Backtracks    

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July 5 (Friday) Tour the Timbucto archeology site, Lake Placid
John & Susan Omohundro (TLs), Dorothy Moore, Marianne Hebert, John Barron, and ten members of North Woods chapter. Rained out on the scheduled date, we managed to visit Dr. Kruczek- Aaron’s archaeology site four days later, before the afternoon rains again drenched the field crew. We learned much from professor and students about this 150-year-old African-American farm community experiment.

July 6 (Saturday) Algonquin Peak
Brian Baston (TL) Tom Ortmeyer, Tim Brown. Brian and Tom set out from the High Peaks Information Center with new ADK-Laurentian chapter member Tim, under cloudy and cool conditions. The summit was socked in with rain, fog and mist, when we joined about two dozen others at 11:30 AM for our lunch break. Since both Tom and Tim needed Iroquois Peak, we decided to do that as well. On the way the sky opened up to a beautiful day with excellent views of the rest of the Peaks. As a side note, legendary mud holes between the two peaks are now covered with boardwalks!

July 13 (Saturday) Bicycle the Sabbatis Loop
Tom Ortmeyer (TL), John Barron, Mark Bayer, Carolyn Kaczka. We cycled from the south end of Tupper Lake to the southern entrance to the Sabbatis Circle Road, then back to Little Tupper Lake, where we lunched and enjoyed the views. We then completed Circle Road, and took a brief side trip to view the Bog River entering Tupper Lake. We finished the day with a welcome ice cream break courtesy of Carolyn.
L to R, near the mouth of the Bog River: Mark Bayer, TL Tom Ortmeyer, Carolyn Kaczka, John Barron.
Photo: Mark Bayer.

Sunday July 21 - Paddling the 1000 Islands near Ivy Lea, Ontario
L to R TLs Peter Blood and Toni Towle.
Our route led us from Ivy Lea to a full circumnavigation of Hill Island, one of the largest in the area. We saw many smaller islands along the way, and passed through the narrow channel that marks the U.S./Canadian border. We paused for lunch and a swim on Constance Island. There were boat wakes and river currents to add interest. Supper on the sun deck of a local pub was an enjoyable end to the day.
Photo: John Barron.

July 27 (Saturday) Gothic & Armstrong via Beaver Meadow Fall
Brian Baston (TL), Marie Fernandez de Alaiza, Tim Brown. We went in on the Lake Road at the Ausable Club about 7:45am. Up the Beaver Meadow Falls trail summiting Gothic around 12:45pm on a beautiful day! On the way back we decided it would be a shame not to do Armstrong as it was only 0.8 mi round trip. A great day in the Great Range!

August 3 (Saturday) Dead Creek Paddle
Ann & Armond Spencer (TLs), John & Susan Omohundro, Bob & Janet Wakefield, Alison Charles, Mary Jane Watson. We did not find Dead Creek dead! Indeed we found a strong current. After battling our way up for about an hour, we collectively decided that that wasn’t fun and turned around. We had a nice (fast) trip back down to the Raquette and then up the river for a ways. We had lunch at a nice spot on the river and when we did get back to the cars decided we had had enough.

August 24 (Saturday) Wright Peak
Tom Ortmeyer (TL), Brian Baston, Marie Fernandez de Alaiza, Bill Mueller, John Wilson, John and Susan Omohundro, Edward Walker, and Andres, Karyn, and Simon von Cramon. We found a busy Saturday at the High Peaks Information Center, but hit the trail right on schedule. We had a good group, and enjoyed the challenges of the trail on the way up. We broke out onto the Alpine tundra just after noon, and arrived on the peak soon after. We took an extended lunch, and had outstanding views of both the Adirondacks and the Green Mountains, which led to an extended discussion of which peak was which. Following lunch, we stopped briefly to view the airplane wreckage, and then headed back down the mountain. The trip back seemed a bit long, but by the end several in our group were planning their next High Peak hike.

Sunday August 25 - Rock Dunder, Ontario
The Rock Dunder hike is a favorite for good reason. It’s not too strenuous or too long, but offers varied forest, challenging climbs and descents in places, and excellent sweeping views of the Rideau waterway where we could watch the activities of boardsailers, boaters, and water skiers. Five of us enjoyed the trail and also a short walk around the impressive Jones Falls Rideau Canal lock station located nearby. Other obligations in the evening regrettably prevented the leader from staying for supper with the others at nearby Hotel Kenney.
L to R, at one of the backcountry lodges: Lila & Charles Hunnewell; Duncan & Lois Cutter; TL John Barron. Photo: a passing hiker.
Emerging from a swim in Morton Bay: TL John Barron. Photo: Duncan Cutter.

Sunday, September 7 - Paddle Middle Saranac Lake to Lake Flower
The annual “14 Miler” for sea kayakers and canoeists came off nicely. Ellie Menz, Jason Pfotenhauer, Jim Plumley, Dick Mooers found Middle Saranac Lake in fine fettle, with good rollers forming by 10:30 AM in a light breeze. The rest of the trip was, as they say, all down hill. Winding river, fern gardens on old snags, the DIY State lock, the huge grey boulders, the looming cliffs of Bluff Island, the beginning autumn colors, even the various power boats and sneak routes through the weeds, done so many times previously, were preciously familiar. Come with us next September, readers, and don’t miss a great paddle!

Sunday, September 8 - Street and Nye Mountains
The air had a feel of early fall - cool, sunny, and dry, perfect for hiking. The paths were in very good condition and the views were better than we expected.
L to R, at the summit of Street: Tom Ortmeyer, Brian Baston, Tim Brown, Ed Smith, Ann Charlebois, Tom Lawrence.
Photo: TL John Barron.