping so we opted to walk to Roaring Brook Falls.

TL: Jamie Savage. Participants: Ryan Savage, Niall Barron, John Barron, Suzanne Liberty, Ann & Armond Spencer. The group enjoyed clear, blue skies, seasonal temperatures, and a dusting of fresh snow. We hiked about 5 miles of well-maintained Ranger School trails, learning about forest management practices and the impacts of the 1995 microbusrst as we went. The fire tower and lean-to on Cathedral Rock Mountain offered beautiful views of the Five Ponds Wilderness and Cranberry Lake.

TL: Cliff Daly. Participants: Gloria Daly, John Barron, Armond Spencer. All were keen and able as we lopped, sawed and laughed our way up Catamount on this rare sunny and dry autumn day. During our breaks below, we admired the burnt orange of the beeches surrounding us, while up high we enjoyed the mountain views anchored by the golden hues of the tamarack clusters peppering the valley west of Catamount. A physically rewarding day worth every second of effort.

TL: Dick Mooers. Participants: Mary MacKinnon & Elizabeth Taylor. Dick, Mary, Elizabeth and the dogs, Maple and Abbey, had a good day at Stone Valley, stopping frequently along the Raquette, and spending lots of time at the 80 foot drop of the initial cascade, the Narrows, and the Tubs. There was a great deal of water thundering down the cascades and falls, as much as in the spring. The entire Tubs ledge system was under water. We left the trail system via the County Forest near O’Malley Brook’s Cathedral Grove. There we a few hunters about but they were east of the Lenny Road and apparently not in Stone Valley.

An unexpectedly beautiful mid-November day and good company made for an excellent hike. There was a dusting of snow at the beginning, which disappeared at higher elevations and although the trail was wet and muddy in stretches, it was very manageable. For the most part, we all stayed dry during many creek crossings and the day was warm enough to linger and enjoy a leisurely lunch at the summit, where we met members of the Algonquin Chapter participating in a similar hike. While they retraced the trail, we chose to bushwhack the opposite side to hit the Jackrabbit Trail and then the Mackenzie Mt. Trail to return to the trailhead. More good food at Morgan’s 11 in Saranac Lake, and interesting conversation on the way home: a fine day. Photo, l to r: John Barron (TL), Ron Johnson, Nikki Coates (TL), Debby Nikkari and Allison Gamble.

TLs: John & Susan Omohundro. Participant: Ken Coskran. We three walked around Black Pond, Long Pond, the connector to the Esker Trail, Silviculture Trail, Heron Marsh and back. We had no map but were never totally lost. Just a little snow and mud underfoot. Very Quiet. A good way to spend part of a dull November Day.

There was snow and it kept on snowing while we were there but only one diehard (Joel) skied the whole way. The rest of us tromped around the Beaver Pond Trail, then up to the Warm Brook lean-to. There we enjoyed hot chocolate, oranges, hot dogs, sausages and marshmallows all on our fire. Grandpa Armond and Grandma Ann even provided s’mores for dessert. A great 3 generation trip. Participants, l to r: kids in front row - Syl Foisy, Cole Madore, Rebecca Miller, Gaetan Foisy; adults in back row - Ann Spencer, Blair Madore, Armond Spencer, Jeff Miller, and Joel Foisy. TLs: Blair & Marg Madore. Photo: Marg Madore.

This early wintry day provided low snow levels for the trip through Avalanche Pass. The pass and Avalanche Lake were quite scenic, but stark, with the cliffs highlighted with ice and snow. Everyone enjoyed this eight and half mile hike into the heart of the high peaks. TLs: Tom & Eileen Wheeler. Backed by a cliff near a new slide on Mount Colden are, l to r: John & Susan Omohundro, Tom Wheeler, Armond & Ann Spencer, and Joe Rosenfeld. Photo: Eileen Wheeler.

David Trithart TL, Scott Arno, Willie Trithart, David Brouwer, Bill Romey, Peter Brouwer, John Wood, Kathleen Wiley. Rather heavy snow at the start. Cloud ceiling at about 4000 feet so no view from the windy summit. The Wilmington turn was blown completely free of snow, but good snow conditions everywhere else. There were many others - skiers and snowshoers - on the road.