~ Current Schedule ~
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Practices: Advance signup is not required. However, prior to attending your first outing, read the information on our Practices and Acknowledgement of Risk pages. Download and sign the Acknowledgement of Risk Agreement form and submit it to the leader of your first Canes outing.
Meeting times & places: 9.15 at "CTL" unless specified otherwise in the outing description. More info on CTL and meeting places.
Outing types: Outing types are listed as Regular, Alternate (ALT) or Bonus. More info on outing types.
Difficulty: Outing difficulty ratings are shown as "Easy," "Moderate," "Difficult", or a hybrid. These are subjective ratings, and even an "Easy" outing will require attendees to be fit and aware of their physical limitations. More details about difficulty are typically shown in the outing description. Distance and elevation gain shown are generally derived from GPS readings, which are approximate. More info about ratings.
Lead an outing: If you would like to volunteer to lead an outing, please contact the Outings Coordinator. Here's a more detailed information guide. The earlier you respond, the more time your fellow Canes will have to plan to attend your outing.
Air quality: Wild fires in Canada and the western US can cause hazy skies and may also affect ground-level air quality. Check regional air quality for today. More info on haze and air quality and other useful info.
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Thursday's Peebles Island Hike and tentative Blue Mtn Hike have been cancelled due to expected poor weather and trail conditions.
Scheduled and tentative outings:
Reminder: Leo Demers has volunteered to become our Outings Co-Coordinator upon Peter's retirement, and Peter and Leo are seeking a Co-Coordinator-partner to train and share the responsibilities. This is an opportunity for a member to give something back to the Canes and assure we continue to thrive. Contact Peter to volunteer and/or ask questions.
Outing suggestions: To make sure our calendar is full, our Outings Coordinator has included outing suggestions, which are listed here as Tentative/Leader needed. Because many winter outings may not be inviting or suitable for all our members depending on snow conditions, we have listed some alternatives. All we will need to make this work is leaders. A tentative outing will be deleted from the schedule a few days prior if we don't have a leader. If you haven't led an outing for awhile or just enjoy leading, please select a favorite from the list or think of an idea of your own and let Peter know. Some more possibilities are listed after the scheduled outings. Volunteering to lead is an opportunity your follow Canes will appreciate.
Feb 20, 2025 No outing yet scheduled
Feb 27, 2025 Regular Gull Pond, Harrison Marsh, Spectacle Pond Snowshoe Hike Rating: Moderate Eric Potter Email leader WX
Instead of doing two separate hikes and a car ride covering the 1 mile between trailheads, we now have a route going to both ponds in one hike, only possible in midwinter. From the Gull Pond trailhead, we hike 0.6 miles to lovely Gull Pond, then over the pond on the ice and down a gentle wooded draw to Harrison Marsh (actually a pond with wetland margins), across the Marsh and thence south along Shanty Bottom Creek - a gorgeous easy wooded route - to connect with the Spectacle Pond trail near its midpoint. We've come about 1.7 miles so far, all flat or gently downhill. We then take the regular trail SE to Spectacle Pond and our lunch spot, a very wild spot with (we hope) stellar views of nearby Pharaoh Mountain. After a leisurely lunch, we head to the Spectacle Pond trailhead, where we have previously spotted cars for drivers to retrieve their vehicles from the Gull Pond trailhead, a mile away. The total distance, is about 4 miles, with only small elevation gains of 400 ft total. Note – this is a SNOWSHOE hike but please bring spikes!
Meet at CTL at 9:15 for a 9:30 departure, or at Stewarts in Schroon Lake via Exit 27 at 10:10, or at the Gull Pond trailhead at 10:30. The Gull Pond trailhead is located on Adirondack Rd approximately 2.5 miles south of Alder Meadow Rd on the east side of Schroon Lake. Email me if you have any questions.
Mar 6, 2025 Regular Griffin, Auger, and Austin Waterfalls Hike Rating: Moderate Lenore and Jack Reber J 518-791-4707 L 518-859-8555 Email leader WX
The three waterfalls we plan to visit today are in the Town of Wells, NY. Griffin Falls is located on the East Branch of the Sacandaga River about 2.5 miles north on NY 8 from its intersection with NY 30, and Auger and Austin Falls are located on the Sacandaga River north on NY 30 from the same intersection. The three falls are popular destinations and part of the Hamilton County Waterfall Challenge. For those who aspire to complete the challenge, this is a great way to collect a few of them. The falls are typically visited during the spring when snowmelt and water levels are high. However, during the winter we’ll experience a whole different world. These ice-adorned falls are exceptionally beautiful now.
From our starting point in Wevertown, we travel south on NY 8 about 21 miles to a dirt side road where we access Griffin Falls, our first stop. We'll find limited parking, about 9 cars, after crossing the E. Branch of the Sacandaga River. After viewing Griffin Falls at the bridge, we'll walk along an old road, then on a snowmobile trail that will take us to the NE side of Auger Falls, about 2.6 miles RT. The snowmobile trail is gently undulating with no issues. Next, we'll drive a short distance to the official Auger Falls parking lot on NY 30 and hike the falls/river loop, about 1.2 miles RT. The direct trail to Auger Falls, about one-quarter mile, is steep, bouldery, with windy ups and downs. The cliffs at the falls are precipitous. We would greatly caution, SAY NO, to climbing down in the winter. The loop trail along the river is typical Adirondack, narrow, twisty, with rocks and roots, and lovely. Snow will help smooth the trail. Lastly, we'll drive about 1.5 miles on NY 30 to a gate where we will park, cross the Sacandaga River, and walk on old NY 30, used by snowmobiles, to Austin Falls, a series of steep, winding rapids, 1.8 miles RT. The road to Austin is a very gentle incline but the short trail from the road to the series of falls is a herd path like the description of the Auger loop trail. This Canes offering is not for people with balance issues. Lunch will be at a location to be determined. Whether spikes or snowshoes will be needed will depend on trail conditions, and we will decide at the trailheads, so bring both.
Meet at CTL at 9:00 for a departure at 9:15, or at the Town of Johnsburg Courthouse/Wevertown Community Center, located at the NE corner of NY 8 and NY 28 in Wevertown, at 9:45. Please contact us with any questions.
Mar 6, 2025 ALT Tentative/Leader needed Trails of Rush Pond Hike Rating: Easy
Mar 13, 2025 Regular Tentative/Leader needed Lake Bonita and Waterfall Trail Loop Hike Rating: Moderate
Mar 20, 2025 Regular Tentative/Leader needed Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob Hike Rating: Easy/Moderate
Mar 20, 2025 ALT Tentative/Leader needed Stewarts Ledge at Pilot Knob Hike Rating: Easy
Mar 27, 2025 Regular Tentative/Leader needed Big Bend Barrens and River Walk (Moreau Lake) Hike Rating: Easy/Moderate
Apr 3, 2025 Regular Tentative/Leader needed Cathedral Rocks/Bear Run Loop Hike Rating: Moderate
Apr 10, 2025 Regular Tentative/Leader needed Trails at Daniel's Road State Forest Hike Rating: Easy/Moderate
Apr 17, 2025 Regular Tentative/Leader needed Rathbun's Sugar House Bike Ride Rating: Moderate
Apr 24, 2025 Regular Tentative/Leader needed Hadley Mountain Hike Rating: Moderate
Apr 24, 2025 ALT Tentative/Leader needed Crab Pond (Pharaoh Lake Wilderness) Hike Rating: Easy/Moderate
Some other possibilities for outings: Moderate hikes: Poke-O-Moonshine Thru Hike, Inman Pond Hike, Buck Mtn from Hogtown. Easier hikes: Rush Pond Trails, Pinnacle and Bradley's Lookout, Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob, Anchor Diamond Park at Hawkwood Preserve, Hennig Preserve, LeVine Preserve, Daniels Road Forest. And your own ideas are welcome too, of course.