Backtracks

The public is invited on all trips unless otherwise indicated.

Questions about outings? Contact Marianne Hebert, Vice-Chair - Outings
mailto:hebertm@potsdam.edu
315-265-0756

October - December, 2017

Owl's Head of Long Lake, Oct 1, 2017
We had perfect fall weather, sunny and cool. This is not a long hike but not an altogether easy one, with some long steep sections. Great views from the summit and from the fire tower, including nearby Blue Mountain and Long Lake, and distant Wakely Mountain. Marianne Hebert and TL John Barron.
From Owl’s Head: Blue Mountain. Photo John Barron.

Fall foliage hike to Boreas Ponds, Oct 7, 2017
We had a bit of a gray and misty day, but still a pleasant walk into the Boreas Ponds tract. Views of the high peaks were obscured by clouds, but the foliage colors were spot on. At the dam, we encountered what appeared to be hatched turtle nests (snapping turtles?). Participants: Mary Jane Watson, Kate Schiltz, Marianne Hebert (TL)

Trail Maintenance Weekend, Oct 21-22, 2017
Many students from SUNY Potsdam, SUNY Canton, and Hermon-DeKalb Central School joined organizer Mark Simon, several crew leaders, and other supporters in a large-scale trail maintenance event. See this news article for details.
Photo 1: Rock climbing site crew. L-R, Nelson Torres, Rebecca Augustine, crew leader Adam Wheeler, Tom Macula, Miranda Bell, Molly McClenon-Grant, Noah Primus
Photo 2: Photo Kathleen O’Rourke

Trail Maintenance on the Red Sandstone Trail, Oct 22, 2017
Cancelled due to a lack of participants.

Hiking along the St. Regis in Nicholville, Oct 28, 2017
Ten of us on an ideal fall day hiked three miles of a network of trails along the St. Regis River, sampling the clear, cold water from a spring, exploring remains of a power dam built a century ago, traipsing the rim of an active sand mine, and skirting a series of beaver ponds.
Photo 1: At the foundation of the old Nicholville power dam, L-R: front: Greg Snider, Lois Cutter, Rita Lewis, Will Thomas; back: Tim Cutter, Pat Snider, Vanessa and Michael Effron.
Photo 2: At picnic table: Seated L-R: Will Thomas, TL Duncan Cutter, Michael and Vanessa Effron, Pat Snider; standing: Tim Cutter. Photo Greg Snider. Photo TL Duncan Cutter.
Not shown: Bill Hull.

Murphy's Point Provincial Park, Nov 4, 2017
Seasonally cool, pleasant weather. We enjoyed the tour of the above-ground structures of the old Silver Queen Mica Mine, and of the peninsula that forms most of the Park. Between those points our hike included an unanticipated route-finding adventure. The Park has an extensive network of cross country ski trails that are not portrayed on the summer map. We took one, and regaining our planned route needed a bit of off-trail thinking and some bushwhacking. Good views of of Big Rideau Lake. Several of us lingered afterward for supper and a beer at O’Reilly’s Pub in Perth.
At Silver Queen Mine: mine structures. Photo John Barron
At Big Rideau Lake, L-R: Kate Schiltz, TL John Barron, Toni Towle, Pat Gray. Photo Marianne Hebert

Educational Affiliate Program Leadership Workshop, Nov 11, 2017
This year’s workshop took place on a dry, sunny, but cold day with light snow and some icy patches on the ground. A morning of classroom briefings on campus was followed by a simulated hike at Higley Flow State Park to illustrate problems that can occur on trail (most of the situations really happened to one of us during the past year). Thanks to the presenters, and congratulations to the eight participants who completed the workshop and are now qualified to lead trips both in the SUNY Potsdam EAP and in the regular program of the ADK Laurentian Chapter.
At the trailhead in Higley, L-R: presenter Marianne Hebert; presenter Lauren Jackson-Beck; Mari Robinson; Justice Akwei; Eric Nicotina; Rebecca Augustine; Marguerite Mosher; William Scofield; Andrew Barone; student presenter Abbey Chimileski.
Not pictured: John (Jack) Rendon.
Photo: presenter John Barron

Hurricane Mountain, Nov 11, 2017
Cancelled due to a lack of participants.

Janack's Landing, Nov 17, 2017
The day unfolded in three phases, from dull to brilliant. First phase: we convened under battleship-gray clouds and spits of snow. The trailhead in Wanakena brought phase two, as the wind lightened, the flurries stopped, and we began to stretch our legs on the walk. We crossed three beaver ponds without incident, noting where the water level had dropped to reveal beaver dens in the bank. Phase three began at the leanto: we stood in the emerging sun to eat our sandwiches, and looked out over the open water in Dead Creek Flow. The sky became cloudless, providing crystal-clear mountain views on the drive home. This was a day to combat November blahs.
Beside Dead Creek Flow, L-R: John Barron; Susan Omohundro; Lisa Sciacca; Gretchen Gedroiz; Tom Donavon; Kathy O’Kane.
Photo TL John Omohundro.

Snowshoe at the Newcomb VIC, Dec 9, 2017
Cancelled due to a lack of participants.