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~ 2019 - 20?? Schedule Archive ~ x  This archive contains all outings from 1/1/19 up to what is shown on the Current Schedule Double asterisks indicate data formerly located on an addendum page.   Difficulty ratings, starting with #1755, are converted to alpha. The year an outing occurred  in is indicated by "#XX." preceding each outing number.

BONUS January 1   First Day Hike To Stewart Ledge  Diane & Kurt Wisell  D. 518-796-1993  K. 518-796-5495 For all of you that didn’t celebrate into the wee hours come join us on the first day of the New Year on a hike to Stewart Ledge!  It's not a long hike, only a mile and a quarter round trip with a whopping 200' of vertical. A real easy haul with lots of goodies.  As for views, it's a BIG BANG for a nickel with views from Point of Tongue to Million Dollar Beach along an open, flat topped, two tenths of a mile long ledge dotted mostly with oaks. For those who want to do some hiking after too many snacks, goodies and sandwiches for lunch, we will offer as short or long a hike as we decide we'd like to do, or maybe two separate hikes either on Buck or Pilot Knob. CTL 10.25 for a 10.40 departure or 11:00 at theBuck Mountain trail head. January 3   #19.1742   Moreau Lake State Park Hike/Spike   Lenore and Jack Reber   518-859-8555 Not a totally new hike but one that follows some of the older trails and some new ones on a route of about 6 miles with a gain of ~1,200 beginning at the main parking lot. This is being scheduled as a hike/spike because there are some steep sections so if there is a lot of snow the route will be modified. A stop at the warming hut is planned on the return to the parking lot. Meet at the Moreau Lake State Park parking lot off of Old Saratoga Rd near Exit 17 of the Northway at 9:15. January 3    #19.1742A    Moreau State Park Hike    Don McMahon   518-227-1047   The A Team plan is to meet at Moreau State Park at the same time as the regular CC group. Presently, subject to a better idea,the plan is to hike counter clockwise around Moreau Lake and, rather than follow the shore on the return trip, we will take the entire Red Oak Ridge trail, which starts at the north end of the lake, climbs halfway up the hill and returns back down to the warming hut, where we will have lunch. January 10   #19.1743   Garnet Hill Triad: Balm of Gilead, William Blake Pond And Hooper Mine PLUS A SKI!   Peter Fedorick   518-893-2629 Previous details, below, have been MODIFIED EXTENSIVELY, so please click HERE  for a lot more details. The trailhead to Balm of Gilead Mt is located adjacent to the Garnet Hill Ski complex in North River. Our 3 +/-mile loop will first take us to the summit of Balm of Gilead Mt, which offers extensive views west, including Thirteenth Lake. From just below the summit we will bushwhack to the sunny shores of William Blake Pond for lunch, before continuing our return to the abandoned Hooper Garnet Mine for some exploration and back to the starting point. Total elevation gain of ~750 . Meet at CTL at 9:00 for departure at 9:15 or Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9:45. I realize that there are some people that would prefer to take advantage of skiing at this time rather than snowshoe and a ski outing as an alternative activity has been added in the additional details, linked to above. **Thursday’s loop snowshoe to Balm of Gilead, William Blake Pond (WBP) and Hooper Mine is a go. The weather forecast is predicting temps around 20, partly cloudy and winds 10-20mph. While not perfect it will be dry but we may have limited views of the High Peaks from the mine’s rim. Conditions throughout the route last week were 4” of fresh powder over a hard base of 6-12” with 2” of new snow last night and another light coating expected Wednesday. There are blowdowns at the shore of WBP where we used to enjoy lunch so we will have lunch a bit back from the shore in the snow. There are new owners of the Garnet Hill Lodge since we last hiked there back in March 2015. However, we have permission to park in front of the tennis courts (adjacent to the Outdoor Center) during our hike as in the past. Parking is limited to about 6 cars if plowed so maximizing carpooling is required to keep the number of vehicles within its capacity. In addition, snowshoes/skis are REQUIRED while on their property beyond the parking lot. Since part of our route is on their trails, the bushwhack requires them and we need to respect backcountry skiers who use the state trails by not post-holing, we will use snowshoes on the hike – leave your spikes home or in your pack. I apologize for all the rules but we do not want to abuse our privileges – it is private property where we start/finish. We will make a short stop at Stewart’s in North Creek both before and after the hike.    NOTE - A SKI OPTION has been added!!! For those of you who would rather ski than snowshoe, Nancy Kimball has offered to organize a ski at Garnet Hill on Thursday. Currently there is skiing on 30k of groomed trails with additional snow anticipated on Wednesday. In addition to the groomed trails you get to eat in the heated ski center with bathrooms available. If the group is interested, we can schedule a bus pick-up at Rogers Road – to be decided when we get there. The senior rate is $18 for the day. Parking is available in front of the Outdoor Center, down the hill from the Lodge. Please visit the Garnet Hill website https://www.garnet-hill.com/outdoor-center for additional details. Meeting times/locations are the same as for the regular outing - CTL at 9:00 for 9:15 departure or Town of Johnsburg Court House at 9:45; please call Nancy at 518 668-0115 if you have any questions. January 10   #19.1743A   Schumann Preserve   Tom, Bonnie, Don McMahon   518-227-1047      After some condsiderations, Tom, Bonnie, and Don have decided to offer as the A-Team event a hike at Schumann Preserve on Thursday January 10th. The present goal is the gazebo and the spectacular view that it offers. Anything additional depends on conditions and a majority vote. Since there is snow in the forecast, we will likely need snowshoes, but bring along microspikes just in case. Meet at CTL at 9:45 am. January 17   #19.1744   Goodnow Mountain Snowshoe   + A Ski Option & More...   Peter Fedorick   518-893-2629 Goodnow is a fire tower mountain with excellent views from the summit, located just south of the high peaks, near Newcomb. It is also one of the qualifying towers of the ADK Fire Tower Challenge. Round trip is about 4 miles, with an elevation gain of ~1,050 . Meet at CTL at 8:45, departing at 9:00 or at the Black Bear Restaurant, Northway Exit 26 at 9:30. Please feel free to offer a ski outing as an alternate outing on this date. Just let us know ahead of time or post it as a bonus outing as time gets closer. **Thursday’s snowshoe of Goodnow Mountain is a go. Please be advised that it will be a cold day but clear so views should be excellent. Temperatures at the start will be single digit rising to the mid-teens during the day with light wind. I didn’t get a chance to scout the trail ahead of time but it is a popular one so I expect it to be broken. However, please bring both snowshoes and spikes and we will decide the appropriate gear at the trailhead. A light coating of snow is expected on Wednesday. Please visit our schedule page for details HERE. If you have any questions please email or call my home phone 518-893-2629 up to 8:00 on Thursday or 518-419-7528 after that. NOTE - SKI OPTION has been added!!! For those of you who would rather ski than snowshoe, Lynn Mayack has offered to organize a ski at Garnet Hill on Thursday, January 17th. Currently there is skiing on 35k of groomed trails on an 8-13” base with additional snow anticipated on Wednesday. It will be a cold start with temperatures rising to the mid-teens during the day - winds light. In addition to the groomed trails you get to eat in the heated ski center with bathrooms available. If the group is interested, we can schedule a bus pick-up at Rogers Road – to be decided when we get there. The senior rate is $18 for the day. Parking is available in front of the Outdoor Center, down the hill from the Lodge. Please visit the Garnet Hill website HERE  for additional details. Meet at CTL at 8:30 for departure at 8:45 or at the Garnet Hill Outdoor Center at 9:45. Please contact Lynn via email Lmayack@msn.com if you plan to attend or call 518-312-0608 if you have any questions.  Remember - There is an A-Team! hike being offered on Thursday in addition to the two outings above. January 17   #19.1744A   Moreau SP, White Birch Trail   Sam Lantz    518-796-4070   Sam will lead a loop hike that includes the "White Birch Trail" that he is the steward for. The hike is about 4 miles long with a total elevation increase of about 800 feet, includes parts of the east and west ridge trails and offers several Hudson River outlooks. The White Birch Trail goes between the eastern and western ridge trails. Because of limited parking at the Spring trailhead on Spier Falls Road, we will meet at the Moreau State Park entrance parking lot at 9:45 am and drive to the trailhead using as few cars as possible.  Assuming not much snow fall on Wednesday, bring microspikes. January 24   #19.1745    Ben Wood Mountain Snowshoe   Donna and Peter Wood   518-494-2874 Postponed until ??? We will start from the Wood's house on 457 Potter Brook Rd and snowshoe along an old jeep trail to the top of Ben Wood Mtn., returning over a slightly different route, for a total distance of ~4.5 mi with an elevation change of about 300 . After the trip everyone is invited to have hot chocolate at the Wood's house. CTL or meet at the Wood s house at 10:00. If anyone wants to schedule an alternative for this week, contact Peter by phone, 518-893-2629 or by email. January 31   #19.1746     Hennig Preserve Snowshoe Fran Herve   518-899-3216 Cancelled due to chilly weather. A nice woods walk on the trails of Saratoga PLAN's Hennig Preserve and adjacent Homestead County Forest, located in the Town of Providence, Saratoga County. Depending on which trails we choose to explore we may pass old stone walls, mill sites, old foundations and maybe walk along the ridge of an Esker. Plan on a total of 4-6 miles, route TBD, with options for people to hike a shorter route. Most trails have some ups and downs but nothing too difficult. Meet at the Amtrak Rail Station in Saratoga Springs at 9:15 for departure at 9:30 or at the Hennig Preserve sign at 10:00.  Directions: There are a number of ways to reach the Hennig Preserve but from the Amtrak Station here is the shortest (or Galway if Middle Grove doesn't work) - that will get you close. Turn right on to West Ave from Station Lane; continue ~.25 miles to NY 29 and turn right; continue on NY 29 for ~9.7 miles and turn right on to Antioch Rd (just after the East Galway sign the road makes a sharp bend back); continue on Antioch Rd to the end, ~3.5 miles, and turn right on to Wileytown Rd; continue on Wileytown for ~1 mi and turn left on to Centerline Rd; continue on Centerline Rd for ~1.25 miles to the sign on the left. 43.1114, -74.039669 in your gps will put you right on the money. February 7   #19.1747    Second Pond Snowshoe   Peter Fedorick   518-893-2629      Second Pond is a large, remote pond located in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, one of the larger wilderness areas within the Adirondack Park. The trailhead is located close to the end of Chatiemac Road off Route 8 a few miles west of Wevertown. From the parking lot the trail leads through nice woods with some small hills to the shore of the pond, with a not often seen view of the west side of Gore Mountain along the way. Round trip of 5.5 mi. with ~400 gain on the way in and ~450 on the way out. CTL or Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 10:00 or trailhead at 10:15. Although scheduled as a snowshoe, anyone with intermediate backcountry skiing skills may want to ski the trail and perhaps spend time exploring the pond while waiting to join the group for lunch. February 14   #19.1748   Potash Mountain, Plus...   Steve Mackey   518-793-6484 It has been roughly a year since we had a Canes trip to Potash Mountain, with some trail improvements made during that time. Since our last visit the first half mile was professionally constructed by Steve Ovitt (a retired Forest Ranger that now has a trail construction company). We also put in some rock steps here and there, and a nice little switch back. To help in the steep place that we had to use the rope last year, we put in some rock steps, and made the section easier and safer. It still needs a little more work, but it is quite a bit better. It is approximately a three mile hike (round trip) with a gain of around 1,000 . We will probably need micro spikes or snowshoes. If you want to, we will stop at Harris Grocery after the hike, to get a snack, and say hello to Jungle (Jim Mosher) and his wife Becky. Jungle is the primary person behind the Harris Nature Preserve and would appreciate any feedback from you. For those that would like to extend the length of the hike a bit we could explore the newly constructed nature trail near the start of the trail on the way out this will add about ¾ miles and is flat. CTL, or, the Town of Greenfield Community Center at the intersection of Rt. 9N and Wilton Rd/CR36 at 9:00 for departure at 9:15, or, the trailhead at 9:45 - parking lot located on the right on Potash Rd. just past its junction with Dunkley Rd., ½ mile North from where Potash Rd. intersects Rt. 9N, directly across from the entrance to Luzerne State Campground, 7 miles south of Exit 21 of the Northway. January 14    #19.1748A    Lake Bonita Hike   Tom Gibbs &  Don McMahon   518-227-1047   Tom and Don have decided to snowshoe at Lake Bonita tomorrow Feburary 14th. There are several possibilities and the choice may be made by whether the traill has been broken in or not. One choice is to go directly from the parking lot to the dam and then over to the waterfalls on the waterfalls trail and back. Another is to just circumnavigate Lake Bonita, which would be an hour hike in the summer, but longer, of course, on snow shoes. Going to the waterfalls entails about 200 ft. elevation change - circumnavigating Lake Bonita less in terms of ups and downs. Doing both would be about 4 miles. We meet at 9:45 am at the Lake Bonita Parking lot, i.e. about 2.2 miles on the Corinth-Wilton Road west from Rt. 9 (near Exit 16 of the Northway). BONUS February 19   Brookhaven Ski   Tom Gibbs &  Don McMahon   518-227-1047 Tom and I are going to meet tomorrow, Tuesday Feb. 19, at the Brookhaven Country Club, 333 Alpine Meadow Road, at 10 am for some cross country skiing. Can't be sure of conditions, but you are welcome to join us. February 21   #19.1749   South Bay Sasquatch Adventure   Tim Ward   518-415-9172 For this hike we'll again venture into Big Foot country in the backwoods of Whitehall. After consolidating cars and people at the fisherman s parking lot at the causeway we will park a mile south on Rt 22. From there we will take a 1/2 mile path along a hay field and thru woods to South Bay. If ice conditions are good we'll walk near shore for .8 mile to the Ward's land or if not or for those leery of ice, a road approach on foot is available. On Ward's land there are a nature trail, waterfalls, ponds, a 70' fire tower and gardens to explore. A sap house will be in operation. From here we'll hike up West Mountain to the Saddles State Forest with its 60' waterfalls, views overlooking the mountains to Lake George and another into Vermont. Our return will be the reverse of the route above. While Sasquatch/Big Foot hasn t been spotted recently maybe with a few extra eyes and ears we will get lucky. It is a well known fact that they enjoy flavorful treats such as cookies or brownies so be sure to bring some if we don t see Big Foot we ll share them at lunch. Total elevation gain is about 1100 ft and hiking distance about 6 miles. Meet at CTL at 8:45 for departure at 9:00 OR at the NYS DEC Boat Launch on NY 22 on the north side of the causeway crossing South Bay at 9:45. Contact by email is preferred. February 28   #19.1750   Wolf Pond Snowshoe   Eric Potter   512-923-3031 Wolf Pond is a small pond located in the Town of North Hudson, with its trailhead located ~12 miles W of exit 29 of the Northway on the north side of Blue Ridge Road, immediately before crossing the Boreas River. From the parking area we will follow the relatively newly marked trail NE, first along Wolf Pond Brook, then veering away from the brook through mixed forest on the undulating trail for nearly 3 miles before coming to the newly built lean-to near the shore of the pond. It is anticipated that conditions will allow for us to walk onto the pond for some great views of some of the High Peaks and surrounding mountains. The Canes first and last visit to the pond was back in September 2017 when the DEC trail crew was just finishing constructing the trail and were in the process of marking it. To this date there is little information about the trail, except for some older links to hikes pre-dating the newly constructed one. The total RT distance is 6 miles with perhaps a 600 gain, spread evenly over its length. CTL at 8:45 for a 9:00 departure or, by request, the Black Bear Restaurant in Pottersville or at the trailhead at 10:00ish. February 28   #19.1750A   Saratoga Spa Park Ski   Tom Gibbs &  Don McMahon   518-227-1047   Tom and I aren't available Friday. However with the snow ending before sunrise early Thursday morning, we think we can clean out our driveways and enjoy the new snow that will cover the present icy glaze. We will be skiing a few miles on the golf course which has some gentle ups and downs. The plan is to meet at the warming hut at the Saratoga Spa Park at 10:45 am, ski for about an hour, have lunch in the warming hut, and perhaps ski some more after lunch. The warming hut is the first left after turning west onto the Avenue of the Pines from route 9. Also, since the location is local, the access roads should be well cleared of snow in time. March 7   #19.1751   Ben Wood Mountain Snowshoe   Donna and Peter Wood   518-494-2874 We will start from the Wood's house on 457 Potter Brook Rd and snowshoe along an old jeep trail to the top of Ben Wood Mtn., returning over a slightly different route, for a total distance of ~4.5 mi with an elevation change of about 300 . After the trip everyone is invited to have hot chocolate at the Wood's house. CTL; or meet at the Wood s house at 10:00. Not A-TEAM! eligible. March 14   #19.1752   Blue Mountain Snowshoe   Scott Anderson  518-955-7991 Blue Mountain is a nice late winter hike. Good views from the top and a firetower. Moderate hike of 4.0 miles round trip and a 1500' ascent. Slow pace and plan to spend significant time at the top if the weather is nice, so please bring warm clothes to hang out in. It s a heavily trafficked trail, so I am hoping for Microspikes, but please bring (and be able to carry) snowshoes. Please be at CTL at 8:15 for departure at 8:30; or the Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9:00; or at trailhead at 10:00. We plan on making a short pit stop at Stewart s in Indian Lake at 9:45 before proceeding to the trailhead. The trailhead is located at a large parking lot on the east side of NY30/28N, just north of the Adirondack Museum in the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake. March 13   #19.1752A   LeVine Preserve Snowshoe   Linda Fedorick   518-893-2629     You read the heading correctly, Linda (OMG!!!) will be leading this snowshoe – her first! However, she will have expert help with both Don and Tom as co-leads. If for no other reason you should plan on attending to see this team in action.     Actually, this is a wonderful A-Team! outing and a good snowshoe with lots of options as to the length of the hike with a maximum of 3 miles of rolling terrain, two creeks to follow, view of an old sawmill along Cadman Creek (maybe hidden under snow this time of year) and even a hike along an esker. Lunch will be at the old homestead (Circa 1920’s?) with its well preserved foundation and hand dug well – there is even a picnic bench. The LeVine Preserve is owned and maintained by Saratoga PLAN and is just down the road from its big sister – the Hennig Preserve. There are essentially four loop trails within the 177 acre preserve plus Taber Road Trail, an old abandoned dirt town road that bisects the preserve. The specific route TBD the day of the hike – this is scheduled as a snowshoe but bring your spikes just in case. Meet at the Amtrak Rail Station in Saratoga Springs at 9:15 for departure at 9:30 or at the LeVine Preserve sign at 10:00. Linda will have her cell on the day of the hike 518-764-9233 if you have any problems.     Directions: There are a number of ways to reach the preserve but from the Amtrak Station here is the shortest (for those using a GPS navigator try using 303 Centerline Rd., Middle Grove, NY (or Galway if Middle Grove doesn’t work)) - that will get you close. Turn right on to West Ave from Station Lane; continue ~.25 miles to NY 29 and turn right; continue on NY 29 for 12 miles to Barkersville Road (You should see the Waterwheel Village Store on the far right corner). Turn right here and stay on Barkersville Road for 2.7 miles. The road will take several sharp turns, but stay on Barkersville Road (Route 16) until it intersects with Glenwild Road. Turn left on Glenwild Road, and after driving 1.4 miles, turn left on Centerline Road. In approximately 0.8 miles, you will see the kiosk for the LeVine Preserve on the left side of Centerline Road. If you are familiar with getting to the Hennig Preserve just continue W on Centerline and additional 1.3 miles to LeVine. March 21   #19.1753   Hennig Preserve Snowshoe Fran Herve   518-899-3216 AA nice woods walk on the trails of Saratoga PLAN's Hennig Preserve and adjacent Homestead County Forest, located in the Town of Providence, Saratoga County. Depending on which trails we choose to explore we may pass old stone walls, mill sites, old foundations and maybe walk along the ridge of an Esker. Plan on a total of 4-6 miles, route TBD, with options for people to hike a shorter route. Most trails have some ups and downs but nothing too difficult. Meet at the Amtrak Rail Station in Saratoga Springs at 9:15 for departure at 9:30 or at the Hennig Preserve sign at 10:00. Directions: There are a number of ways to reach the Hennig Preserve but from the Amtrak Station here is the shortest (for those using a GPS navigator try using 200 Centerline Rd., Middle Grove, NY (or Galway if Middle Grove doesn t work) - that will get you close. Turn right on to West Ave from Station Lane; continue ~.25 miles to NY 29 and turn right; continue on NY 29 for ~9.7 miles and turn right on to Antioch Rd (just after the East Galway sign the road makes a sharp bend back); continue on Antioch Rd to the end, ~3.5 miles, and turn right on to Wileytown Rd; continue on Wileytown for ~1 mi and turn left on to Centerline Rd; continue on Centerline Rd for ~1.25 miles to the sign on the left. 43.1114, -74.039669 in your GPS will put you right on the money. Not A-TEAM! eligible. March 28   #19.1754      Bass Lake Thru Hike Eric Potter   512-923-3031 Bass Lake is located in the Hammond Pond Wild Forest with its primary trailhead located on Ensign Pond Road (CR4) in the Town of North Hudson. From the trailhead, we will follow the trail southward towards Moose Mountain Pond for 1.7 miles before turning west on the trail to Bass Lake (trail to the southeast continues to Moose Mountain Pond). From here there's a steady, mostly gradual climb which will take us to the shore of the lake. We'll continue around the lake to a nice rock outcropping for lunch and finish with an easy 2-mile walk northwest to the other trailhead, on Caza Turn Road, where we have previously spotted cars. Total distance of ~4.5 miles with a total gain of ~600 . The North Hudson area has received a lot of snow this year and this will most likely be a snowshoe; but spikes should be brought just in case. CTL at 8:45 for a 9:00 departure or the Frontier Town parking lot, exit 29, at 9:45. Other locations upon request. March 28    #19.1754    Shippees Ledge   Tom Gibbs &  Don McMahon   518-227-1047 The A-Team hike for this week will be a hike into Shippee's Ledge. It is less than 3 miles round trip with an elevation change of about 200 feet. The trail should be packed by snow mobile traffic. Because the day is going to be well above freezing we might have to use snow shoes to keep from post holing on the trail, so bring snow shoes as well as microspikes. We meet in 2 places, the municipal parking lot in Corinth on 9N opposite the town beach, and at the Senior Center in Greenfield, both locations at 9:45 am. April 4   #19.1755   Noonmark Mountain Hike   Steve Mackey   518-793-6484   BD/DBD Noonmark is one of my favorite "medium" mountains. It has outstanding views in all directions. Officially it is about 5 miles round trip with a gain in elevation of around 2,200 feet. It is fairly steep but has no scary exposure. The view is worth the climb. Bring snowshoes and micro spikes and we will figure out what we need to wear when we get there. CTL at 8:15 for 8:30 departure, High Peaks Rest Area at 9:20 or the St. Huberts parking lot at 10:00ish. April 4   #19.1755A   Old Gick And Fox Farms    Tom Gibbs &  Don McMahon   518-227-1047   This week's hike will take place at the Old Gick Farm and, on the opposite side of the street, the Fox Farm. Both are part of the Wilton Nature Preserve. Both are relatively flat with some woods and open fields. The Old Gick Farm trail loop is about 2 1/2 miles, and the Fox farm about 2 miles. We do the Gick Farm Preserve before lunch and, optionally, the Fox Farm after lunch. Hopefully we won't need microspikes. We meet at 9:45 am at the Old Gick Farm parking lot that is located on the west side of Rt. 50 about a mile south Ballard Road (go east from Exit 16 of the Northway). April 11   #19.1756   Owl’s Head Lookout Hike   Eric Potter   512-923-3031   BS/BD  Owl’s Head Lookout (not to be confused with Owl Head in Keene) is part of the Giant Mountain Wilderness area. The trailhead is located on the south side of Route 9N, about 4.5 miles west of downtown Elizabethtown. From the parking area, we'll follow a dirt road for a few hundred yards, then turn left into the woods. The trail climbs gradually through a stand of hemlocks and comes to the state-land boundary at 0.4 miles. It continues to be level, with small ups and downs, to Slide Brook at 1.0 mile, climbs to a small cliff on the left, and crosses the tributary again at 1.5 miles. After a few more crossings of the tributary, it resumes climbing through open woods, reaching a short steep 0.2 mile spur trail that leads to the rocky summit. The lookout offers views in nearly every direction. Peaks in the immediate neighborhood include Giant Mountain, Rocky Peak Ridge, Green, Knob Lock, and Hurricane Mountain (the one with the fire tower). The open ledges offer one of the best views of huge slides on the east face of Giant Mountain. Looking east, you can see the Champlain Valley and the Green Mountains of Vermont. Total of 5.2 miles RT, easy to moderate, Elevation 2530', Ascent 1260'. CTL at 8:15 for a departure of 8:30 or the High Peaks Rest Area at 9:15 or the trailhead at 10:00. April 11    #19.1756A   Rush Pond Hike   Bonnie Whitman, Don McMahon   518-227-1047   Tom is away this week, so Bonnie and Don will lead an A-Team hike into Rush Pond tomorrow, April 11. The hike is several miles long with only a few 20 foot type hills. We meet at 9:45 am at the Rush Pond parking lot which is on the south east corner of the intersection of West Mountain Road and Gurney Lane (opposite corner from CTL entrance road). April 18  #19.1757   “Springs in the Spring” At Saratoga Spa State Park   Lenore and Jack Reber   L. (518) 859-8555  J. (518) 791-4707   GC For this combination regular and A-Team! outing we'll join park educator Ken Chaisson for a 30 minute tour and tasting of 5 springs around the parking lot. After that, we have several hike choices. Ken has offered a history hike for those interested, and others could hike one of the loops. We would all meet back at the picnic tables at noon for lunch, and then we would do an afternoon hike with those who are interested. Ken's discussion of the causes of spring volume and flavor are very interesting. For those of you who do not want to join in on the tour or hikes please feel free to meet us for a leisurely lunch in the picnic area adjacent to the Education Center. We will gather at the Creekside Classroom Environmental Education Center (CCEEC) at 9:45; alternative meeting places for carpooling purposes will be left to the discretion of those attending. Rain date – Friday, April 19th. Directions: The CCEEC is located adjacent to the Geyser Picnic Area parking lot on the Geyser Loop Road which is located off the East-West Road of the Park. The East-West Road is the southern-most road into the Park and can be accessed from either Route 50 on the west or Route 9 on the east. From Rt 50: Travel E on the E-W Rd for less than ¼ mile and turn L onto the Geyser Loop Rd.; continue on the Geyser Loop Rd. for slightly more than ½ mile – the parking lot will be on your R. From Rt 9: Travel W on the E-W Rd. for ¾ mile and turn R onto Geyser Loop Rd.; continue on the Geyser Loop Rd. for ½ mile – the parking lot will be on your left. Click HERE for maps and other helpful information. April 25   #19.1758   Moose Mountain Pond Hike Eric Potter   512-923-3031   BS/BD The trailhead for Moose Mountain Pond is located ~6 miles north of North Hudson, exit 29 of the Northway, off of Ensign Pond Rd (CR 4). It is shared with trails leading to Hammond Pond and Bass Lake. The trail to Moose Mountain Pond proceeds southward, and is flat to gradual up to Berrymill Flow at 1.7 miles. Here there's a junction with a trail to Bass Lake (R) and a trail to Moose Mountain Pond (L). We'll continue left (southeast), cross a brook and begin a steady, mostly gradual climb to Moose Mountain Pond at 3.2 miles. The trail continues northward along the west shore to a lean-to at 3.5 miles where we'll have lunch and a view of Moose Mountain! CTL at 8:30 for departure at 8:45 or the Frontier Town parking lot, exit 29, at 9:30 or the trailhead at 9:45. Other locations upon request. April 25    #19.1758A    Spruce Mountain Hike    Sam Lantz     The A-Team hike up Spruce Mountain this Thursday. The hike is about 3 miles round trip with an elevation gain of about 1,000 feet. Sam has previewed the trail and there is no ice or snow but some mud. There are good views from the fire tower on the summit. Don will meet attendees at the Corinth Municipal parking lot opposite the town beach and Sam will meet attendees at the Greenfield Senior Center, both at 9:30 am, to leave there at 9:45. May 2   #19.1759   Waterfalls and 5th Peak Lean-To   Scott Anderson   518-955-7991   BS/BD Our 5.6 mile RT hike begins at the popular Clay Meadows parking lot located approximately 6 miles north of the hamlet of Bolton Landing on the east side of NY 9N. From the trailhead we will hike on a relatively flat trail for the first .5mi before beginning a somewhat steep and continuous climb for the next mile, gaining 1000’. At this point the trail becomes less steep but still climbs in the final 1.1mi, gaining another 500’ to the top of Fifth Peak and a lean-to where we will enjoy a leisurely lunch and take in the expansive views. During the climb we will take a short side-trail to view a waterfall. With the leaves off the trees we should have excellent views of the Narrows of Lake George, portions of Northwest Bay, the southern end of the Tongue Mountain Range and the mountains that surround the southern end of Lake George. CTL at 9:00 for departure at 9:15 or at the Clay Meadows parking lot at 9:45. For those of you aspiring to obtain the Lake George 12ster patch this is your chance to reach the top of one of the required mountains. Revised due to weather. **Mother Nature is causing some scheduling problems for this week’s hike to the 5th Peak lean-to. The weather forecast for the Bolton area is calling for wet weather to begin Wednesday morning with increasing likelihood of rain by Wednesday evening, continuing overnight, ending by 9:00am Thursday with cloudy skies during the day. Although it is possible to remain with the current schedule the 5th Peak Trail may not sufficiently recover from the rain in order to allow for a safe and enjoyable hike. Instead, the hike for Thursday has been changed to a stroll on the NW Bay Trail to Bear Point. At Bear Point we will have lunch and then stroll back for a total RT of about 4+ miles and a gain of 500’. The NW Bay trail has a surprising number of ups and downs, often through very open forest with little undergrowth. There is plenty to see and do on this nice trail. Towards the end of the hike we can explore the waterfalls near the junction of the NW Bay/5th Peak trails if there is interest. The trail may be a bit moist after the rain so bring boots, gaiters and throw a raincoat in your pack to scare away the rain. This will be a combined Regular and A-Team! hike. CTL at 9:30 for departure at 9:45 or at the Clay Meadows parking lot at 10:15. ***Please take note of the meeting time changes! May 9   #19.1760   Buck Mountain Hike   Margie Litwin   518-928-0600   BS/BD This hike seems to be a first for the Canes, though many of us have done this popular trip other times. We will hike from the west 6.6 miles round-trip with a significant 2000’ elevation gain. The steeper sections will be in the second part of the ascent with gains spread out over the length of the hike. Hiking poles suggested. This route offers multiple viewpoints toward the west before reaching the sweeping vista from the summit. CTL at 8:45 for departure at 9:00 or the Pilot Knob Trailhead at 9:30.  NOTA BENE!!! We are NOT going to the Schuman Preserve at Pilot Knob, (Trail head looks like THIS) a very nice Lake George Land Conservancy venue where there is a gazebo and waterfall and is located at 147 Pilot Knob Road. Once again, this is NOT where we are going. We ARE GOING to Buck Mountain, meeting at the Buck Mountain trail head (Trail head looks like THIS and for which you can get PRINTABLE DIRECTIONS HERE) and which is at 1750 Pilot Knob Road, 2.7 miles BEYOND (as in north of) the Schuman Preserve on the same road.  May 16   #19.1761   Hadley Mountain Hike   Fran Herve   518-899-3216    BS Hadley Mountain is a popular hike to a summit with excellent views and a restored fire tower; one that is included in the ADK Fire Tower Challenge. From its large parking lot off of Tower Road it is a moderately steep climb of 1.8 miles and slightly over 1,500’ gain to its mostly open and rocky summit area. Views are expansive and include the Great Sacandaga Lake, the Mohawk Valley and distant views of Vermont, the Catskills and the High Peaks. There should be many wild flowers in bloom. CTL or the Town of Greenfield Community Center at the intersection of Rt 9N and Wilton Rd/CR36 at 9:15; or the trailhead at 10:15. May 23   #19.1762   Beaver Meadow Falls Hike   Peter Fedorick   518-893-2629   BD Beginning at the St. Hubert’s parking lot across from the Roaring Brook Trail to Giant on Rt 73, we will hike 6-7 miles RT and a 700’ elevation gain to beautiful Beaver Meadow Falls. After a .5 mile walk along the gravel road that takes you past the Ausable Club’s golf course we reach the club’s gatehouse where the actual trail begins. At this point we will decide if some will walk the Lake Road towards Lower Ausable Lake to access the falls or hike the West River Trail to the falls, returning on the East River Trail. With a little luck there will be lots of water flowing. OPTIONAL HIKE EXTENSION: An option for anyone who would like to go is to continue from Beaver Meadow Falls along the trail on the west side of the stream to Rainbow Falls and Lower Ausable Lake then return to the Ausable Club via the road, an addition of about 2.5 miles/2 hours with another 80 +/- feet of vertical ascent. If you plan on doing this extension, make arrangements with like-minded Canes for carpooling as our return to CTL will be later than the rest of the group. This extension is, of course, weather dependent. CTL at 8:15 for departure at 8:30 or meet at the High Peaks Rest Area at 9:20 or the St. Huberts parking lot at 10:00ish. Alternate meeting places along the Northway can be arranged. BONUS May 23   Lake Bonita Hike   Tom Gibbs  Don McMahon   518-227-1047 Tom and Don are recovered sufficiently from respective health issues and will start with a rather easy hike at Lake Bonita on Friday May 24th. The route will be about 3 miles over fairly level terrain. We meet at the Lake Bonita parking lot at 9:45 am. May 30   #19.1763   Hopkins Mountain Thru Hike   Gail Stauble   518-636-350    BD We begin by dropping off hikers at the Mossy Cascade Brook trailhead and then spot cars at the Rooster Comb parking lot 2 miles north on Rt 73. From the trailhead we will follow Mossy Cascade Brook for a good portion of the way in an “upward” direction ascending about 2,100’ in the nearly 3 miles to the summit. After a leisurely lunch and exploring the bare, rocky top – trying to get a glimpse of just one more mountain – we backtrack approximately .9 miles to the junction with the Ranney Trail, bearing right and descending an additional 1.7 miles along Hopkins Brook to our cars for a total of 5.5 miles for the day. CTL at 8:15 for a departure at 8:30 or the High Peaks Rest Area at 9:20 or the Mossy Cascade Brook TH at 9:45. BONUS May 31   Corinth Reservoir Preserve Hike   Bonnie Whitman   Don McMahon   D: 518-227-1047 We'll hike at the Corinth Reservoir Preserve on Friday May 31. Friday looks like a better weather day with sun and no threat of rain. The plan is to do the green trail loop, up from the upper reservoir to the beaver dam and then follow the green trail loop east and then south back to the upper reservoir. The trail is about 3 miles long with about 400 feet total of elevation, with 300 feet up to the beaver dam. We meet at the Corinth Reservoir parking lot at 9:45 am (to start hiking at 10 am). The Preserve is located on Mosher Road (Rt. 10) about a mile north of the Rt. 9N junction. Don will also meet people coming from the north at the Corinth Municipal parking lot opposite the town beach on Rt. 9N at 9:30 am. June 6   #19.1764   Vanderwhacker Mtn. Hike   Peter Fedorick   518-893-2629   BS/BD A moderate hike to a remote mountain with wonderful views from its firetower and one of the qualifying towers of the ADK Fire Tower Challenge. The access road to Vanderwhacker Mountain is located ~16 miles north of North Creek off of NY 28N, just after you cross the Boreas River. After driving ~2.5 miles on a gravel woods road we reach the trailhead parking and begin the 2.5 mile and ~1,700’ ascent to the summit. In the first half of the hike we gain ~500’ but then the hike becomes a steady climb until the summit is reached. Views are limited from the base of the fire tower but you are rewarded with ever increasing views as you climb each level of the tower until the cab is reached where you are treated to a panoramic view of the High Peaks to the north and northeast, Blue Mountain, Goodnow Flow and the Essex Chain of Lakes to the west and mountain silhouettes in other directions. Meet at CTL at 8:45 for a departure at 9:00 or the Black Bear Restaurant in Pottersville at 9:30. June 6    #19.1764A  Thomas Mountain Hike   Nancy and Bonnie Whitman   518-227-1047   Nancy and Bonnie will co-lead the A-Team hike to the summit of Thomas Mountain on Thursday May 6. It is about a 500 foot climb with about 3 miles of walking round trip with a good view of Lake George and points south from the summit. We meet at CTL at 9:30 am or meet at the trailhead parking at 10 am. Be prepared for mosquitoes and black flies! BONUS June 9   Sherman Island Paddle   Bonnie Whitman and Don McMahon   B 518 636-8432   D 518 227-1047 GC Bonnie and Don are planning a Hudson River Paddle from the Sherman Island boat launch  and would like to invite you to join them on this totally bug-free adventure (guaranteed by Don). Plan on a leisurely paddle of an unknown length – distance TBD by participants - bring lunch. Meet at the Sherman Island launch at 10:00. Weather forecast is calling for partly cloudy skies and a high temp of near 80, light winds. Directions to boat launch from Exit 17 of the Northway: Continue N on Rt 9 for ~.6 mi to Spier Falls Rd/CR24. Turn L and continue W on Spier Falls Rd/CR24 for ~3.4mi - boat launch will be on the R at the bottom of the hill. If you have any questions please reply to email or call.Note – the regular outing schedule for this week includes a wonderful bike ride of the Mohawk Towpath Byway on June 13th, led by Shelly Nevard. However, we realize that many of you no longer participate in biking. While an A-Team outing may be scheduled for Thursday perhaps someone would like to volunteer to lead a Bonus Outing on another day. Someone has already suggested a hike to Treadway Mountain to check out the Lady Slippers – any volunteers? Peter June 13   #19.1765   Mohawk Towpath Byway Bike   Shelly Nevard   518-461-8656   GC Starting at the Terminal Road access to the Byway, located at the NE corner of the Crescent Bridge in Halfmoon on Route 9, we will bike west a distance of approximately 7 miles to the hamlet of Vischer Ferry. Along the route there are views of the old canal, the Mohawk, an old lock and several historic signs and a historic bridge that has been rebuilt. Depending on the time we will have the option to continue an additional 1.5 miles to the Lock 7 Overlook or end our westward travel here. In any case we will have lunch at the Vischer Ferry General Store or bring your own. After lunch we can return the way we came or ride on the road a little way through the hamlet of Vischer Ferry and rejoin the Byway by crossing the historic Whipple Bridge. The section of the Byway we will be biking is a windy but generally flat, well maintained stone dust path suitable for all types of bikes with an estimated total of 14-17 miles. We will meet at the Terminal Road access at 10:00 where there is good parking and a short walk to Stewart's to pick up something you forgot or use the restrooms. **The access to the Towpath that we will use is easily reached from the Northway and has adequate parking; therefore no additional meeting places are planned. If you have the capacity to carry additional bikes and would like to carpool with someone please feel free to send an email to arrange an additional meeting place. The Terminal Rd access point can be reached from the Northway from the south by using exit 7 to Rt. 9. Continue north on Rt. 9 for ~4.7 miles and turn R on terminal Rd immediately after crossing the Crescent Bridge. Those traveling from the north can use either exit 8A or 8. From exit 8A turn L off the ramp and continue on CR 91(Grooms Rd) for ~1.4 miles to Rt. 9. Turn R on Rt. 9 and continue south for ~1 mile and turn L on to Terminal Rd. From exit 8 turn L off the ramp and continue on Vischer Ferry Rd for ~1.75 miles to Rt. 9 – cross to Terminal Rd. BONUS June 15   Hike to Treadway Mtn   Scott Anderson   518-955-7991BD I have heard a lot of interest in wanting to go to Treadway lately, so let’s go! What I like is the rose quartz and interesting rock areas. There may still be wildflowers. Beneath the summit is a short trail to a large ledge that is worth exploring. The hike is about 8 miles RT and 1,000’ ascent. The pace will be relaxed and most likely an all-day hike. I estimate we will get back to the trailhead around 4-5 -ish. Because of the length of the hike, we will leave a bit early, so please be at the CTL parking lot at 7:15 to depart at 7:30. I expect to arrive at the Treadway trailhead around 9:00. There may be a day use fee per vehicle to get to the trailhead parking area. If you want to meet us there, that’s OK. Refer to the Putnam Pond Campground DEC website on how to get there. If you want to call or email with any questions, my info is on the CC site. I will also monitor my phone Saturday morning in case you are late. Hope to see you there! (sorry about the late notice) June 20   #19.1766   Zim Smith Trail Bike Ride   Pat Desbiens   518-813-7946   GC A repeat of a route introduced to the Canes in 2015. Beginning at Shenantaha Creek Park, we will pedal south on the Zim Smith Trail to meet the Luther Forest Spur. With several miles of paved bike path, we will explore Luther Forest and stop for lunch at the Malta Community Park where there is a pavilion with picnic tables; as well as, rest rooms. Reversing our route, we will head back to the Zim Smith Trail and bike south to the Village of Round Lake with a stop at Leah's Cakery providing an opportunity to buy delicious pastries. At this point, depending on the time of day and the wishes of the group, we can either continue south for about another 3 miles to the end of the trail or head back north to our starting point at Shenantaha Creek Park. It is ~20 miles if we head back north from the Village of Round Lake or ~ 26 miles if we pedal to the southern terminus of the trail (all mostly flat miles either way). We will meet at 10:00 a.m. at Shenantaha Creek Park --- from Exit 12 of the Northway, go west on Rt. 67 for 1.5 miles, turn left on Eastline Road, go 1/4 mile and turn left into Shenantaha Park. June 27   #19.1767   Hudson River North Shore Explore, Moreau Lake State Park  Tim Ward  and  Jim Ralston T. 518-415-9172  J. 518-863-4041  BS/BD?? Another new adventure for the Canes! Actually this is a combo paddle/hike and explore outing, not quite a bushwhack but close. We begin this adventure at the Sherman Island Boat Launch where we will paddle directly across the river to one of the park's water access campsites where we will secure our boats and access a nearby unmarked trail. This unmarked trail is actually an old road that parallels the river towards the Spier Falls Dam over 1.5 mi upstream. The area along this trail/old road is mostly flat with some minor ups and downs and contained homesteads and even a school dating back into the late 19th century. While the remnants of some of those homesteads and school are forever under the flooded area behind the Spier Falls Dam, with some luck and keen eyes, we will be able to locate some of the remaining old cellar holes, foundations and stone walls and try and imagine how life was like back then. The pace will be slow and it isn't known how far we will hike upstream, those details to be decided at the time of the hike as will be the location for lunch. We will retrace our route back to our boats and if we have time maybe we will be able to paddle some. For those less adventurous please feel free to join us for part of the hike and focus on paddling, perhaps schedule an A-Team outing. Meet at the Sherman Island boat launch at 9:45. Directions to boat launch from Exit 17 of the Northway: Continue N on Rt 9 for ~.6 mi to Spier Falls Rd/CR24. Turn lleft and continue W on Spier Falls Rd/CR24 for ~3.4mi - boat launch will be on the right at the bottom of the hill.   A-TEAM! ??? July 4  No outing scheduled – Happy 4th! July 11   #19.1768     Blue Ledges Hike n’ Swim n’ Picnic   Scott Anderson   518-955-7991 BS Whenever there is a hike scheduled during July or August it is a nice treat if there is a swimming hole waiting at the destination and the Blue Ledges is one such place! From the trailhead on the Northwoods Club Road in the Town of Minerva we will hike to the Hudson River Gorge where slate-blue cliffs tower above the river. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy on the shore, swim at one of the swimming holes nearby and watch rafters head downstream. Plan on a leisurely lunch and afterwards, depending on the wishes of the group, we may explore upstream for a different view of the ledges and check out some interesting rock formations. It is about 5 miles RT with 900’ total gain. CTL at 9:15 for a departure of 9:30 or the Black Bear Restaurant, Northway Exit 26 at 10:00. We should arrive at the TH at about 10:30; however, parking is limited so please meet at one of the designated meeting locations for carpooling unless you have a filled car. July 18   #19.1769    Henderson Lake Paddle   Peter Fedorick   518-893-2629   BS Henderson Lake is simply a great paddle and a popular one. However, getting a boat onto the very scenic, 1¾ mile long lake requires a bit of effort - a 1½ hour drive from CTL and slightly less than a ½ mile carry from the Upper Works trailhead. The rewards are great with spectacular views of some of the High Peaks and lots of shoreline to explore; if the weather is right there are a couple of nice places to swim. Although the carry sounds long it is actually a relatively easy one as long as you bring some type of carrier; the stone surface is wide and mostly flat. The plan is to first explore the north end of the lake then stop for lunch at the lean-to at the NW corner before continuing to the south end and explore the inlet and its marsh. CTL at 8:15 for an 8:30 departure or the Black Bear Restaurant in Pottersville at 9:00 or the Upper Works Trailhead at 10ish. July 25   #19.1770    Treadway Mountain Hike/Paddle    Steve Mackey    518-793-6484    BS The trailhead for Treadway Mtn. is located at the Putnam Pond State Campground, at the far end of the parking lot adjacent to the boat launch. The campground is at the end of Putts Pond Rd. (CR39) which is ~12 mi. east of exit 28 of the Adk. Northway on NY74. The round trip hiking distance is around 8 miles with 1000 feet of climbing. I'm going to bring a kayak/canoe and cut out the walk around the pond. I'm guessing it will save around two miles of hiking (1 mile each way). If you would rather not bother with a boat, as long as we have enough people in each group, we can just meet at the summit or along the trail. Late July is usually the best time of the year for wild blueberries, and Treadway Mountain is the best mountain that I know of, for quantity. The last time we were there, we picked at least a gallon (it was a good year). The summit also has great views, especially of the High Peaks. Bring a head net and bug spray just in case, and a couple of containers for berries. For those of you that would prefer to paddle rather than hike, Putnam Pond is a nice body of water to explore. The campground will be open and there is an entrance fee which is waived for seniors (62 or over). CTL at 8:15 for a departure of 8:30 or meet at Northway exit 28 around 9:15 or at the campground parking lot at 9:45. August 1   #19.1771    Zim Smith Trail Bike Ride #2   Pat Desbiens   518-813-7946   GC We did this trip on June 21st; however, the weather turned out to be problematic that week forcing us to change the date from a Thursday to a Friday and then we delayed the start of the trip on the scheduled day because it rained until mid-morning. So, the decision was made to schedule a repeat on a regular Thursday outing day so that more Caners would have the opportunity to participate if they so desired (we'll keep our fingers crossed regarding the weather). Beginning at Shenantaha Creek Park, we will pedal south on the Zim Smith Trail to meet the Luther Forest Spur. With several miles of paved bike path, we will explore Luther Forest and stop for an early lunch at the Malta Community Park where there is a pavilion with picnic tables; as well as, rest rooms. Reversing our route, we will head back to the Zim Smith Trail and bike south to the Village of Round Lake with a stop at Leah's Cakery providing an opportunity to buy delicious pastries. At this point, depending on the time of day and the wishes of the group, we can either continue south for about another 3 miles to the end of the trail and/or take a quick ride around the Village of Round Lake admiring the many unique Victorian homes in the Village or head back north to our starting point at Shenantaha Creek Park. Depending on the route decided upon the total trip will be between 20-28 miles. We will meet at 10:00 at Shenantaha Creek Park --- from Exit 12 of the Northway, go west on Rt. 67 for 1.5 miles, turn left on Eastline Road, go 1/4 mile and turn left into Shenantaha Park. BONUS August 2   Hopkins Mountain Thru Hike    Linda Frees    518 424-7656 BD For you non-bikers or perhaps those who would like to join Pat for a bike ride of the Zim Smith Trail on Thursday and then join Linda for a hike of Hopkins Mtn on Friday, this one is for you. This hike was done earlier this year but it is a popular hike and it is always nice to visit a popular destination in different seasons. We begin by dropping off hikers at the Mossy Cascade Brook trailhead and then spot cars at the Rooster Comb parking lot 2 miles north on Rt 73. From the trailhead we will follow Mossy Cascade Brook for a good portion of the way in an "upward" direction ascending about 2,100’ in the nearly 3 miles to the summit. After a leisurely lunch and exploring the bare, rocky top – trying to get a glimpse of just one more mountain – we backtrack approximately .9 miles to the junction with the Ranney Trail, bearing right and descending an additional 1.7 miles along Hopkins Brook to our cars for a total of 5.5 miles for the day. CTL at 8:15 for departure at 8:30 or the High Peaks Rest Area at 9:20 or the Mossy Cascade Brook TH at 9:45. August 8   #19.1772   Lens Lake Paddle    Fran Herve   H: 518-899-3216 C: 518-522-3998    GC Lens Lake is a small lake ~6 miles west of the hamlet of Stony Creek in Warren County, in the middle of nowhere, very secluded with floating bogs and a lot ofinteresting plants. There is a nice launch area with adequate parking for our group. Our plan is to explore the lake and its irregular shoreline at a leisurelypace and have lunch at the launch area (with one picnic table) before returningfor more exploring if desired. Bring your binoculars if you are a bird watcher. Meet at the parking lot across from the Lake Luzerne High School on Rt. 9N at 9:15. Meeting there is recommended for all except those coming from Warrensburg and points north (in which case we would make arrangements to meet at the Town of Stony Creek offices, just let us know). However, for the adventurous you could also go directly to the launch area if you are so inclined, email and we will send you directions. August 15   #19.1773    Paddle of Rich, Belden, Harris Lakes and the Hudson    Joanne Armstrong and Claire Pospisil    J. 310-948-8221 C. 518 436-8312  BS The last time we did this paddle was back in 2014 so it is long overdue. Before we do any paddling we will drop our boats off at the car-top launch on Rich Lake and spot cars at the end of our journey where the Hudson travels south under Rt. 28N. We will first explore Rich Lake before starting our eastward paddle, complete a carry to Belden Lake and continue onto the inlet to Harris Lake, a.k.a Fishing Brook, before reaching our lunch spot at the Gate House of the Santanoni Preserve. After lunch we will carry around the rapids in front of the Gate House, continue on the inlet and enter the main body of Harris Lake. Depending on group’s interest and time we could explore the lake before heading to its outlet where it joins the Hudson, and continue downstream to our take-out. The total paddling distance is estimated between 5-6 miles. CTL at 8:15 for departure at 8:30 or the Black Bear Restaurant in Pottersville at 9:00 or the Adirondack Interpretive Center, for a bathroom stop, at 10ish. August 22   #19.1774   Indian Lake Combo Paddle/Baldface Mtn.   Lenore And Jack Reber   518-859-8555   BS This is a wonderful outing, blending a nice paddle with a hike of a small mountain. We begin the paddle from the Indian Lake Marina located off Lakeshore Drive in Sabael, about 5 mi south of the hamlet of Indian Lake on Rt. 30 ($10 per car launch/parking fee is charged). Once across the lake, easily in a light breeze, the paddle becomes more interesting, wandering between islands as we head for the take-out on the beach of picturesque Norman’s Cove. The sheltered cove has a picnic area where those that choose not to climb the mountain can enjoy a snack before exploring more of the lake and returning for lunch. For the hikers, we pick up the trail to Baldface Mtn., a gentle 2.2 mile RT hike through pleasant woods with a short steep section near the top to the open rock ledges, where there are great views up and down the lake and of the surrounding mountains and where we will have lunch - a total gain of 580’. CTL at 8:45 for a 9:00 departure or the Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9:30. Before proceeding to the Marina from Wevertown we will first gather at Byron Park, located on the SE shore of Adirondack Lake (entrance on right side of NY28 +/- .75 miles past the causeway over Lake Abanakee), at 10:00 ish. Here we will attempt to consolidate the transport of the boats and have an opportunity to use the restroom facilities. We should arrive at the Marina at 10:30. In case of windy conditions on Indian Lake a paddle of Lake Abanakee will be substituted. Regardless, everyone is invited back to the Reber's place in Indian Lake for an edible treat and swim afterwards. August 29   #19.1775   Hurricane Mountain Hike   Claudia Rosenholz   518-391-3386      BS/BD Hurricane Mountain is located north of Rt. 9N between Keene and Elizabethtown. Although not a High Peak, from its bald summit at 3,694’, the views are expansive in all directions - from Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains of Vermont to the east, the High Peaks to the west, Whiteface Mtn. to the northwest and Giant Mtn. due south. It also has a restored fire tower on its summit but you don’t need to climb it for great views. It is one of the mountains included in the ADK Fire Tower Challenge so if you aspire to complete the Challenge this is a great mountain to include. There are three trails to the summit but for this hike we will take the primary trail which begins 3.5 miles E of the junction of Route 9N and Route 73, south of Keene. It has been nearly five years since the trail has been re-routed and much improved from the prior one, avoiding the steepest and most eroded sections. The trail is a bit longer than the old one for a total of 6.8 miles RT and an elevation gain of ~2,000’. CTL at 8:15 for a departure of 8:30 or the High Peaks Rest Area at 9:20 or the Rt. 9N trailhead at 10ish. BONUS August 31     Hour Pond     Scott Anderson     518-955-7991 BS I went to Hour Pond in late August last year and want to see if the beaver dam and wildflowers are still there. The trail is rolling terrain, gradually uphill. Nearing the pond we cross over a beaver dam. Last year the dam was covered with amazing wildflowers. Then to Hour Pond, surrounded by Bullhead and Hour Pond Mtns. On the way back is a perfect swimmin’ spot on 13th Lake for a cooling dip. The pace will be leisurely and an all day hike. Expect to be back at the trailhead at around 5PM. 6.8mi RT and about 500ft ascent. CTL @ 8:45 to depart @ 9AM, or at the trailhead at the end of Beach Rd at 10 AM. September 5    #19.1776    Albany County Helderberg-Hudson Rail Trail    Peter Fedorick    518-893-2629  GS/BS Offered by special request! Although some of you have biked this ride on your own it is a new one for the Canes. Starting at the Rail Trail’s parking lot at its eastern end, just SE of the intersection of Old S. Pearl St. and S. Pearl St./Rt 32 in the City of Albany, we will bike west for 9 miles along the old Delaware & Hudson (D&H) railroad bed to the Rail Trail Pavilion in the Village of Voorheesville. Here we will have a leisurely lunch before retracing our route, stopping at Stewart’s in Delmar for dessert. The recreational trail is paved in its entirety and we will be sharing it with walkers, runners and other bikers. We will have a slight incline on our route to the western end but we will benefit with a slight decline on the return. Along the way there is beautiful scenery of the Normanskill Creek and Falls, wildflowers, butterflies, birds, and rock formations. Meet at the Exit 8 Park & Ride of the Northway at 9:15 for a 9:30 departure or at the starting point noted above at 9:45ish. The Park & Ride is located at 1530 Crescent Rd., Clifton Park – west at the exit for ~1/4 mile, on the left. Details to the S. Pearl St. parking lot will be made available at the P&R or upon request. September 12    #19.1777     ---POSTPONED TO FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13---   Crooked Cane’s 35th Anniversary At Moreau SP    Questions? / Comments?    518-893-2629     GC As promised, here are the details on our annual picnic get-together on September 12. This is our 35th Anniversary of Crooked Canes adventures and friendship!! Join the fun – picnic begins at noonish, activities as posted!    This year we are returning to Moreau Lake State Park. Planned for the day is a variety of activities and of course the picnic. We have reserved the Fernwood pavilion with lots of convenient parking available and restrooms close by. Hot dogs, rolls, condiments, plates and utensils, will be provided. If you prefer something other than hot dogs the grill will be available for you to prepare your special meal. Bring an appetizer, salad or dessert to share and whatever you would like to drink. Also: If you bring your old, unneeded metal utensils, plan to donate them after the meal for use by the Friends of Moreau, to lessen reliance on plastic ones in the future. If you wish, bring your own plate and water bottle and take them home.    There will be a $5 fee collected to cover picnic costs. We will also be collecting an additional $10 per active Crooked Canes participant to cover 3 years of our website costs. We all look forward to using the schedule, sharing contact info and enjoying the marvelous journal stories and photos.    Mary Knutson has volunteered to lead an easy hike of about 3 miles, with the route to be determined, timed to get you back in time for lunch. Meet at the parking lot adjacent to the Fernwood pavilion, near the beach at 9:45. If you have any questions please contact her at 518-587-8105 or email Mary. Kurt has volunteered to lead a paddle of Moreau Lake – likewise, you will be back in time for the first hot dog! Meet at the boat launch area, across from the warming hut, at 9:45. If you have any questions please contact Margie at 518-928-0600 or email Margie. Ken has volunteered to lead a bike ride starting from the Park’s parking lot adjacent to the entrance kiosk, departing at 10:00. His route will be a shorter version of one that is done by the ezRiders and will be about 15 miles in length. The ezRiders will join us for the picnic. If you have any questions please contact him at 518-683-8420 or email Ken. There are a couple of Park sponsored outings on the 12th, so look for our Canes groups at the designated locations.    For those of you that do not wish to join the organized activities please feel free to arrive early and go for a walk, a paddle, bike the park roads or just visit. BTW – there are many of you that haven’t participated in any of our outings in recent times – please use this opportunity to join your friends and catch up – we all want to know what you have been up to. Bring your stories and pictures to share! If you or someone you know may need assistance in getting to/from Moreau please contact Margie or Peter to see if we can help.    Moreau Lake State Park is located just off of exit 17 of the Adirondack Northway – at 605 Old Saratoga Road. The entrance kiosk is not staffed during the week so there is no need to stop. After going past the kiosk keep left and proceed along the park road to the boat launch for those of you who are paddling or continue along the park road to the large parking area adjacent to the Fernwood pavilion for everyone else. Hope you can join us!    Weather: The forecast will be watched next week to determine any need to move the date. Do a Sundance for the 12th!    Addendum: Website expense: Every 3 years we must collect to offset the increasing cost of our valuable website. As mentioned above, we will be collecting $10 per active participant at the picnic. For those not in attendance at the picnic, please, at your earliest convenience, send your payment to Kurt Wisell at 3 Antler Avenue, Lake George NY 12845. Make any check payable to “Kurt Wisell” please. September 19    #19.1778     Cedar River Flow Paddle     Fran Herve    518-899-3216  On Paddle Day: 518-522-3998  BS The Cedar River and associated Flow (lake) is located in the Moose River Plains Wild Forest Area near Indian Lake. From Wakely Dam we will paddle the length of the Flow, continuing upstream on the Cedar River for an additional mile to a lean-to where we will have lunch and then return for a total distance of 9-10 miles – Peter will be the navigator (a new position just for this paddle!). Folks are welcome to come along and just paddle the Flow on their own, hopefully with a friend or two. The pace will be leisurely, so we’ll have plenty of time to explore the shoreline and look for wildlife. The flow is home to waterfowl and other birds so bring your binoculars and camera who knows, we may even see a moose. Wind, when it does blow, tends to follow the length of the Flow so it can be an issue, especially if you are paddling a tandem canoe with high sides. Solo canoes and kayaks should fare well. CTL at 8:15 for a departure of 8:30; or the Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9:00; or Stewart’s in Indian Lake at 9:40 for a pit stop; or the boat launch at Wakely Dam at 10:15ish. The last 10 miles is on an unimproved dirt road but passable with almost any vehicle. September 19   #19.1778A.0   Glen Lake Paddle   Diane and Kurt Wisell   D 518-796-1993  K 518-796 5495 Glen Lake is a local, exotic location a few minutes from CTL and some of you might be familiar with it. Diane and I haven't paddled there in a few years, have been thinking about it, we're free on Thursday and the forecast is good.  So why not invite our favorite people to join in?  We can decide when we get there where we'll paddle first, have lunch back at the put in, then paddle some more if we feel like it.  Parking at the put in is a bit limited but we'll have a spy there we can call from CTL to see how much room there is and we'll have a truck available to make a run or two or ten from CTL to the put in with people and boats (and return rides to CTL of course!) if it's necessary.  CTL at 9.45 for a 9.55 ish departure or you can meet us at the Glen Lake put in at 10 ish. September 19   #19.1778A.1   Lake Bonita Hike   Tom Gibbs and Don McMahon    T 518-583-1550   D 518-832-7396 Tom and Don are still feeling out capabilities, but, having successfully done the Mud Pond hike at Moreau last Friday, we believe ourselves able to do a hike at Lake Bonita. Who does not want to get out during beautiful fall weather! Plan A is to circumnavigate Lake Bonita. Plan B is more interesting but does not stay within official Park boundaries. If anyone is interested, we meet at the Lake Bonita parking lot at 9:45 am. September 26    #19.1779     Jay Range     Scott Anderson  & Linda Fedorick   S H-518 955-7991 C-518-955-7991   L 518-893-2629; BS/BD    Simply put, Jay Mountain is a super nice hike, especially in the fall when the leaves have started to change color and the temperatures are cooler. Located about 7 miles NE of the intersection of Rt 73 and 9N in the Town of Jay, the primary feature of this hike is the mountain’s 1.5 mile open ridge, offering panoramic views of the Lake Champlain Valley, the Greens of Vermont, the High Peaks and the surrounding mountains and valleys.     The hike was last done as a Bonus Outing in October 2017 with the summit as its goal. Considered by most as a challenging hike, it is now being offered as two separate hikes starting at the same time, with different goals, allowing participants of varying abilities to enjoy the mountain. Linda will lead a group at a slower pace than the main group for 2.4 miles and an accumulated gain of about 1800’ from the trailhead to the first overlook. The 360° view from the overlook is spectacular. At the overlook they will enjoy a leisurely lunch while some of the group may decide to explore the nearby ridge, not venturing too far. Since this is their goal they will return to the trailhead from here.     Scott, leading the second group, will reach the overlook before Linda’s group and, after a short visit, will continue along the open ridgeline, enjoying the expansive views, for an additional 1.1 miles and gaining another 450’ to the “Big Cairn” where they will have lunch. After a lunch break, those wishing to go to the very interesting true summit will hike an additional 1.0 miles RT to a point only one foot higher but which offers terrific views of Lake Champlain and the Green Mountains. The “Cairn Group” will wait for the summit group unless someone volunteers to sweep a group back down. Anyone remaining at the “Big Cairn” will rejoin the summit group for the final sweep. To put the hike in perspective, the hike to the open ridgeline is similar to Hurricane in trail conditions, distance and ascent. A tad bit more maybe. The total hiking distance for Scott’s group is 8.0 miles RT and a total accumulated gain of about 2800’. Since there are two separate hiking groups it is important to decide ahead of time which hike you would like to attend and make sure that you carpool from CTL with those going on the same hike, as arrival times back at CTL will most likely be different. CTL at 7:45 for departure at 8:00; or at the High Peaks Rest Area at 8:50; or the trailhead at ~9:30. As of now there is some wet weather being forecast during the week of the hike – please monitor your email for any changes. September 26    #19.1779A     Stonewall Trail Hike   Tom Gibbs and Don McMahon     T 518-583-1550   D 518-832-7396 GC Not so good for such a late posting, but weather is better for tomorrow than Thursday. Tom and Don will hike the Stonewall Trail on the north side of the Hudson River in Moreau Park. We meet at the West Glens Falls Emergency Squad parking lot at north end of Media Drive in Glens Falls at 9:45 am. Bonus  October 8  Giant's Nubble and Roaring Brook Falls Hike  Peter Fedorick  518-893-2629 BS~BD Giant's Nubble is a rocky knob off the ridge trail to its namesake, providing a close-up view of Giant Mt to the north and expansive views of the High Peaks to the south and west. This will be a thru hike of ~4 miles beginning at the Chapel Pond trailhead and returning via the Roaring Brook trail. While total distance may be on the short side, the views cause visitors to linger and a leisurely lunch is planned. Total gain on the ascent is ~1350’ in 1.2 miles and total loss on the descent is ~1700’ in 1.5 miles. We will have the opportunity to explore the area beneath Roaring Brook Falls at the end of the hike. Bring a camera! CTL at 8:15 for departure at 8:30; or the High Peaks Welcome Center, north of exit 29, at 9:20; or at the Chapel Pond TH at 10:00ish, allowing a few minutes extra to spot cars. October 10#19.1781 New York/Sandgate VT Bike Ken Gericke 518-223-2599  BS Canceled last year because it was too cold we moved the date back a couple of weeks in order to be able to offer this popular annual bike ride. An 18 mile bike beginning at the SR 313 NY/VT canoe access on the Battenkill River, and continuing in a clockwise loop to Sandgate Vermont. Lunch will be in the scenic hamlet of Sandgate. The route continues, mostly downhill, returning to SR 313, crossing the Arlington Covered Bridge to East River Rd, then back to SR 313 and to our start in NY. Meet at McDonalds in Greenwich at 9:15. This is a beautiful ride through some rural valleys of Washington County, NY and Vermont, quite remote with approximately 1/2 of the route on hard packed dirt roads. While the route can be pedaled with a touring/narrow-wheeled bike, a hybrid or even a mountain bike might be more appropriate. There are some hills, with a gradual elevation gain of approx. 700' then a long well-earned downhill to Sandgate. October 10 #19.1781A Pinnacle Hike Don McMahon and Tom Gibbs D. 518-832-7396  T. 518-583-1550 GC The weather for Thursday looks no worse than Friday so we have decided to hike up Pinnacle mountain on Thursday. There is also the possibility of walking around Edgecomb Pond afterwards. Clearly we want to take advantage of the fall colors season and the view from Pinnacle is very rewarding for such a small (but very steep) climb. Meet at CTL at 9:45 am or at the trailhead at 10:30. BONUS  October 12  Mount Adams Peter Fedorick 518-893-2629  BS ~ BD While the hiking distance is just under 5 miles RT and the first .8 miles is relatively flat the final 1.6 miles to the 3,520’ summit and the renovated fire tower is steep, gaining 1,800’. The trailhead is located near Tahawus and is ~65 miles and ~1.5 hours from CTL. For this reason I would like to start early with a 7:45 meeting time at CTL for a prompt departure of 8:00. I will send out a reminder/confirmation email later this week and would like an RSVP for those interested. Alternate meeting places may be arranged. BONUS  October 13 Godwin Preserve To Pole Hill Pond Don McMahon & Bonnie Whitman D 518-8327-396  B 518-636 8432  GC Bonnie and Don will lead a hike from Godwin Preserve to Pole Hilll Pond. Thi is the easy way to get to Pole Hill Pond. The trip is about a mile one way and goes over a 200 foot high rige (with a short side rail there to an outlook) before going down 200 feet to the Pond. There is also a mountain to the north that ads another 500 feet of elevation and another mile with an excellent view to the north looking down on Lake George (although not in our planned hike!). We are picking up 2 people at the parking area next to Exit 24 at 10 am and could include CTL at 9.30 am as a Meeting point if anyone wants to meet us there. October 17 #19.1782 Bromley Mountain Through Hike Pat Desbiens & Kurt Wisell P 518-813-7946  K 518-796-5495  BS MOVED TO MONDAY, 10/21.  We will start this hike from the parking area on Vt. 11 & 30 between Manchester and Bromley Mt. (map & directions HERE), hiking the AT/LT 2.7 miles to the grassy, open summit of Bromley where we hopefully will be rewarded with 360 degree views of beautiful autumn foliage, the Taconics, Greens, Adirondacks and Whites. Vertical ascent is 1420 ft., however; there are no steep sections: a fairly consistent easy to moderate climb all the way. We will most likely take a short side trail to the Bromley Shelter for a short respite before the final pitch to the summit. Following our lunch, we will continue north along the AT/LT descending another 2.5 miles into Mad Tom Notch, near Landgrove, for a total of 5.2 miles and the end of our journey where we will have spotted a couple of cars. Disclaimer: This hike is being led by two Woodchucks (aka: native Vermonters) so it's anyone's guess what may or may not happen at any time. Meet Kurt at CTL at 8:15, depart at 8.30 or Pat at the Greenwich McDonald's at 9:00 for a 9:10 departure. October 18  #19.1782 A Schuman Preserve Don McMahon and Tom Gibbs D 518-832-7396 T 518583-1550  GC The weather is much better on Friday. We meet at the trailhead at 10:15 am or CTL at 9:45 am to consolidate cars to proceed to the Schuman Preserve trailhead on the east side of Lake George. The trail has been much improved in the last two years and consists of many stone steps alternated by horizontal traverses totaling less than a mile one way and about 500 feet of elevation. The view from the gazebo across Lake George is magnificent! Bonus October 19 Fifth Peak Lean-to Peter Fedorick 518-893-2629 BS Our 5.2 mile RT hike begins at the popular Clay Meadows parking lot located approximately 6mi north of the hamlet of Bolton Landing on the east side of NY 9N. From the trailhead we will hike on a relatively flat trail for the first 1/2 mile before beginning a somewhat steep and continuous climb for the next mile, gaining 1000’. At this point the trail becomes less steep but still climbs in the final 1.1 mile, gaining another 500’ to the top of Fifth Peak and a lean-to. From the overlook near the lean-to we should have excellent views of the Lake George Narrows, portions of Northwest Bay, the southern end of the Tongue Mountain Range and the mountains that surround the southern end of Lake George. CTL at 8:45 for departure at 9:00 or at the Clay Meadows parking lot at 9:30. For those of you aspiring to obtain the Lake George 12ster patch this is your chance to reach the top of one of the required mountains. October 24 #19.1783 Pilot Knob Ridge Hike Diane & Kurt Wisell 518-796-1993  K 518-796-5495 BS ~ BD Don McMahon's succinct outing description from the last regular Crooked Canes outing scheduled for this location on 8/1/13: "Pilot Knob Mountain overlooks the southeast corner of Lake George. The trailhead is near the north end of Pilot Knob Road immediately before Pilot Knob Marina. Be prepared for a strenuous 5 mile hike with a 1520’ elevation change. A portion of the ascent is not clearly defined, not really a bushwhack but subject to “interpretation.” The views of Lake George along the ridge are frequent, changing and are as or more spectacular thanany along the lake."  That about describes it, but to elaborate just a touch, it's an absolutely beautiful hike any time of the year with a long stretch of great views that just get better and better.   CTL or the Buck Mountain trail head (picture of it) at 10:00. October 24  #19.1783 A Rattlesnake Cobble Hike Don McMahon And Tom Gibbs D 518 832 7396 T 518 583-1550 GS We will hike from Smith Street up the Prospect Mountain trail to the Highway then traverse 0.2 miles on the Highway to the parking lot just below the Cobble. Hopefully still some fall color! After lunch we will go about 1/4 mile the other side of the trail to an extensive outlook over Lake George and the Village. There is about 500 feet elevation and a total distance of 2 or 3 miles. We meet at CTL at 9:45. BONUS October 29 Snowy Mountain Hike Peter Fedorick H 518-893-2629 C 518-419-7528 BD From the trailhead located on Rt 30, ~7.5 miles S of the hamlet of Indian Lake, we begin the hike to Snowy Mountain; at 3,899’ it is the highest mountain in the southern Adirondacks. Over the first 2.4 miles the trail is considered a gentle climb gaining only about 600’, crossing Beaver Brook several times. At this point the trail becomes steeper, gaining an additional 1,400’ over the last 1.4 miles. Just before reaching the true summit and the fire tower there is an open ledge providing a nice view E of Indian Lake and the surrounding mountains. We will most likely stop here for lunch as there aren’t any views from the base of the fire tower – a short distance away. Views from the cab of the fire tower are panoramic – our reward for the effort in getting there. This is a longer hike and drive than we normally schedule necessitating an early start. CTL at 7:30 for departure at 7:45; or the Indian Lake Stewart’s for a SHORT stop at 9:00; or the trailhead at 9:20ish – other meeting places may be considered. If you have commitments in the early evening you should pass up this hike. The weather forecast at his time is calling for a cloudy day with a high temp of 54° in the valley. Although there aren’t any predictions for temps below freezing you may want to throw Microspikes in your pack – and remember – the regular big game season has begun so you may want to wear some bright outerwear. October 31 #19.1784 Halloween On Buck Mountain Scott Anderson 518-955-7991 BS Wear your spookiest hiking gear and we will haunt the summit of Buck Mtn. Maybe we will see the ghosts of hikers past. Don't forget your treats (or tricks)! We will take the easy way up Buck, from the Hogtown trailhead on Shelving Rock Rd. The trail is level for some time and follows a stream for nearly the first mile. At about 1.5 miles the trail begins to climb steeply until the rocky summit is reached, affording panoramic views of Lake George and beyond. It is 4.6 miles RT with 1130' ascent. I anticipate being back at the trailhead by 3:00.Meet at CTL at 8:45 for departure at 9:00 or at the Buck Mtn. trailhead on Shelving Rock Rd. at 9:45. October 30 #19.1784 A Lake George / Shelving Rock Area Hike Don McMahon And Tom Gibbs D 518 832 7396 T 518 583-1550 GC Because of rain forecast for Thursday Tom and Don willl lead an A-Team hike on Wednesday along the shore of Lake George from the end of Shelving Rock Road. This can include Shelving Rock Falls as well. The shore walk is particularly pretty with fall colors on the trees. Except for viewing the falls, the walk is essentially level and 3 miles long. We will spot cars to eliminate the walk back along the road. Meet at CTL at 9:15 am. November 7 #19.1785 Haystack Mountain Hike Diane & Kurt Wisell D 518-796-1993 K 518-796-5495 ;BS Haystack Mtn, one of the Three Sisters, a group of peaks in the northern Taconic Mountains near Granville, NY and Wells, VT, features distinctive sheer cliffs and dramatic outcrops of slate and quartzite. From this modest 1900' summit one can see west to Glens Falls and south as Equinox. The hike is 3 miles RT with +/- 500 elevation gain - HOWEVER! - there are ups and downs so total vertical ascent is more like 1,200'. CTL at 8.45 for 9.00 departure or Price Chopper in Granville at 9.40 ish. November 6 #19.1785 A Hudson Crossing Park Don McMahon And Tom Gibbs D 518-832-7396 T 518-583-1550 GC Wednesday weather looks a lot better then Thursday of Friday. Tom and Don will lead a walk from Schyulerville via the Hudson Crossing Park up to the falls on the Hudson River and back. Expect a level walk of about 3 miles round trip. We meet at the visiter's parking lot on Route 29 in Schuylerville (opposite the posr office) at 9:45 am. We will have lunch at the Hudson Crossing Park and there is the additional option of walking down river to the Schyuler mansion at the end of the walk. November 14 #19.1786 CANCELLED! See substitution below Crane Mountain Hike Peter Fedorick 518-893-2629; BS ~ BD The Canes haven't hiked Crane Mtn. since 2015 so it is about time we give it a try again. From the trailhead at the end of Ski-Hi Road, W of Thurman, we will hike a counterclockwise route of ~3.5 miles and gain ~1,400’ with some steep sections along the way - the steepest sections equipped with ladders. There are spectacular views in all directions from the many open areas on top the 3,250' high summit. We intend to spend a leisurely time on top, allowing additional time for exploration for hidden overlooks. From the summit we descend to picturesque Crane Mtn. Pond and return to the trailhead. CTL at 9:00 for departure at 9:15; or the Warrensburg Price Chopper, north end of the parking lot at 9:30; or the TH at 10:00ish. November 14 #19-1786 Levine Preserve Hike Linda Fedorick518-893-2629 GC This is a wonderful outing with lots of options as to the length of the hike with a maximum of 3 miles of rolling terrain, two creeks to follow, view of an old sawmill along Cadman Creek (maybe slightly hidden under the light snow) and even a hike on an esker. Lunch will be at the old homestead (Circa 1920’s?) with its well preserved foundation and hand dug well – there is even a picnic bench. The LeVine Preserve is owned and maintained by Saratoga PLAN and is just down the road from its big sister – the Hennig Preserve. There are essentially four loop trails within the 177 acre preserve plus Taber Road Trail, an old abandoned dirt town road that bisects the preserve. The specific route TBD the day of the hike – this is scheduled as a hike but bring your spikes. Tom will meet at the Amtrak Rail Station in Saratoga Springs at 9:15 for departure at 9:30 or meet at the LeVine Preserve sign at 10:00. Linda will have her celthe day of the hike 518-764-9233 if you have any problems. Directions: There are a number of ways to reach the preserve but from the Amtrak Station here is the shortest (for those using a GPS navigator try using 303 Centerline Rd., Middle Grove, NY (or Galway if Middle Grove doesn’t work) - that will get you close. Turn right on to West Ave from Station Lane; continue ~.25 miles to NY 29 and turn right; continue on NY 29 for 12 miles to Barkersville Road (You should see the Waterwheel Village Store on the far right corner). Turn right here and stay on Barkersville Road for 2.7 miles. The road will take several sharp turns, but stay on Barkersville Road (Route 16) until it intersects with Glenwild Road. Turn left on Glenwild Road, and after driving 1.4 miles, turn left on Centerline Road. In approximately 0.8 miles, you will see the kiosk for the LeVine Preserve on the left side of Centerline Road. If you are familiar with getting to the Hennig Preserve just continue W on Centerline and additional 1.3 miles to LeVine. November 21   #19.1787   Potash Mountain Hike, PLUS...★    Steve Mackey     518-793-6484     BS I've been doing trail work on Potash every Monday since the snow melted and I thought it might be a good time to show off all the trail improvements. Since we last visited, we have added a new bridge and a pavilion at the parking lot. The trail has a lot of new rock steps and a much of the trail’s surface has been leveled. Also the section on the NYS land has now been officially marked with DEC trail markers. It is approximately a 3 mile RT hike with a gain of around 1,000’. If you want to, we will stop at Harris Grocery after the hike, to get a snack, and say hello to Jungle (Jim Mosher) and his wife Becky. Jungle is the primary person behind the Harris Nature Preserve and would appreciate any feedback from you. For those that would like to extend the length of the hike a bit we could explore the newly constructed nature trail near the start of the trail on the way out - this will add about .75 miles and is flat. CTL; or the Town of Greenfield Community Center at the intersection of Rt. 9N and Wilton Rd/CR36 at 9:00 for departure at 9:15; or the trailhead at 9:45 - parking lot located on the right on Potash Rd. just past its junction with Dunkley Rd., ½ mile North from where Potash Rd. intersects Rt. 9N, directly across from the entrance to Luzerne State Campground, 7 miles south of Exit 21 of the Northway.    UPDATE 11/27: As you are aware, most of our area received varying amounts of snow. However, with warming temperatures the snow will consolidate and become/remain slippery, especially on leaves and rocks. While snowshoes will not be necessary,please bring Microspikes or equivalent. The forecast for tomorrow is calling for sunny skies with a high temp of 41 degrees. November 21 #19.1787A Wilton Preserve Hike ★ Don McMahon And Tom Gibbs D 1 518-832-7396 T 518-583-1550 GC Because of snowy conditions Tom and I have decided to go to a more centralized location where the road conditions will be good. The plan is to hike at the Wilton Preserve, exactly where; we decide when we get there. Meet at the main parking lot of the Wilton Preserve on Scout Road at 9:45. Bring Microspikes just in case. If we are lucky, like last time, we can eat lunch in the warmth of the main office building. November 28 No Outing Happy Thanksgiving BONUS November 29 Un-Turkey Trot Diane & Kurt Wisell D 518-796-1993 K 518-796-5495 BS To burn off a bit of our previous day's feasting, we'll do a trot (meaning, of course that we'll earnestly trudge along at our usual pace) from the Lake George Rec Center to the top of Prospect Mountain and return via the same route. It is 5.4 miles RT with a 1,290' climb. The trail goes to the top of the Lake George Rec Area cross country ski trail area then continues along an old logging road for a while, then through the woods on a pretty, "occasionally, maybe" marked, easily followed, excellent trail with one somewhat pitchy section a quarter mile long. Most of the Canes have done this route before and found it quite agreeable. Meet at the Lake George Rec Area at 10.00. December 6 #19.1788 Inman Pond and... Kurt Wisell 518-796-5495 GC Moxham Mountain was originally scheduled for Thursday, December 5 but due to unfortunate weather, has been changed to a combined regular and A-Team hike to Inman Pond. From the Lower Hogtown Parking / Trailhead on Sly Pond Road we will snowshoe/spike west on a trail to the eastern end of Inman Pond. We will then follow the southern shore of the pond to a large rock promontory on its westernmost end for lunch with a nice view of the pond and surrounding mountains. After lunch we will continue the circumnavigation of the pond, before rejoining our original trail and returning to our cars. The total distance is 3-ish miles RT with about a 500 gain. This is a short hike so in order to accommodate those that would like to extend the hiking we will be offering an optional hike to either Shelving Rock Falls or to the shore of Lake George from the end of Shelving Rock Road, depending on road conditions and the desire of those attending. CTL or meet at the Lower Hogtown trailhead at 10-ish. December 12 #19.1789 Grizzle Ocean Hike: NOT! ..... It's Now Cook Mountain Sandy and Bob Powell H 518-543-6290 C 518-538-8758 BS We are changing tomorrow's hike location due to treacherously icy conditions on the road to the Grizzle Ocean trailhead. Instead we will be hiking Cook Mountain, a very pretty 2.8 mile (round trip) hike on very nice trail to the 1,215 foot summit of Cook Mountain in Ticonderoga on the west shore of Lake George. Bob might even share some local history. Cook Mountain is located on a 172 acre parcel owned by the Lake George Land Conservancy. From the summit are views of northern Lake George including Anthony's Nose, Rogers Rock. The Champlain Valley and the Green Mountains in Vermont are also visible. Afterwards everyone is welcome to stop by and enjoy holiday treats and cheers (bring treats and cheers) at the Powell's home in Hague. Bring your microspikes. CTL at 8:15, departure at 8:30, or the trailhead at 9:30. December 12 #19.1790A Pack Demonstration Forest ★ Don McMahon 518-832-7396 GC This week we will go to Pack Demonstration Forest, exactly what we'll do to be decided when we get there and observe conditions. Most likely there will be a couple of inches of snow and we will use microspikes or nothing depending on prevalence of ice. Plan on several miles of horizontal terrain. Meet at CTL at 9:15 am or meet at the Pack Forest parking lot at 9:45. December 19 #19.1790 Spectacle And Gull Ponds ★ Lenore & Jack Reber 518-859-8555 BS The hikes to both of these ponds are easy, on wonderful woods trails with picturesque destinations. Scheduling two separate destinations on an outing is usually not advised but the trails are less than a mile from one another and the trek to Gull Pond can be done without packs at the end of the day. The trailheads for these two ponds are located on East Shore Rd (a.k.a. Adirondack Rd) ~2.5 miles south of Alder Meadow Rd in Schroon Lake. Spectacle Pond - We begin our day traveling 1.7 miles to a campsite on the shore of Spectacle Pond for lunch. The trail follows Spectacle Brook most of the way to the pond, crossing it several times. It is generally a woods trail along an old tote road with nice views of Pharaoh Mt from the shore of the pond with a gain of less than 400’. Gull Pond - After lunch we will return to our cars and drive one mile north to the Gull Pond trailhead with a nice parking lot. It is only about .5 miles to the pond and less than a 100’ gain so you can do it with or without your pack but definitely bring your camera. The pond is small but picturesque and will invite you back for future visits. The trails will be scouted ahead of time and details provided regarding appropriate footwear as we get closer to the date. CTL; or Stewart’s in Schroon Lake via Exit 27 at 10:10; or the Spectacle Pond trailhead at 10:30. Alternate points by request. December 25    No Outing    Merry Christmas December 26  #19.1791 Moxham Mountain ★ Diane And Kurt Wisell D  518-796-1993   K 518-796-5495 BS We tried to do this on December 5th but the weather was such that it would not have been worth or while. And we were snowed out on this one in early December last year because there was so much snow that parking was impossible. This is a roughly 6 mile round trip hike to a mountin in Minerva's wild and wooly "Fourteenth Country." A total ascent of 1,800 feet to the summit and back. A relatively easy trail with good views that has uphill and downhill sections both going to the summie and returning. We'll let you know whether you will need boots, skis, snowshoes or the kitchen sink.  CTL at 8:45 am, departing at 9.00 am or meet at the Black Bear Restaurant, Northway Exit 26 at 9:30. BONUS January 1    !!! CANCELLED AND COMBINED WITH KIM BROWN'S OUTING BELOW !!! First Day At Stewart Ledge  Diane & Kurt Wisell D 519-796-1993 K 518-796-5495 GC The weather forecast for Wednesday has gone a bit too far south for a pleasurable outing on New Years Day, SO! this outing will be combined with Kim's outing tomorrow, January 2nd. Bring all your goodies and we'll rock the Schumann Gazebo! January 2  #20.1792  Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob Hike   ★  Kim Brown   908-305-8357  GC - BS For a day-after-New Year’s outing why not a Regular and A-Team! combo-hike of The Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob! The Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob is owned and maintained by the Lake George Land Conservancy (LGLC) and offers a couple of options of hikes totaling 3.7 miles. From the trailhead, located ~.7 miles north on Pilot Knob Rd. from its intersection with NY 9L, we will hike the orange trail .7 mile and a 620’ gain to a Gazebo with fine views of the southern basin of Lake George. For those of you who haven’t visited the preserve in a few years this trail underwent a renovation in 2018 and 2019 including the installation of rock steps and switchbacks to minimize erosion. Anyone who wishes may opt for a relaxing stay and lunch at the Gazebo enjoying the sweeping view of the lake and mountains. Others will hike from the Gazebo along the blue trail another ~1 mile and an additional 400’ gain to the waterfall loop trail. There we will have lunch and visit both the bottom and top of the falls before retracing our steps to the Gazebo and returning to our cars. Suggestions for appropriate footwear will be sent out as the hike day gets closer. CTL; or meet at the trailhead at 9:50. January 9  #20.1793  Puffer Pond and Kings Flow Loop Snowshoe   ★  Eric Potter  512-923-3031   BS Puffer Pond is located in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, almost due south of the hamlet of Indian Lake. The trailhead that we will start from is shared with that of Chimney Mtn., which most of you are familiar with, located at the end of Big Brook Road at the Cabins of Kings Flow parking area. From the trailhead we will travel in a clockwise direction, first relatively flat but then climbing moderately to a height of land at ~1.8 miles, gaining ~650’. From here we will descend ~200’ to the shore of Puffer Pond at 2 miles and stop at a lean-to for lunch. After lunch we will continue our clockwise direction heading almost due west along Puffer Pond Brook on an old carriage road, descending slightly until the trail levels out before turning north at 3.6 miles. From here we continue with a slight descent before the trail levels off and we follow the eastern shore of Kings Flow for 1.7 miles to the grassy parking area where we started for a total mileage of 5.3 miles and an accumulated gain of ~700’. There is a parking fee of $2.00 per car. Meet at CTL at 8:30 for departure at 8:45; or Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9:15; or the trailhead at around 10:10; additionally, we plan on a short pit stop at Stewart’s in North Creek at 9:25. Please feel free to offer a ski outing as an alternate outing on this date. If possible, let us know details of your A-TEAM! and Alternate outings ahead of time so we can post it or offer it via email as the date gets closer. January 9  #20.1793A  Rush Pond Hike  ★  Don McMahon   518-832-7396  GC Tom has bronchitis and will be out of action for a while. However Bonnie has agreed to co-lead a hike at Rush Pond. We will meet (near CTL) at the Rush Pond parking lot on the SE corner of the Northway (Exit 20) road and West Mountain Road at 9:45 am. As most of you know there are a few 20 to 50 foot size hills with a lot of fairly flat trail. Assuming we walk south to the bridge over the swamp for lunch (good views both north and south) , the round trip distance is about 3 miles. BONUS January 15  Cascade Mountain Snowshoe  Steve Mackey  518-793-6484     BD Scott was saying recently how much he enjoyed the hike up Noonmark last winter, so I decided to schedule a similar hike this year. I decided we ought to tackle Cascade, (which is an official Adirondack High Peak). It is the easiest and busiest of the High Peaks, but it ought to be reasonably quiet on a weekday in January. It is "easy" because you do a lot of the climb in your car. There is a huge climb from Keene to the trailhead on Route 73, so you've already done a good portion of the vertical. Also we don't have to hike to get to the mountain, we start climbing up it, almost as soon as we leave the trailhead. It has an awesome rocky summit with 360° views. It is 2.4 miles to its summit with a gain of 2000’, the equivalent of climbing Potash two times. It is often windy, so bring some extra clothing for the top. We probably won't hang around too long on the summit. There is a decent place to have a snack on the way down, where the trail intersects with the trail to Porter. I'm usually pretty lucky with the weather, so let’s hope for a bluebird day. Micro-spikes and snowshoes are a must. CTL at 8:15 for departure 8:30; or the High Peaks Rest Area at 9:20; or the trailhead at 10:15. January 17  #20.1794  Spruce Mountain Lake George Hike  Tim Ward  BD The only time that this hike was done before as an official Canes hike was back in September 1999 by Chuck and Edythe Bennett so it is LONG overdue and this is a new route. There are a number of Spruce Mountains that we are familiar with - this one is located on the east side of Lake George a few miles NE of Huletts Landing. We'll park at the plowed end of a dirt road above Clemons about eight miles north of the South Bay bridge, north of the Village of Whitehall. We'll visit a one room school house deep in the woods last used in 1942 at the height of land with a swamp just downhill. If you're into poetry this is hard to beat. From here we'll ascend on a trail laid out by Richard Hayes Phillips, of Cat Mountain fame, up about 750+ vertical feet in about 2+ miles. Spruce Mountain has a splendid view of the Lake George Narrows and the distant High Peaks. While only spikes on a few short sections will be needed there are some dicey sections that utmost care needs to be taken. The weather forecast is calling for sunny skies, a high temp of 14°-18° and winds 5-10mph. Meet at CTL at 9:00 for departure at 9:15; or at the NYS DEC Boat Launch on NY 22 on the north side of the causeway crossing South Bay at 9:50. Contact by email is preferred - click my name above; calling is discouraged though if you must, please find my number on the Attendee List. Bonus January 22  Blue Mountain Snowshoe  ★  Leo Demers  518-587-8299  BS ~ BD Blue Mountain is located only a few miles NE of the hamlet of Blue Mountain in Hamilton County. At 3,760’ it is one of the taller peaks in the Adirondacks but shy of qualifying as one of the High Peaks. Nonetheless, the views from its flat summit are expansive and from the fire tower - panoramic. It is also one of the qualifying towers of the ADK Fire Tower Challenge. The trailhead is located at a large parking lot on the east side of NY30/28N, just north of Adirondack Experience, the Museum on Blue Mountain Lake. From there we follow a moderately steep trail, with the steepest pitches near the top, for 2 miles with a 1,550’ gain to the flat topped summit and its tower. The trail will most likely be snow covered but may be broken so bring both snowshoes and spikes. Meet at CTL at 8:15 for departure at 8:30; or the Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9:00; or at trailhead at 10:00. We plan on making a short pit stop at Stewart’s in Indian Lake at 9:45 before proceeding to the trailhead. January 23  #20.1795  Goodnow Mountain Snowshoe ★  Dan Forbush  518-487-0165   BS Located in the 15,000-acre Huntington Wildlife Forest owned by the College of Environmental Science and Forestry (ESF) at Syracuse University, Goodnow Mountain -- at 2,690 feet -- is one of the qualifying towers of the ADK Fire Tower Challenge. The round trip is about 4 miles with an elevation gain of about 1,000 feet. On a nice day, the view from its fire tower is one of the best in the Adirondacks. The most prominent mountain seen from the summit tower is Santanoni, but many of the other High Peaks are also visible. Views of the great forest preserve stretching out to the south can be enjoyed without climbing the tower. Meet at CTL at 8:45, departing at 9:00; or at the Black Bear Restaurant, Northway Exit 26 at 9:30; or the trailhead at 10:30. Please feel free to offer a ski outing as an alternate outing on this date. If possible, let us know details of your A-TEAM! / Alternate outing ahead of time so we can post it or offer it via email as the date gets closer. January 30  #20.1796  Peaked Mountain Pond and Peak Snowshoe  ★  Eric Potter  512-923-3031  BS ~ BD This outing is being offered as a combo-outing – one for those wanting to snowshoe to a beautiful remote pond as their destination (more challenging than a normal A-Team! outing but not much more) and the other to go a bit farther, visit the pond and climb the nearby peak. From the trailhead at the northern end of Thirteenth Lake we will follow a relatively flat trail for .9 miles to Peaked Mtn. Brook. From here we will continue on the marked trail northwest along the brook for an additional gradual ascent passing several wild marshy areas. At 1.8 miles, after gaining 600’, we reach the shore of scenic Peaked Mtn. Pond, offering good views of the cliff faced mountain the pond was named after. This will be the destination and turnaround point for those not going to Peaked Mtn. and a good place for everyone to have lunch. For those who have chosen to go on to Peaked Mtn. it is an additional .5 miles, gaining an additional 650’, fairly steep in places, with potentially icy conditions. However, efforts are rewarded at the 2919’ summit with spectacular views in all directions. The total RT mileage is 5.4 miles for those going to the pond with a gain of 600’ and 6.4 miles and a 1250’ gain for those climbing the mountain. Meet at CTL at 8:30 for a departure at 8:45 for both groups (please plan carpooling according to whether or not you will climb Peaked Mtn.); or Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9:15; or the trailhead at around 10:00; additionally, we plan on a short pit stop at Stewart’s in North Creek at 9:25. ***A note about footwear – for those going to the pond and back snowshoes and spikes; for those going on to the Mountain – snowshoes and make sure that your spikes are SHARP to deal with potentially very hard ice on the final climb. Please feel free to offer a ski outing as an alternate outing on this date. If possible, let us know details of your Alternate/Bonus outing ahead of time so we can post it or offer it via email as the date gets closer. January 30  #20.1796A  Walkabout At Skidmore North Woods  Barbara Zuccaro  518-791-4743  GC Join Barbara on her first CC lead on a walk-about of Skidmore’s North Woods located just off North Broadway in Saratoga Springs. Due to considerable construction, parking and trailhead access have been restricted from prior years. As a result, we will meet at the Palamountain Parking Lot on Perimeter Road and proceed to the Falstaff trailhead directly across the street. From the trailhead we will hike a total of between 2-3 miles with a gain of ~350’ on well marked trails over mostly rolling terrain throughout the nearly 160 acres. Following the hike we will have lunch at the Murray-Aikins Dining Hall, walking distance from our cars. At the food court type dining hall you will be able to choose from a wide variety of food choices from soup, pizza, pasta, fresh made breads and of course desserts –too much to mention – this is an all you can eat lunch for $10.50 - such a deal! Meet at the Palamountain Parking Lot at 10:00 – turn left from North Broadway, Saratoga, into the campus using either the main entrance or the adjacent service road (815 N. Broadway for those using a GPS) then turn right onto Perimeter Rd. Continue on Perimeter Rd. for ~ .3 mile to the parking lot on the left – directly across the street from the Falstaff's Pavillion and trailhead. Suggestions for appropriate footwear will be sent out as the hike day gets closer. February 6  #20.1797  MOVED UP TO FEBRUARY 5TH  OK Slip Falls Snowshoe  ★  Linda Fedorick  518-893-2629  BS      Note from Linda:   The OK Slip Falls Snowshoe is being moved up by one day to Wednesday, February 5th in order to take advantage of some good weather. I’m not a big fan of weather forecasts but it is all we have and Wednesday is looking fairly nice. The forecast is calling for partly sunny skies with a high of 24°. Tuesday is going to be a partially wet day with a wintry mix during the day and some snow during the night to add a new covering snow but little accumulation. Thursday is calling for a snow/sleet mix during the day, snow at night with Friday a snow event – thus the change. Unfortunately, Linda is unable to scout the trail and didn’t ask me to do it either so we’re going to delay the decision as to footwear. The trail was snow covered last week but since it is a popular destination it is most likely broken and well packed. Bring snowshoes and spikes just in case – we will decide at the trailhead. Except for the date change all other information is the same.      Always a Canes favorite so Linda would like to try her hand at leading this one. OK Slip Falls is one of the highest waterfalls in the Adirondacks with over a 200’ free fall – frozen this time of year so the view should be quite different to those of you who have visited it in other seasons. The trailhead is located on the north side of Rt 28, ~10 miles west of the hamlet of North Creek with excellent parking available on the south side, before the trailhead. From the trailhead the well marked trail takes us through a variety of woods from mixed hardwoods to evergreens with some ups and downs for a total of slightly over 3 miles one-way and a gain of ~800’ to two overlooks with great views of the falls and our lunch spot. CTL at 8:45 for a 9:00 departure; or the Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9:30; or the Stewart’s in North Creek at 9:40 for a short pit stop; or the trailhead at 10:00 ish. February 13   #20.1798    Changed to Wednesday, 2/12 Holmes Lake Snowshoe  ★   Lenore And Jack Reber    L. 518-859-8555  J 518791-4707    BS    A note from Lenore and Jack: " Planning winter hikes is always a challenge. We've decided to change our snowshoe to Holmes Lake to WEDNESDAY. Tuesday and Thursday have precipitation and Friday looks too cold. So Wednesday looks pretty good.  We scouted the hike today. Only minor drizzle. The first part of the trail is now broken by an elderly couple whose last name is a palindrome. The majority of the trail has been groomed by snowmobiles. Yippee! We recommend snowshoes. The total estimated distance for the hike is 5 miles with some hilly spots, but nothing very challenging. The snow was beautiful today, but did fall off the trees. You might want to wear a hood to protect your neck from ice.  The challenge is parking. We found a spot at the end of Holmes Road which could accomodate about 5 cars. It's private property, but we obtained permission to park there from the owner. Any extra cars will have to park at the beginning of Holmes Lake Road on the main road. There is alot of snow out there.  Meet at the Amtrak station in Saratoga Springs at 9:00 for departure at 9:15; or at the Fulton County Visitor Center at the NE corner of Rts. 29 & 30 at 9:45. Please call us if you MUST meet us at the beginning of Holmes Lake Road."  Original posting: Holmes Lake is a picturesque body of water in the Shaker Mountain Wild Forest of the southwestern Adirondacks, last visited by the Canes in February 2013. For those of you who are familiar with XC skiing at Lapland Lake, the trailhead is ~8 miles west on the Benson Rd. or ~17 miles NW of the visitor center at Vail Mills, one of our meeting places. Our route follows a dirt road for the first 1.3 miles (snowmobile trail in the winter) before arriving at a gate where the official trail begins. From this point we continue to follow an abandoned dirt road, more like a trail, for an additional 1 mile to the lean-to and lunch. Here we will have an opportunity to walk a short distance to the lake and explore it if we like. The total estimated distance for the hike is 5 miles with ~400’ of gain. Meet at the Amtrak station in Saratoga Springs at 9:00 for departure at 9:15; or at the Fulton County Visitor Center at the NE corner of Rts. 29 & 30 at 9:45; or the trailhead parking at the intersection of Benson Rd. (CR 125) and Holmes Rd. at 10:15.    A-TEAM!  ??? February 20   #20.1799    !!! Moved to February 21 !!! Wolf Pond Snowshoe   ★   Linda Fedorick    518-893-2629   BS Wolf Pond is a small pond located in the Town of North Hudson, with its trailhead located ~12 miles W of Exit 29 of the Northway on the north side of Blue Ridge Road, immediately before crossing the Boreas River. From the parking area we will follow the marked trail NE, first along Wolf Pond Brook, then veering away from the brook through mixed forest on the undulating trail for ~2.4 miles before coming to the lean-to near the shore of the pond. It is anticipated that conditions will allow for us to walk onto the pond for great views of some of the High Peaks and surrounding mountains. The total RT distance is 5 miles with perhaps a 600’ gain, spread evenly over its length. CTL at 8:45 for a 9:00 departure; or the trailhead at 10:00ish. Other locations upon request.   A-TEAM!  ??? BONUS   February 23   Peter Fedorick   Visit the Tupelos in Lincoln Mountain State Forest   Peter Fedorick 518-893-2629   BS A Sunday outing on snowshoes to visit the tupelo trees of Lincoln Mountain State Forest. These trees are some of the oldest in New York State with a few over 600 years old and located just outside of Saratoga Springs in the Town of Greenfield. Meet at the Town of Greenfield Community Center at the intersection of RT 9N and Wilton Rd/CR36 at 10:00 for a 10:15 departure. Parking is limited at the trailhead so we need to carpool as much as possible – please do not proceed directly to the TH. Not a long day (maybe 3hrs) but should bring lunch or a snack and don't forget your snowshoes! There is a Stewart’s just south of the town hall on RT 9N for a bathroom stop before the hike. I will have my cell phone on after 9:45 - 518-419-7528. Hope you area able to join me on this Sunday stroll - this is a bushwhack through open forest and a frozen swamp - a couple of miles in length with only a few ups and downs. February 27    #20-1800  !! CANCELLED DUE TO WX !!   Lapland Lake XC Ski   Fran Herve    H: 518-899-3216   C: 518-522-3998        A Note From Fran: "The forecast for Thursday does not sound good at all but I hope the weather people are wrong and I hate to cancel! So if it does not look too bad out the window I will check the conditions on the Lapland Lake website (laplandlake.com). If anyone is still interested in going call me between 7:30 and 8:00 AM on Thursday and we'll figure out where to meet. If I don't hear from anybody and I still decide to go to Lapland Lk I will not stop at any of the previously planned meeting points.     Original outing text: The Lapland Lake Ski Center is located in the Town of Benson, Hamilton County, ~8.5 miles west of NY30 off the Benson- Bleecker Rd.(CR 6) which is ~18.5 miles north on Rt. 30 from the visitor center at Vail Mills, one of our meeting places. Lapland Lake offers 38K of beautifully groomed trails of varying lengths and difficulty in a picturesque forest setting and is known for offering skiing when other ski centers are looking for snow. While many of you have skied Lapland over the years on your own it has been 10 years since it has been offered as a Canes outing when Fran offered it on a regular basis. We will ski as many of the trails that you would like, the selection to be made on the day of the ski. You may bring your own lunch or buy food at the Kuuma Feeding Station, located on the second floor of the Finnish Line Lodge, offering a wide variety of menu items. The trail fee is $20.00 for seniors (65+). Meet at the Amtrak station in Saratoga Springs at 8:45 for departure at 9:00; or at the Fulton County Visitor Center at the NE corner of Rts. 29 & 30 at 9:30; or at Lapland Lake at 10:15ish. For non-skiers please feel free to offer a snowshoe hike as an alternate outing on this date. Fran indicated that they will be skiing all levels of trails from easiest to double black diamond. If possible, let us know details of your A-TEAM! or Alternate outing ahead of time so we can post it or offer it via email as the date gets closer.   A-TEAM!  ??? February 27   #20-1800ALT  !!! Cancelled Due To WX !!!    Clear and John Ponds Loop Snowshoe   Eric Potter   512-923-3031     BS Clear and John Ponds are located in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, due south of the hamlet of Indian Lake. From the Clear Pond trailhead at the intersection of Lakeview Dr. and Wilderness Lane we will travel a 5 mile loop in a clockwise direction, through varied terrain including open meadows and pine and mature deciduous forest with views of Bullhead Mountain, lovely John Pond Brook and of course Clear and John Ponds. The trail is relatively flat for the first quarter of a mile before it starts to climb slightly, gaining ~250’ before reaching the short spur trail to Clear Pond at 1.1 miles, then a gentle downhill to a spur trail at 2.4 miles that will lead us to a lean-to on John Pond where we will have lunch. After lunch we continue on the long gentle downhill back to the cars, stopping to visit an old fish barrier dam and a couple of gravesites from 1897 on the way. Meet at CTL at 8:30 for departure at 8:45; or Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9:15; or the Lake Abanakee parking lot at 9:55, on the south side of NY 28 immediately before crossing the causeway over Lake Abanakee; additionally, we plan on a short pit stop at Stewart’s in North Creek at 9:25. Parking at the trailhead is limited (shoulder of Wilderness Lane) so please plan to meet only at the designated locations, not the trailhead – we will consolidate cars as much as possible before proceeding to the trailhead. BONUS March 1   Pinnacle Mountain Ice Walls   Peter Fedorick   H 518-893-2629  C 518-419-7528    BS The Pinnacle Mountain Ice Walls are located on the NW side of Pinnacle Mountain in-between County Line and Chase Lakes, along Pinnacle Creek, in the Town of Bleecker, Fulton County. We will follow the marked trail to County Line Lake for ~1 mile before bushwhacking through mixed hardwoods and skirting a couple of vlies to the three locations of the ice formations – Butterscotch, Big Blue and Ice Alley, each unique in their colors, for a total distance of ~5 miles RT and an accumulated gain of nearly 900’. While some of the formations may not be as big as in past years they still are quite beautiful and this is a chance for you to visit a rather remote part of the Adirondacks. Since my scout last week the area has experienced a variety of weather from snow to rain, back to snow with temps varying like a roller coaster. Recently the area received 4” of new snow on top of a 9-16” base so conditions should be fine but there will also be places of deeper snow and thick woods depending on my route. The weather forecast for Sunday is calling for sunny skies, high temp of 26° and light winds. Be advised that while it may be possible to use spikes on a portion of the route, snowshoes will be REQUIRED once we get close to the formations and remember this is primarily a bushwhack. The trailhead is located at the end of Pinnacle Rd about 22 miles from the Fulton County Visitor's Center located on the NE corner of NY 29 and 30 in Vail Mills. Meet at the Amtrak station in Saratoga Springs at 8:45 for departure at 9:00; or at the Fulton County Visitor Center at the NE corner of Rts. 29 & 30 at 9:35ish; or the trailhead parking at the end of Pinnacle Rd. at 10:15ish. I will have my cell phone on beginning at 8:30 but there is no reception at the TH. March 5   #20-1801   Santanoni Ski  ★  Kim Brown   908-305-8357   BS We will ski to the Great Camp Santanoni which lies at the east end of Newcomb Lake. This camp, one of the largest of its kind built more than a century ago by Robert Pruyn, has been reconstructed as a historical site. The trip into the camp is gently uphill most of the way and then downhill to the camp for a RT of 10 miles. Plan on lunch at the Great Camp. Meet at CTL at 8:45 for departure at 9:00 or Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9.30.   A-TEAM!  ??? March 5   #20-1801ALT   Trails of the AIC at Newcomb Snowshoe    Peter Fedorick    518-893-2629   BS For non-skiers or for those that would like to take a break from skiing we will be snowshoeing the ~4 miles of trails on property located at the Adirondack Interpretive Center. Trails are well marked with some ups and downs that pass through a variety of forest types. Depending on conditions we may leave the trail for a short time and snowshoe around the peninsula on Rich Lake. The pace will be leisurely. Unfortunately, the Interpretive Center is no longer open during the week so lunch will be in a sunny spot somewhere along our route. Meet at CTL at 8:45 for departure at 9:00 or Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9.30. We will stop at the Town of Newcomb’s skating rink warming hut for a pit stop and a place to put on our boots and outerwear. March 5   #20-1801A   Sullivan's Preserve   Don McMahon And Bonnie Whitman    D   518-832-7396  B 518- 636-8432    GC Bonnie has discovered a 'new-to-us" Preserve opposite from the Docksider restaurant on Glen Lake, called Sullivan's Preserve. Our intent is to explore and see what's there. We know it has lots of little hills, basically ups and downs of up to 50 feet, and offers about 2 miles of trails in the woods. We will meet anyone else who is interested at CTL at 9:45 to start from there at 10 am. The preserve has room for only a few cars so we might want to condense down. There is also the possibility of lunch at the Docksider restaurant afterwards. Bring microspikes. March 12  #20-1802  Dippikill Snowshoe  Linda Fedorick  518-893-2629   GC Dippikill is a wilderness retreat facility owned by the Student Association of the University at Albany with a number of hiking trails, located near The Glen in the Town of Thurman . We will walk a ridge to the summit of Dippikill Mtn. and have lunch at a lookout with views of the Hudson River and surrounding mountains. We will then descend to Dippikill Pond, returning to the parking area along the east side trail with nice views of the pond, stopping at a lean-to on the way. Total distance is a little over 4 miles with ~700 gain. Restrooms are available at the trailhead. CTL or meet at the Dippikill Parking lot at 10:00.      ****  IMPORTANT INFORMATION – MANDATORY READING  ****    As of late summer 2019 Dippikill is no longer open to the public.  However, access is allowed to students of SUNY Albany and its alumni (and guests) as long as certain procedures are followed. These procedures include checking in at the registration building to obtain a parking permit and the alumnus/alumna must be in attendance during the hike.      Fortunately, Peter is an alumnus and has made arrangements for the Canes to hike the trails and will join us on the hike; he will also take care of obtaining the necessary parking permits and requests that anyone planning on driving directly to the Dippikill parking lot please let him know ahead of time. Also, if you are an SUNY Albany alumni and plan on attending this or any future hike at Dippikill let Peter know.   A-TEAM!  ??? March 12 #20-1802A   Old Gick Farm Hike   Don McMahon And Bonnie Whitman    D   518-832-7396  B 518- 636-8432    GC Located on Rt. 50 about 1 mile south of Scout Road. Hopefully with the warmer weather and the open fields we will not need microspikes. Expect about 3 miles of level walking. We will return to the parking lot for lunch and, if there is interest, we can hike across the street on the Fox Farm preserve in the afternoon. Meet at the Old Gick Farm Parking lot at 9:45 am. March 19  #20-1803 Cancelled: CV-19  Clear and John Ponds Loop Snowshoe   Eric Potter  512-923-3031  BS This is a re-schedule of the February 27th snowshoe canceled due to inclement weather. Clear and John Ponds are located in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, due south of the hamlet of Indian Lake. From the Clear Pond trailhead at the intersection of Lakeview Dr. and Wilderness Lane we will travel a 5 mile loop in a clockwise direction, through varied terrain including open meadows and pine and mature deciduous forest with views of Bullhead Mountain, lovely John Pond Brook and of course Clear and John Ponds. The trail is relatively flat for the first quarter of a mile before it starts to climb slightly, gaining ~250’ before reaching the short spur trail to Clear Pond at 1.1 miles, then a gentle downhill to a spur trail at 2.4 miles that will lead us to a lean-to on John Pond where we will have lunch. After lunch we continue on the long gentle downhill back to the cars, stopping to visit an old fish barrier dam and a couple of gravesites from 1897 on the way. CTL 8:30 for departure at 8:45; or Town of Johnsburg Court House in Wevertown at 9:15; or the Lake Abanakee parking lot at 9:55, on the south side of NY 28 immediately before crossing the causeway over Lake Abanakee; additionally, we plan on a short pit stop at Stewart’s in North Creek at 9:25. Parking at the trailhead is limited (shoulder of Wilderness Lane) so please plan to meet only at the designated locations, not the trailhead – we will consolidate cars as much as possible before proceeding to the trailhead.  A-TEAM!  ??? March 26  #20-1804 Cancelled: CV-19   No Outing Scheduled  Schedule the outing YOU PLAN TO LEAD on March 26 by contacting Peter Fedorick April 2  #20-1805 Cancelled: CV-19  No Outing Scheduled Schedule the outing YOU PLAN TO LEAD on April 2 by contacting Peter Fedorick April 9  #20-1806 Cancelled: CV-19  Destination Pending  Diane and Kurt Wisell  D 518-796-1993  K 518-796-5495 Destination pending, details in a couple of weeks April 16  #20-1807 Cancelled: CV-19  Buck Mountain from the North  Steve Mackey  518-793-6484  BS This trail starts from Shelving Rock Road near Dacy Clearing. There are designated parking spots for the trail on each side of the road as well as a dispersed camping spot near the trailhead. This trail winds its way through the forest with a few ups and downs for the first mile. The trail then climbs more steadily with a few flat sections to catch your breath before making your way to the top. While this trail does not reward you with any views until you reach the summit, it is an enjoyable hike and a shorter approach to the summit than the trail from Pilot Knob. Total distance ~5 miles, with 1,130’ of elevation gain. This route gets a lot less use, so hopefully we will have the trail all to ourselves. Meet at CTL at 8:45 for departure at 9:00 or at the Buck Mtn. trailhead on Shelving Rock Rd at 9:45. For those of you aspiring to obtain the Lake George 12ster patch this is your chance to reach the top of one of the required mountains. April 16  #20-1807A Cancelled: CV-19  ★   Denis Foley   518 330-8479   GC Join Denis on an approximate 5 mile walk on the trails of the Saratoga SPA State Park. Details to follow.  April 23  #20-1808 Cancelled: CV-19  No Outing Scheduled Schedule the outing YOU PLAN TO LEAD on April 23 by contacting Peter Fedorick April 23  #20-1808A  Cancelled: CV-19 ; Vischer Ferry Preserve Walk   Fran Herve   H 518-899-3216   C 518-226-1937  GC We’ll walk about 4 miles on the historic towpath and nature trails. The terrain is flat and the pace will be slow. It is the perfect place to read about the history of this area and for bird watching so you may want to bring binoculars. The migratory birds will be back from the South and flowers will be popping up all over! Lunch will be at a small picnic area. Meet at 9:15 at the Malta Exit 12 Park and Ride just east of the Northway near Panera’s and we’ll drive to the Preserve and park on Riverview Rd. at the Whipple Bridge parking lot across from Van Vranken Rd. The parking lot is small so carpooling is encouraged; we should arrive there at 9:50 ish. Detailed information and maps are HERE April 30  #20-1809  Cancelled: CV-19   Destination Pending  Lenore & Jack Reber  518-859-8555  GC The outing will be either a bike ride in the Greenwich area – (see Ice Cream Man Bike Ride from June 1, 2017 or maybe we'll hike the Stonewall Trail at Moreau Lake State Park – see Moreau SP/Stonewall Trail from February 26, 2016  Outing choice and specific details will be made available as the date gets closer. Outings suspended from 5/1/20 through 9/23/20 due to Covid pandemic. September 24  #20-1810   Cat Mountain Hike  Sandy & Bob Powell  518-543-6290  C 518-538-8758 Cat Mountain is part of the Cat and Thomas Mountain Preserve located west of Bolton Landing. Previously owned by the Lake George Land Conservancy the lands are now owned by the state of NY and part of the Adirondack Forest Preserve. The Lake George Land Conservancy maintains the trails of the preserve through DEC's volunteer stewardship agreement. From the Edgecomb Pond trailhead we will follow the red trail, with some steep sections, to the summit and panoramic views of Lake George and the surrounding mountains. After a leisurely lunch we will return to the parking lot via the blue trail – a combination of an old logging road and a woods trail. Total RT distance is less than 5 miles with a gain of ~900’. We are abiding by social distancing so we will continue to minimize carpooling, always a personal choice, and keep a safe distance from one another during the hike. If you are uncomfortable hiking in groups of 10 or more you may want to skip this hike although maintaining social distancing on this hike is easy. Meet at the Edgecomb Pond Trailhead at 10:00. If you have any questions please email or call. October 1    #20-1811    Hopkins Mountain via Ranney Trail Hike  Scott Anderson    518-955-7991 5.4 mi RT and 2,140’ ascent takes you to an open rock summit with views of the High Peaks. We will see what the leaves are up to and how the colors are doing. For the first 2 mi the Ranney trail is a steady and moderate climb. The upper 0.7 mi is steeper and rougher, but not too bad. Please be at the Rooster Comb parking lot at 9:30 and ready to start hiking at 10:00. The Rooster Comb parking lot is on Rt 73, ¼ mile before the Noonmark Diner in Keene. There could be showers, so don't forget your raincoat! If you have any questions you can email or call. I don't think Keene has cell service so if you are late and hussle, you could probably catch up, as the pace is expected to be slow. We are abiding by social distancing so we will continue to minimize carpooling, always a personal choice, and keep a safe distance from one another during the hike. Hope to see you Thursday! October 1   #20-1811A   Walk-about of the Hennig Preserve Trails   Linda Fedorick   518-893-2629 Since I thought the hike of Hopkins Mountain was a bit too much of a challenge I thought I would offer a walk-about of some of the trails of the Hennig Preserve as an A-Team option. The Hennig Preserve is owned by Saratoga PLAN and is located on Centerline Rd. in the Town of Providence, about 13 miles west of Saratoga Springs. There are over 10 miles of trails, including the trails in the adjacent Homestead County Forest owned by Saratoga County. Our hike will be limited to between 3-4 miles in length over generally flat terrain with some ups and downs. For those of you who are familiar with the preserve we will be hiking on the north side of the preserve and include a portion of the yellow and both of the white marked trails. These particular trails are considered a wood’s walk with no panoramic views or lakes but we will pass old stone walls and a cellar hole of an old homestead – our pace will be leisurely. A lunch is not planned but we will have time for a couple of lengthy stops for snacks. Meet at the main kiosk at the Hennig Preserve sign on Centerline Road at 10:00. If you have any questions please email or call. I will have my cell phone on the day of the hike 518-764-9233. To visit Saratoga PLAN's website for a preserve map, additional information and directions click the outing title above. There are a number of ways to reach the Hennig Preserve and in the past we have used the Amtrak Station as a meeting place so these are the directions from the station. For those using a GPS navigator try using 200 Centerline Rd., Middle Grove, NY (or Galway if Middle Grove doesn’t work)] - that will get you close. From West Ave and Station Lane drive S on West Ave. ~.25 mi to NY 29 and turn R; continue on NY 29 (W) for ~9.7 mi and turn R on to Antioch Rd (just after the East Galway sign the road makes a sharp bend back); continue on Antioch Rd to the end, ~3.5 mi, and turn R on to Wileytown Rd; continue on Wileytown for ~1 mi and turn L on to Centerline Rd; continue on Centerline Rd for ~1.25 miles to the preserve sign on the left. BONUS   October 3   Crane Mountain Hike   Peter Fedorick   518-893-2629 We haven't hiked Crane Mountain as an “official” Cane outing in quite some time so I thought it would be a good choice for a fall hike. From the trailhead at the end of Ski Hi Road, W of Thurman, we will hike a counterclockwise route of approximately 3.5 miles and a gain of ~1,400' with some steep sections (1,200' gain in the first mile). There are spectacular views in all directions from the many open areas on top the 3,250' high summit. We intend to spend a leisurely time on top, allowing additional time for exploration for hidden overlooks. From the summit we descend to picturesque Crane Mtn. Pond and near the outlet we will attempt to locate the herd path that will lead us along a ridge to the top of the lesser summit of Crane Mtn. (a.k.a. Crane Pond Hill, 2,860') that will allow us to view Crane Mtn. and its namesake pond from a different viewpoint than from prior hikes. This side trip will add about .6 miles and 250'gain to our route. While this hike is rated as moderate by a number of the hiking websites I would rate it as difficult – there are a number of steep sections and lots of rock scrambling as well as a couple of ladders to navigate – all doable but I wanted to be honest. (please contact me if you would like detailed directions) or for those of you who would rather caravan to the TH from Warrensburg meet at the N end of the Price Chopper parking lot at 8:15ish. If you have any questions please email or call. I will have my cell phone on during the day of the hike, 518-419-7528. October 8   #20.1812   Mohawk Towpath Byway Bike  Shelly Nevard   518-461-8656   Starting at the Terminal Road access to the Byway, located at the NE corner of the Crescent Bridge in Halfmoon on Route 9, we will bike west a distance of approximately 8.5 miles to the Lock 7 Overlook where we will have lunch on the shore of the Mohawk. After an anticipated leisurely lunch we will most likely return by biking east on the hard-packed dirt trail that follows the river to the hamlet of Vischer Ferry and stop at the General Store for a treat. We will continue our return by biking a local road and rejoining the Byway by crossing the historic Whipple Bridge. The section of the Byway we will be biking is a windy but generally flat, well maintained stone dust path suitable for all types of bikes with an estimated total of 17 miles. We will meet at the Terminal Road access at 10:00 where there is good parking and a short walk to Stewart's to pick up something you forgot or use the restrooms. ***The access to the Towpath that we will use is easily reached from the Northway and has adequate parking; therefore no additional meeting places are planned. The Terminal Rd access point can be reached from the Northway from the south by using exit 7 to Rt. 9. Continue north on Rt. 9 for ~4.7 miles and turn R on terminal Rd immediately after crossing the Crescent Bridge. Those traveling from the north can use either exit 8A or 8. From exit 8A turn L off the ramp and continue on CR 91(Grooms Rd) for ~1.4 miles to Rt. 9. Turn R on Rt. 9 and continue south for ~1 mile and turn L on to Terminal Rd. From exit 8 turn L off the ramp and continue on Vischer Ferry Rd for ~1.75 miles to Rt. 9 – cross to Terminal Rd. For those that do not bike, please feel free to offer a hike or paddle as an Alternate outing on this date. October 8   #20.1812 ALT   Blueberry Hill Trails & Hill 617    Diane & Kurt Wisell   D 1 518-796-5495  K 518-796-5495   This will be our second trip to Elizabethtown's Blueberry Hill Trails and Hill 617, our first being May of 2018. The views are outstanding from the summit of Hill 617. After the Hill, we will go to a lean-to below where the views are terrific and a great place to relax before heading home. Our hike is about 5 miles with 1300' ish feet of elevation gain. The hike to 617 is on nice walking / mountain bike trail; the lean-to walk is on well used woods trail.  Meet at the High Peaks Rest Area at 9:15, depart at 9.30. BONUS October 9   Nun-da-ga-o Ridge & Weston Mtn. Loop Hike    Peter Fedorick   518-893-2629 NOTE!!!    BD Rating: Must Contact Outing Leader Before Attending! Back by popular demand – to many, it is one of their favorite non-High Peak hikes – especially during the fall. From the Crow Clearing parking area we will hike in a clockwise direction and include a visit to Big Crow Mtn. before continuing along the ups and downs of the Soda Range, with its seemingly endless views of the surrounding mountains and valleys below, to Weston Mountain. From there we will descend to Lost Pond, then to the junction with the Hurricane Mtn. Trail which we will follow to the parking lot - completing a loop of ~6 miles and an accumulated gain of ~1700’ (most trail descriptions say 1500’ but there are lots of ups and downs that are not included in that number). Please check the WX link for the up-to-date forecast but as of today it is calling for sunny skies, a high of 54° with light winds. The parking lot at the end of O’Toole Rd. is small and it would be helpful if some of us would carpool a short distance – say from the large pull-off at the intersection of Rt 73 and 9N. This, of course, would be a personal choice and masks would be worn during these last few miles. Meet at the High Peaks Rest Area North at 8:45. Also, effective immediately, all Black Diamond rated outings require that you contact the leader before you attend so please call or email me if you have any questions or plan on attending. I will have my cell phone on during the day of the hike, 518-419-7528. BONUS    October 10   Balm of Gilead, William Blake Pond & Hooper Mine   Peter Fedorick   518-893-2629 This is sort of a new hike for the Canes – I don’t recall ever doing this hike other than in the winter. The trailhead to Balm of Gilead Mt is located adjacent to the Garnet Hill Ski complex in North River, parking available in front of the tennis courts. Our ~3 mile loop will first take us to the summit of Balm of Gilead Mt, which offers extensive views west, including Thirteenth Lake. From just below the summit we will bushwhack to the sunny shores of William Blake Pond for lunch, before continuing our return to the abandoned Hooper Garnet Mine for some exploration and back to the starting point. Total elevation gain of ~750’. Please refer to the Corona Virus Advisory page on your way to the Current Outing Schedule. Maintaining social distancing is easy on this hike except for the overlook atop Balm of Gilead, please be courteous and wait your turn for a view and please bring a face mask on the hike. Meet at the Stewart’s in North Creek at 9:30 OR the trailhead at 10:00. If you have any questions please email or call. I will have my cell phone on during the day of the hike, 518-419-7528. October 15 #20-1813 Chimney Mountain Hike Peter Fedorick 518-893-2629 Chimney Mountain is located about 7 miles south of the hamlet of Indian Lake in the Siamese Wilderness Area. The hike of Chimney Mountain is a relatively short hike, sometimes steep, less than 3 miles round-trip with an 800’ gain. However, while it isn’t long in distance it makes up with its “explore” factor and lots of lingering time. In the majority of cases the unique rock formations that dot the summit area are the main attraction and the true summit, with its expansive views, is often missed – our hike will include both with lunch at the true summit followed by an exploration of the rock formations adjacent to the true summit (the east wall), and then a short hike to the west wall for views looking back at the famous chimney. Please refer to the information at the top of the page for Covid 19 related information. There are places in the rock formations where it may be difficult to maintain the appropriate distance from one another so please bring a face mask. The trailhead is on private property (Cabins at Chimney Mountain) and there is a parking fee of $5 per car. Meet at the trailhead at 10:00 (please contact me if you would like detailed directions) or if you prefer, meet at the Stewart’s in North Creek at 9:00ish and we will caravan to the TH (a 45 minute drive). BONUS  October20  !---POSTPONED TO FRIDAY, OCT 23---!    Saddles State Forest Loop Hike   Tim Ward   518-415-9172 The Saddles State Forest is comprised of ~2,500 acres of forest land located in the Towns of Fort Ann and Whitehall between NY 4 and the east shore of South Bay. The trailhead and parking lot are located at the end of an access road south of the Village of Whitehall. Up to recently the trails in the state forest were a combination of blazed trails and wood roads; however, through the efforts of Tim and his friend Molly, along with the oversight of NYSDEC staff, the trails have been improved and are now marked with official DEC markers. Improvements include stone bridges and stairways, switchbacks, terracing, waterbars and other features that you would expect on an official DEC trail. This hike will focus primarily on a loop hike of 8.6 mi with a total of ~2,700’ gain and will include North Saddle, West Mountain, a waterfall and the shore of South Bay. Some of the views that can be expected are Black and Sugarloaf Mtns., some of the High Peaks, mountains of Vermont, South Bay and the cliffs of the Diameter at its outlet. However, for those of you who would like a shorter, less challenging adventure an option will be offered. The shorter hike up North Saddle would be on the same trail, just not continuing down to the lake. People could retrace their steps from there or go for a few other options. This route would be 4.5 miles with a total gain of 800’. Options will be discussed at the beginning of the hike. Please refer to the Corona Virus Advisory page on your way to the Current Outing Schedule. Maintaining social distancing is easy on this hike; however, there are overlooks along the route where it may be difficult to do so - please be courteous and wait your turn for a view and please bring a face mask on the hike. Meet at the trailhead at 9:00 – see below for directions. Black Diamond rated outings require that you contact the leader before you attend so you must contact Tim if you have any questions or plan on attending – email preferred. Directions to the trailhead: For convenience sake directions are from the intersection of NY 149 and US 4 in the Village of Fort Ann. From the intersection proceed N on US 4 for ~9 miles to the Champlain Beef Co. on your L. Immediately before their entrance you will see a large DEC sign for Saddles State Forest – proceed on the dirt access road for .25 mi to the parking area. October 22   #20-1814   Fifth Peak Lean-To Hike  Katie Henrikson   Home 518-533-7441   Camp 518-494-7405   Katie had planned on taking her grandson to the Fifth Peak Lean-to so decided to turn it into a CC hike! The 5.2 mile RT hike begins at the popular Clay Meadows parking lot located approximately 6mi north of the hamlet of Bolton Landing on the east side of NY 9N. From the trailhead we will hike on a relatively flat trail for the first 1/2 mile before beginning a somewhat steep and continuous climb for the next mile, gaining 1000’. At this point the trail becomes less steep but still climbs in the final 1.1 mile, gaining another 500’ to the top of Fifth Peak and a lean-to. From the overlook near the lean-to we should have excellent views of the Lake George Narrows, portions of Northwest Bay, the southern end of the Tongue Mountain Range and the mountains that surround the southern end of Lake George. Please refer to the information at the top of the page Current Outing Schedule for Covid 19 related information. Maintaining social distancing is easy on this hike. Meet at the Clay Meadows parking lot at 9:30. For those of you aspiring to obtain the Lake George 12ster patch this is your chance to reach the top of one of the required mountains. October 29   #20-1815   !!!---Rescheduled for WEDNESDAY, 10/8---!!!   Ponds of the Pharaoh Lakes Wilderness Area Hike    Sandy & Bob Powell   H 518-543-6290   C 2 518-538-8758  The 46,000 acre Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area, located east of Schroon Lake, contains a combination of forested lands, mountains, lakes and ponds with over 60 miles of hiking trails. This hike will take us on a 7.5 mile clockwise loop visiting 6 of those ponds on rolling woods trails through a variety of forest types with a total elevation gain of ~1000’. From the trailhead parking lot in the Putnam Pond State Campground, located off of Putts Ponds Rd., 5.5 mi W of the hamlet of Ticonderoga on Rt. 74 or 12 mi E of Exit 28 of the Northway on Rt. 74, we will follow the south shore of Putnam Pond before heading north to visit the other ponds. First we will pass by tiny Mud Pond, then on to Clear Pond where we will stay on its west side. Continuing northward we will visit both Little Rock and Rock Ponds crossing the bridge between them. The toughest decision of the day will be to determine where lunch will be so perhaps we will continue on the west side of Rock Pond rather than go between them and head for picturesque point of land on the north end of Rock Pond, with great views of the pond – we will see how we are doing with time. This route will allow us to visit the abandoned boiler and quarry, remnants of past graphite mining. After lunch we will head east towards the north end of Putnam Pond then to Heart Pond before turning south to our cars. Please refer to the Corona Virus Advisory page on your way to the Current Outing Schedule. Maintaining social distancing is easy on this hike. Meet at the trailhead at 9:30. Please refer to the Putnam Pond Campground & Day Use website. for directions and a map of the campground. Also, the regular big game hunting season will be open so you may want to wear some bright colors. November 5   #20-1816   Moxham Mountain Hike  Steve Mackey   518-793-6484  This is a 5.5 mile out and back hike to a beautiful mountain near Minerva. A moderately easy hike with a number of ups and downs with a cumulative gain of ~1,500’ and expansive views from its rocky summit. The trailhead has limited parking so if you have been carpooling recently please consider doing so for this hike with all occupants wearing masks. Maintaining social distancing is easy on this hike. For those of you who would like to carpool (a personal choice) or caravan to the trailhead meet at CTL at 8:45 for a departure at 9:00 or meet at the Black Bear Restaurant, Northway Exit 26 at 9:30 OR the trailhead at 10:00. Please take advantage of the Mobil Station just off the Northway at Exit 26 to pick up something you may have forgotten or use the restroom before meeting at the Black Bear. It is that time of year when ice may be an issue on the trail – you may want to bring Microspikes. November 5   #20-1816A   Inman Pond Post Election Day Recovery Hike  Pat Desbiens And Joanne Armstrong    Pat C-518-813-7946   Joanne C-310-948-8221   Inman Pond is a small remote pond in the Lake George Wild Forest due south of Buck Mtn. and northeast of Pilot Knob Mtn. While it can be reached from the west using the Buck Mtn. trailhead at Pilot Knob we will be hiking the shorter route from the east starting at the Sly Pond Road trailhead and will be offered with two options. The trailhead is well marked and has a large parking area. From the trailhead we follow a trail and logging road west towards the eastern end of the pond to a trail junction. Here you can chose either to continue along the northern shore of the pond for lunch at an open area with a nice view of the pond – this is an out and back route of 2.7 miles, with about a 350’ elevation gain OR continue along the southern shore to a large rock promontory on its westernmost end for lunch with a nice view of the pond and surrounding mountains and after lunch we bushwhack north a short distance, crossing a small stream to get to the north shore, which we follow east to a junction with the marked trail and retrace our steps to the parking lot for a total of about 3.5 miles and an elevation gain of 500’. In either case Pat or Joanne will lead the separate groups. Maintaining social distancing is easy on this hike. For those of you who would like to carpool (a personal choice), or caravan to the trailhead meet at CTL at 9:15 for a departure at 9:25 OR the trailhead at 9:45. Outings suspended from 11/620 through ??? due to Covid pandemic.