adk long island mountaineer · inexperienced people can “get by” without all the desirable and...

President’s

Corner

Mike Vaughan

If any of you have been reading FaceBook posts recently about hiking in the Adirondacks (or the Catskills, for that matter), you may be surprised. I’ve noticed that many people are displaying a great deal of ignorance and inexperience in these hikes. For example, one person asked how hard it is to drive to Ausable Lake (their map showed a road all the way there). Other people ask how to climb the Trap Dike on Colden. Both of these questions were properly answered by others, and I’m glad they asked without “just doing it”, but many people appear to be overconfident about their abilities. It’s true that inexperienced people can “get by” without all the desirable and necessary gear, but once in a while they get into trouble. A recent incident (well publicized on FB) involves a man who was doing the Dix range. To quote his FB post, “My gear consisted entirely of 3 liters of water in a Camelbak, 3 apples, 2 Clif bars, 2 lighters, a penknife on my keys and the clothes and boots on my body.” He went up the herd path from 73 to Grace (starting at 9:30), then over to South Dix and Macomb, and asked another hiker if he was on Dix (which is at the opposite end of the Dix range from Macomb). This was at about 4:00 PM, and he was inquiring how to finish the loop by dark. He was convinced to retrace his steps which he did, but got lost, and had to spend the night in front of his fire eating a couple of salamanders of the red eft variety. He had to be rescued by the DEC. In 2017 there were 250+ search and rescues throughout the Adirondack Park. Monday alone there were 3 overlapping rescues including this one. Hikers should be encouraged to travel with experienced groups, such as our Chapter hikes, or go on hikes with paid guides, be those main ADK

Highlights:

ADK-LI Annual Dinner - Thursday, Oct 11th

(see page 3 for details)

Sample of Upcoming Outings (see pages 4-6)

Hiking Utah’s Mighty Five (see pages 9-10)

Lake Placid 9’er Hiking Challenge—the new

Adirondack hiking challenge (see page 11)

Social Media and Guided Hikes

www.adkli.org

ADK Long Island

Mountaineer

NEWSLETTER OF THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB LONG ISLAND CHAPTER

FALL 2018 OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - DECEMBER

club guided hikes or hiring experienced, licensed Guides, such as our own Ed Moran who runs Eastern Outdoor Experiences. To quote Ed, “Cell phone and GPS’s are good tools until they don’t work. And they won’t work at the worst possible time; ask anyone who has ever gotten lost while relying on a phone to navigate. We read about these incidents constantly. When was the last time you read about someone who had to be rescued because they were relying on a map and compass?” Of course, people do successfully climb any and all of the peaks solo, but usually they have a lot of experience and discuss their plans with others. Social media such as FB are a source of information, but this information must be taken with grains of salt. One source of internet information which I highly recommend is the ADK High Peaks Forum (http://www.adkhighpeaks.com/forums).

Mike

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ADK-LI MONTHLY MEETINGS - ALL WELCOME!

NO MEETING IN OCTOBER We hope to see everyone at the ADK-LI Annual Dinner on Thursday, Octo-ber 11 at the Black Forest Brew Haus in Farmingdale . See page 3 for de-tails. TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 6 - WILDERNESS TREKKING J.R. Harris, a well-known explorer and author of Way Out There: Adventures of a Wilderness Trekker, will present an exciting and outstanding talk about his escapades. He has been roaming, mostly alone, from Artic Alaska to the Australian Outback, Patagonia to the Pyrenees and across the many “lands” (ex. Greenland, Finland etc.) for about 50 years. He is still an active and enthusiastic hiker committed to encourage everyone to experience the outdoors while supporting and protecting our natural environment. This talk is enhanced with numerous photo images that are sure to capture your at-tention regarding wilderness travel. To learn more about J.R. go to his web-site at: www.JRinthewilderness.com DO NOT MISS THIS EXCITING LECTURE! TUESDAY, DECEMBER 4 - LET’S CELEBRATE THE HOLIDAYS!!!! FOOD: Celebrate Our Holiday Party by bringing a snack/appetizer for pot-luck refreshments. GARAGE SALE: Please bring hiking, biking or kayaking gear that you would like to sell and label with your name and price. Just put your name if you want to give it away. COME AND JOIN THE FUN!!!

Regular meetings start at 8:00 P.M. Come early at 7:30 P.M. to socialize, network and enjoy refreshments.

WHERE: ST. LUKE LUTHERAN CHURCH (EDUCATION BUILDING) 20 CANDLEWOOD PATH AT VANDERBILT MEMORIAL PARKWAY, DIX HILLS, NY (HUNTINGTON STATION FOR GPS PURPOSES)

DIRECTIONS: (GPS Coordinates 40.810493, -73.336918)

From Northern State, Exit 42 (Deer Park Ave. South) Go south about 0.8 miles to light at Vanderbilt Parkway. Turn left (east) on Vanderbilt. In about 2/10 mile, turn right onto Candlewood Path. Continue to St. Luke Church.

From L.I.E. Exit 51 (Deer Park Ave. North.) Go north 1 mile to Vanderbilt Pkwy. Turn right (east.) In about 2/10 mile, turn right at Candlewood Path, and continue to St. Luke Church. Park and go to Education Bldg. behind main Church building. Look for ADK sign on the outer door. As you enter, our room is

www.adkli.org L.I. MOUNTAINEER FALL 2018 - OCTOBER - NOVEMBER - DECEMBER

Adirondack Mountain Club Long Island Chapter

2018 Executive Committee

President Mike Vaughan

*******.*.*************.***

Vice President Eric Markowitz ****.***********.***

Treasurer Nancy Hodson

***********64******.*** Secretary

Rich Greguski ******19**********.***

Director to Main Club Mike Vetrano ****.*************.***

Alternate Director to Main Club Mike Kaiser [email protected]

Board of Directors Ela Brown ***********.***

Christine Gillen *********.*** Tom Loscalzo [email protected]

Ed Moran [email protected] Debbie Schamberger ***************.***

Dave Sweeney [email protected]

COMMITTEE CHAIRS Conservation

June Fait ****.**********.*** Education

Jerry Licht ******61****.*** Hospitality

- POSITION OPEN -

Mountaineer Grace Gargiulo [email protected]

Membership Mike Kaiser [email protected]

Outings Lanny Wexler [email protected]

Programs Tom Loscalzo [email protected]

Keelin Murphy

[email protected]

Publicity - Traditional Media *****.***********.***

Publicity - Social Media Ed Moran [email protected]

NY/NJ Trail Conference Pat Malodobry [email protected]

Trail Maintenance Pat Malodobry [email protected]

Website

Eric Markowitz ****.***********.***

Yahoo Group Moderator Allen Grunthal *****************.***

Young Members - POSITION OPEN -

Bad Weather? Is ADK-LI Meeting Cancelled?

Call St. Luke Lutheran Church to find out if the building will be closed or if activities are cancelled: 631-499-5216 or check their website to see if they are closed and activities are cancelled: www.stlukedixhills.org

Check the ADK-LI Group for messages http://groups.yahoo.com/group/adkli/

Contact Mike Vaughn or other Board Member (see listing on this page)

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Wanted: ADK-LI Meeting Ideas

Contact Tom Loscalzo [email protected] Or Keelin Murphy [email protected]

Consider sharing your adventure, outdoor expertise or interest in issues affecting wilderness conservation and recreation by presenting a program at one of ADK-LI’s meetings.

Or if you know a person or organization that may be of interest to our members, or if you have any ideas for future presentations or meetings, please contact Tom or Keelin who are taking over Programs from Shelley be-ginning in January 2019.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS!

Jennifer Forsberg, Baldwin William Hoover, Moriches George Scheidel, Holbrook Marie-Francesca Berrouet, Elmont Daniel Dimijian, Southampton Hilary Gomes & Chris Christodoulou, Kings Park Thomas & Maryann Raleigh, Sound Beach Michael Anderson, Islip Mimi Mears, Wading River Richard Schoor, Fort Salonga

Join our Publicity Flyer Program!

We need volunteers so we can cover more zip codes and get flyers out to more people! Each person who signs up will receive an email with a copy of the latest ADK flyer. They then go and place the flyers in places like REI, libraries, supermarkets, bookstores, gyms, etc. This will spread the word about ADK and get more members all over Long Island. Please contact:

Paula Markowitz Publicity Chair *****.***********.***

ADK-LI Annual Dinner Thursday, October 11, 2018

BLACK FOREST BREW HAUS 2015 New Highway, Farmingdale NY 11735

Info at: www.blackforestbrewhaus.com Cost: $35 per person

Sit-down dinner includes:

Choice of salad (House or Caesar) Choice of Chicken Francaise, Grilled Ribeye Steak,

Pasta Primavera, or Dijon & Dill Salmon Dessert: Fresh Apple Strudel.

Coffee, tea, soft drinks

Dinner: 6:30 -10:00 pm. Cash bar with Happy Hour Drinks

from 4-7 pm Program: Elections & Awards

Please complete the reservation form below and return it with your check payable to LI-ADK to: Steve Lander 165 Waverly Avenue East Rockaway, NY 11518

Deadline: October 9

Name____________________________________

Number of people attending _________

Amount enclosed $ ___________

Phone (day) ____________ (eve)_____________

Election of ADK-LI Officers ADK-LI Chapter’s bylaws call for officers to be elected each year at the Annual Dinner in October. The slate of candidates is:

Officers:

President: Mike Vaughan

Vice President: Eric Markowitz

Treasurer: Nancy Hodson

Secretary: Rich Greguski

Director to Main Club: Mike Vetrano

Alternate Director: Mike Kaiser

Board of Directors:

Christine Gillen - 2nd term, 1st year

Ela Brown - 1st term, 2nd year

Ed Moran - 1st term, 2nd year

Debbie Schamberger - 1st term, 2nd year

Paula Markowitz - 1st term, 1st year

Lynn Plunkett - 1st term, 1st year

Many thanks to our Officers and Board Members for their service to ADK-LI.

Nominating Committee - Rich Greguski, Mike Kaiser and Ed Moran

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LONG ISLAND ADK OUTINGS SCHEDULE

LEADERS: To list Outings in the Mountaineer newsletter, post them on-line before the Mountaineer’s deadline.

Following your outing, please mail the “Release of Liability/Sign-In Form” to Lanny Wexler [email protected] and send “Trip Report” and trip pictures to Grace Gargiulo [email protected]

Forms for leaders can be downloaded from www.adkli.org Click on the “For Leaders” tab.

HIKERS: Be sure to check www.adkli.org for additional outings, cancellations and changes to the schedule!

CARPOOLING/PARKING LOCATION

MEETING PLACE IS LEADER’S CHOICE. HIKERS: BE SURE TO ASK LEADER THE PLACE AND TIME TO MEET. Most Outings meet at the following location for carpooling:

Christopher Morley Park: Take LIE to Exit 36. Proceed north on Searingtown Road to the first traffic light. Turn right into the park and once in the park go right again proceeding to the Park & Ride area at the south end of the parking lot. GPS Location 40.783347, -73.662480

OUTING RULES AND PROCEDURES – PLEASE READ

REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL OUTINGS. Call or email leader several days in advance if you have any questions. Leaders accept reservations on a first-come, first-served basis after the outing is officially listed in the Mountaineer or on the Outings page at the ADK-LI web site – www.adkli.org

Leaders may refuse to take anyone not registered or prepared. Registered participants are expected to show up or call the leader to cancel. Simply sending or leaving a message does not constitute registration. If you do not receive a reply to your message, it is your responsibility to follow up and contact the leader prior to the deadline for registration. Participants should provide leader with their phone numbers in case of last minute changes.

Guests are welcome on all outings. Where space is limited, members of the ADK Long Island chapter will have priority. If you go on two or more outings, please help support the Adirondack Mountain Club and the L. I. chapter by becoming a member. Be sure to select “ Long Island Chapter” for your affiliation.

GROUND RULES Minors (younger than 18 years) must have signed permission of a parent or guardian. Participants are responsible for their own safety and comfort. Food, snacks, water and extra clothing/raingear must be carried by participant. Check with leader to learn of any special requirements for the hike. Hiking boots are recommended for all ADK hikes.

CARPOOL RATES We encourage carpooling and sharing expenses. Suggested carpool rates shown here are for roundtrip per rider: Driv-ers set the final rate with agreement of riders. L.I. East End $10, Harriman $18, Shawangunks $25, Catskills $35, Adi-rondacks $60 (all rates for roundtrip.)

HIKE CLASSIFICATIONS (Hike classifications are subjective. If you are uncertain if you are up to the hike, consult the leader.)

A: Strenuous, long distances over rugged terrain with lots of climbing or more than 35 miles on bike.

B: Moderate, shorter distances with less climbing or 10-30 miles on bike. Moderate hikes may have some steep climbing and/or rugged terrain, but are less demanding than strenuous hikes. C: Easy, short distance over flat terrain at a leisurely pace or 10 miles or less on bike. Suitable for beginners. N/R: Not Rated

WINTER ALERT: Check whether the hike you’re interested in requires “full winter gear.” That means traction aids, i.e. MicroSpikes or Stabilicers (no Yaktrax), snowshoes, and crampons for ice. Check with hike leader for gear need-ed for current conditions at your hiking venue. Dress in layers and carry extra gloves, socks, etc..

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Sample of Upcoming Outings

Full Schedule is Online: https://www.adkli.org/outings

B+ Friday, September 28 - Sunday, September 30 - Bike the Barns and Camping 2018 Cost $97 pp (less for certain options). Two nights camping in the Champlain Valley, 45 mile road bike tour on Sunday 9/30 (10 mile and 80 mile tour options also available). See the website for more details https://www.adkli.org/outing/bike-the-barns-and-camping/ Register with leader Ed Moran 631-979-2627 [email protected]

C Saturday, September 29 - Apple Picking and Corn Maze There are many different varieties of apples on Long Island. Each with its own unique com-bination of size, flavor and color. If you want to experi-ence some of the best flavors available, let’s head out to one of Long Island Orchards and pick apples. After apple picking, we will do the corn maze to test our nav-igational skills. Rain cancels! Register with leader Paula Markowitz at *****.***********.***

C+ Sunday, September 30 - Goodbye Summer, Hel-lo Autumn Hike to Caumsett State Park Approxi-mately 5-6 miles suitable for beginners. Caumsett has 1,500 acres of woodland, meadows, rocky shoreline, salt marsh and former farm and garden areas. 2-3 miles of our hike will be on the beach along the Long Island Sound, Bring lunch (not available for purchase) and two quarts of water. No go in rain. $8 entrance fee. Free with Empire Pass. Register with Tom Loscalzo by Fri Sept 28 [email protected] or 516-532-0706 before 9 pm or co-leader Martha Del Giudice [email protected] 631-360-8410 before 9pm

N/R Friday, October 5 - Monday, October 8 - 41st Annual Columbus Day Weekend in the Adirondack High Peaks Celebrate the Columbus Day Weekend at the ADK Loj in the Adirondack High Peaks Friday, October 5th to Monday, October 8th, 2018. Details and reservation form: https://www.adkli.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/2018-ADKLI-ColumbusWkend.pdf Check with Lorraine Brink at [email protected] to confirm availability and reserve your spot.

A Sunday, October 14 - South Taconics Fall Hike Twelve mile hike along the South Taconic Trail at a moderate to brisk pace featuring jawdropping views of the Harlem River Valley and Berkshire Hills at the height of fall colors! After one initial steep climb this will be primarily a ridge walk. Watch the hang gliders sail off the summit of Brace Mountain (Dutchess County highpoint el. 2,311 ft). Stand in 3 states (NY/CT/MA) at

one time! Visit the highest point in Connecticut el. 2,380 ft. Panoramic views of the Catskill Mountains, Harlem River Valley and the Berkshire Hills. Dinner stop at Four Brothers Pizza after the hike. Bring 2 liters of water, lunch and rain gear. Early am start. Joint hike with AMC and Mosaic clubs. Rain cancels. Regis-ter by Fri Oct 11. Lanny Wexler [email protected] 516-941-6903 No calls after 10 pm

C+ Sunday, October 14 - Walkway Over The Hud-son Walkway over the Hudson State Historic Park in Poughkeepsie and the Mid-Hudson Bridge. This 3.6-mile loop offers thrilling river views and connects river-side parks, cultural attractions and historic points of interest on the Poughkeepsie and Highland Water-fronts. Easy pace. Rain date Oct 21. Leader Nancy Hodson. ***********64******.*** or 631-239-1867

N/R Saturday, October 20 - Connecticut Lighthouse Cruise Enjoy a two hour narrated lighthouse cruise on a high speed catamaran along the Connecticut coastline. We will see up to nine lighthouses, two forts and a nuclear submarine base. Take the 10 am ferry from Orient Point to New London. Transfer in New London to connect to the “Lights and Sights Cruise”. Passenger round trip on Cross Sound Ferry Orient Point – New London-Orient Point $28. Lights and Sights Cruise Two hour narrated cruise $30. Avoid disappointment on this highly popular tour. Carpooling available from LIE Exit 63 Park & Ride lot. Advance reservations are STRONGLY recommended. See web-site for more details https://www.adkli.org/outing/lighthouse-cruise/ Register with leader by Thursday October 18. Lanny Wexler [email protected] 516-941-6903 No calls after 10 pm

A Saturday, October 20 - Ellenville Shingle Gully and Ice Cave Hike Ellenville Shingle Gully and Ice Cave Hike. Visit this most unique and rare area of NY state. We will hike through Shingle Gulley visiting Wall Street, the Refrigerator, the Grand Canyon, and two wild Ice Caves and then traversing through the Bad Lands of Sam’s Point. This is a long, all day hike and an adventure you won’t forget! Most of the hike is off trail and includes some very rugged scrambling. Enter-ing ice caves is optional. Headlight with fresh batteries required for caves. Leader: Jerry Licht 516-477-8602 before 9 P.M. Registration period October 1-15th. No Early Registration!

B- Sunday, October 21 - Stump Pond Circular En-joy a fall walk on a moderately paced six mile loop around Stump Pond in Suffolk County’s Blydenburgh Park. Stump Pond is the third largest freshwater body on Long Island and is rich with aquatic life. Follow a winding trail through the woods, crossing the headwa-ters of the Nissequogue River and enjoying occasional views of the blue waters of Stump Pond and some col-

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orful fall colors. Traverse a quarter mile wooden board-walk through wetland area. Bring snack and water. Rain cancels. Register by Friday, October 19 Terry Shapiro 631-806-9498 or [email protected]

C Sunday, October 28 – Avalon Park & Preserve, Stony Brook We will walk trails and meditation Gardens in a exquisite Park like setting. Moderate pace and places to sit down and contemplate on your inner self. Contact Ron Engasser 631-289-5375 or [email protected]

B- Saturday, November 3 - LI Greenbelt Trail through Connetquot State Park, Great River and Heckscher State Park We will start at Vets Hwy and head south. If the season is typical, the woods should still contain some fall colors of Yellow, Maroon and Or-ange. A (hopefully) sunny day should make this a pleas-ant walk. Moderate, about 7.5 miles. Register with lead-er by Thu Nov 1. Paul Lanzillotta 631-864-2576 before 9 PM. Or e-mail [email protected]

B+ Sunday, November 4 - Shawangunks: Millbrook Mountain/Gertrudes Nose A moderately strenuous hike of approximately 8 miles and 1000 feet elevation gain. This hike runs along dramatic cliffs of Shawangunk conglomerate, with exceptionally fine views culminating at Gertrude’s Nose which has a bird’s eye view of the Hudson Valley. Register with leader by Fri Nov 2. Turn clock back one hour. Call or e-mail leader for details. Alan Chevat 718-768-1019 (no calls after 10 pm); [email protected]

B Tuesday, November 6 - Ringwood NJ State Park – Ilgenstein Rock Hike starts promptly at 9:30am from Parking Lot A at Ringwood NJ State Park. 8.3 mile loop hike with 1,000′ ascent to visit Glasmere and Weyble Ponds, with lunch atop Ilgenstein Rock to en-joy the fine views. Must register by email – provide your email address and cell phone number. Rain or threat of steady rain cancels. Will email everyone by 7am morning of hike if cancelled. NYNJTC North Jer-sey Trails map 115. Joint with ADK North Jersey-Ramapo. Leaders Allen and Diane Grunthal, [email protected], 862-324-3138 day of hike only please.

C+ Saturday, November 10 - Caumsett State Park Historic Preserve – Loop Hike Caumsett is the 1520 acre former estate of Marshall Field III. We’ll do a mod-erately paced loop hike of approximately 6 miles. We’ll hike some hilly woods trails, view Connecticut from the bluffs and check out the historic features of this beauti-ful park. Suitable for fit beginners. Bring snacks, lunch and hydration. Contact leader Bill Schneider by email (preferred) at [email protected] or before 9 PM at 516-378-3043 by Thursday, November 8th.

C Sunday, November 11 - Vietnam Veterans Memo-rial Bike Path Inaugural bike ride on the new 9.2

mile Vietnam Veterans Memorial Shared Use Path around Enterprise Park (EPCAL) in Calverton. The bike ride goes through pine barrens, skirts farmland and old Grumman runways. Option to extend bike ride into the pine barrens or harm lands after we complete our initial loop. No go in rain. Lanny Wexler [email protected] 516-941-6903 No calls after 10 pm

B- Sunday, November 18 - 347 Shared Use Path + Long Island Greenbelt Trail = 7 + 7 Bike & Hike Bike a leisurely 7 miles on the lushly landscaped Parks to Port shared use path along the NY 347 corri-dor. Stops at four greenstops along the way. Then, escape to the solitude of the woods and hike a moder-ately easy 7 miles along the Long Island Greenbelt Trail to Hidden Pond and Colonie Hill. Bike racks at trailhead to lockup your bike.No go in rain. Register by Fri Nov 16. Lanny Wexler [email protected] 516-941-6903 No calls after 10 pm Joseph Cardella [email protected] 516-379-9852 No calls after 10 pm

B- Sunday, December 2 - Westchester Walk Twin loop hikes of approximately of 4 to 5 miles through the Butler Sanctuary and 5 to 6 miles through the West-moreland Sanctuary in pastoral northern Westchester County. Both loop hike circles its respective sanctuary, passing fascinating rock formations, many old stone walls, swamps, woodlands and several kettle ponds. Lots of small ups and downs should keep us warm. Option to do one of the two preserves. Joint with AMC and Mosaic clubs. No go in rain. Register by Fri Nov 30. Lanny Wexler [email protected] 516-941-6903 No calls after 10 pm Ken Cooperstein [email protected] 631-754-5524 No calls after 10 pm

N/R Wednesday, December 12 - Christmas Window Walk, Manhattan Meet at Penn Station at 10AM. Walk past Macy's windows up to Bergdorf's at 57th St, stopping at Lord & Taylors, Saks, Tiffany and of course the tree at Rockefeller Center. Have lunch at The Pla-za Hotel's Food Court. Walk over to Columbus Circle through Central Park. Take the A train back to Penn Station. Relaxed pace. No go in rain. Contact June Fait ****.**********.***

B Tuesday, January 1 - New Year's Day Hike on the Osborn Loop + Sugarloaf Hill, Hudson Valley We'll hike from the Intersection of US 9 and NY 403 near Graymoor; returning with a loop on the Osborn and AT. Optional dinner afterwards. Might need traction devic-es depending on weather and trail conditions. 5-6 miles at a relaxed pace. Register by Sun Dec 30. No go snow or rain. Lanny Wexler [email protected] 516-941-6903 no calls after 10 pm

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Looking Back

Saturday. June 9-Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Leader Nancy Hodson had a large enthusiastic group for the tour of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory buildings and grounds. There were 15 attendees: From Meetup: Barry Cowen, Sari Smith and Coreen Cellana. LI-ADK members were Eric & Paula Markowitz, Mike Vaughan, Rich & Wendy Greguski, Jacquie Harned, and Sherry Buch with Robert Indellicoit. Non-members were Lee LeGuyader, Ann Nussbaum, and Cathy & Lou Sclan-fani. We entered several buildings to get a sample of the scientific research, and also saw some of the many recreational opportunities – including the beach, tennis, volleyball, and a communal garden. We walked on the Stillman Outback trail, named after our Australian-born President and CEO, Bruce Stillman. This nature trail paralleled the Laboratory buildings from wooded paths. We also climbed many stairs to enjoy the views of Cold Spring Harbor from its highest points. There were large rare trees and modern sculptures to enjoy on the 120 acre property as well. A beautiful late spring day made the outing pleasant for all. Saturday, June 16 - Harriman State Park Loop Hike A 7 mile loop hike in Harriman State Park was led by Bill Schneider, who was joined by Goodie & Orrie Frutkin, Eric Markowitz, James Haluska and Bob & Julie Bionca. Starting at the Tuxedo Park train station, we hiked in a less crowded section of the park. A section called “almost perpendicular”, is not “ perpendicular” but steep enough to offer a challenge getting up there. In addition to being less crowded, there are some beautiful wooded sections including an area that we speculated is a gla-cial cirque from the last ice age. Lunch was enjoyed on the open rock summit of Claudius Smith's Rock.

Nadee, Wendy & Lanny on the summit of Saddleback Mt elevation 4,121 feet

Saturday, July 7 to Tuesdau July 10 Appalachian Trail, Maine Saddleback Traverse Lanny Wexler (L), Wendy Smith and Nadee Ramdass traveled to the Rangeley Lakes area in western Maine for a very strenuous 24 mile backpack across the Saddleback Range. The Saddleback Range features one of the longest roadless stretches in Maine with lots of verti-cal. The trip was put together the last minute as Lanny saw a forecast of refreshing sunny, cool weather and no precipitation something which was in short supply in this excessively humid and rainy summer. After a long nine hour drive they spotted Wendy’s SUV along the remote and rugged Caribou Valley Road. Lanny drove Nadee and Wendy to Rangeley where they ate dinner at a sports bar. Then Lanny drove them to Rangeley State Park Campground where they set up their tents at dusk. They were up early the next morning to break camp as they had a long day ahead with some eleven miles to hike and perhaps 4,000 feet of elevation gain. ,After a filling breakfast they headed to the trailhead. Less than two miles from the trailhead they stopped briefly at Piazza Rock, a large anvil shaped rock that is bal-anced on another rock that could come down in the next earthquake. The ascent up Saddleback was ar-duous due to the weight of the backpack and substan-tial climb. There would be no water for six miles as they were up on a ridge. Eventually, the large exten-sive alpine zone was reached as we approached the summit of this Maine 4,000 footer. Some clouds ob-scured some of the more distant views but neverthe-less mountain ranges and lakes some 10 to 20 miles distant from a sweeping 360 degree views. We contin-ued across this “Ice Age” like landscape where the cold winds only permit short shrubs to grow. We care-fully made our way across the rugged terrain ascend-ing and descending The Horn and Saddleback Junior in the golden sunlight of early evening. The first night campground was at the Poplar Ridge Lean to which they shared with AT thru hikers. On Monday, Lanny, Wendy and Nadee continued north descending steeply to cross the Orbeton and Perham Streams. Thankfully, water was much more available today. Then there was a steep ascent to reach the Spaulding leanto where they spent their second night. On Tuesday, the day dawned cloudy with a few spotty showers. They were up at 5 am, though the hike was only five miles it was an especially rugged section of trail and Wendy had a long drive home that day so she could be at work the next day. The last two mile descent from Sugarloaf Mountain down to the Carra-bassett River was literally a boulder field that had to be traveled with great care. The sun broke out head-ing down the large rocks. They stopped briefly at the Carrabasset River to cool our sore and aching feet in the cold, refreshing waters of the Carrabasset. They reached Wendy’s car and celebrated the completion

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Looking Back continued

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of their backpack with hamburgers, hot dogs and an ice cream sundae while reclining on Adirondack style chairs by the shores of a lake. A strenuous weekend but a re-warding one Saturday, July 14 – Ocean Parkway Coastal Greenway Bike Ride Lanny Wexler (L), Carol Or, Stephanie Ber-ger and Craig Rosenberg met at Cedar Creek Park warm and breezy Saturday afternoon to bicycle to Jones Beach and Tobay Beach. The cycling was a lot harder than ex-pected due to a strong headwind they had to pedal straight into as they were pedaling along the Wantagh Parkway Shared Use Path to Jones Beach. The winds eased up somewhat as the path turned east and contin-ued along Ocean Parkway to Tobay Beach. They stopped for a short while at the Tobay Beach pavilion for a short snack and dip in the ocean. The group headed back to Jones Beach to bicycle the Jones Beach boardwalk head-ing north just as the sun was setting and reaching Cedar Creek Park at dusk. A good time was had by all. Sunday, August 12 – Norman Levy Preserve Kayak We got lucky with the weather with a clear morning, in between periods of thunderstorms. Leader Nancy Hodson and 10 other participants: Christine Zimmet, Lanny Wexler, Ela Brown, Donna Pettick, Diana Malkin, Wendy Smith, Jeff Butler, Sherry Buch, Leslie Leber, and Brenda Baker, met in Merrick at the Norman J. Levy Park and Preserve. We rented 3 kayaks and the rest brought their own. Rangers led the group, along with some other renters south on Meadow Brook into Meadow Bay. We explored the surrounding area on our own, paddling un-der the long pedestrian fishing pier and close to the ca-nals near Merrick homes. The weather was beautiful with a light breeze, but after an hour, storm clouds appeared in the north. The Rangers urged us to return to the launch site, but a few of us lingered until sounds of thunder and darkening skies made us paddle quickly back. A good outing enjoyed by all. Sunday, August 26—Old Croton Aqueduct Bike Ride On August 26 Larry Stipp joined Jerry Licht on a pick up trip to ride the "Old Croton Aqueduct Trail" (OCA) from the Croton Dam down to Van Cortland Park in the Bronx and back again for a fun 50 miles. The dirt and gravel trail had many roots and stones and a few steep routed up and down hills making for some rough but fun riding in places. The trail runs through people’s backyards places and the many road crossings require quite a bit of curb jumping. If you chose to ride it BTW that navigation is a bitch and we wasted much time checking maps, GPS and asking locals but it added to the adventure. Great ride, lots of fun!

ADK-LI members on ADK Adventure Travel Trip to Absaroka Mountains, WY

Seated: Bill Schneider, Sue Kenyon, Wendy Smith Standing: Jen Forsberg, Tom Schneider, Alan & Diane Grunthal

June Fait completed the Indian Lake 4-3-2-1 Hike Challenge on August 7, 2018 on Chimney Mountain

(photo by Dan Nielsen)

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HIKING UTAH’S MIGHTY FIVE by Diane Grunthal

Many hikers go the Utah's national parks and monu-ments and don't feel compelled to write about it. I, on the other hand, was persuaded because I was so unpre-pared for the unimaginable scenery we encountered hiking southern Utah's five national parks, a national forest and two national monuments. I thought nothing could compare to some of the magical mountains Allen and I hiked in the Alps in Western Europe, the Tatras in Eastern Europe, the Tongariro Alpine pass in New Zea-land, the Torres del Paine in Patagonia (South America), as well as the mountains in Alaska, Hawaii, the Sierra Nevada, the Grand Tetons, Joshua Tree, and the Rock-ies. Utah’s parks do compare, and then some. They are a surreal kingdom of massive rock sculptures, red castles, tall pinnacles of various shapes of sandstone, granite rocks and quartz, and ancient sand dunes frozen in time, remnants of an upwelling of magma, weathering and erosion some 25 million years ago. Water and ice, ex-treme temperatures and underground salt movement all contribute to the rock scenery; some like the formations of balanced rocks-perched atop a seemingly inadequate base. Our favorite was Arches National Park, a land of towering spires, pinnacles, fins and bridges, ranging from sliver-thin cracks to spans greater than 300 feet. This park has the densest concentration of natural stone arches anywhere in the world. The Nuns and Priests pinnacles looked just as they are named, shooting into the sky hundreds of feet in the air. A not-to-be missed hike is up to the ribbon of rock known as Delicate Arch, perhaps Utah's most iconic and famous landmark, look-ing like a giant fin, standing on the brink of a canyon, with the dramatic La Sal Mountains as backdrop. After clamoring over rock and around boulders, following rock cairns on slickrock on an exposed ledge, one reaches the bowed sandstone arch, a spectacular example of the power of erosion. Those who drive to viewpoints can view this sandstone archway with binoculars at one of the pullouts. If one chooses to take a tour bus, or drive one's car, it is still possible to see magical scenery. However, hiking here is an otherworldly experience. The five national parks have hiking trails ranging from less than 1 mile to 5+ miles. We hiked 41 trails in 15 days, stringing togeth-er 2 to 4 hikes each day of various lengths, providing new vistas and surprises around every bend. While ele-vation gains were modest in the first 4 National Parks and forests we visited, hikes can take longer than ex-pected as the terrain is often soft sand and slickrock, the latter being smooth, not slippery, except if wet; and wash consisting of loose gravel.

Canyonlands NP introduced us to wave after wave of deep canyons, mesas, buttes, fins, cliffs and spires in Utah's high desert. So many hikes, yet Aztec Butte stands out as an exhilarating skitter, hiking up slickrock to a Nav-ajo sandstone dome yielding stellar views and endless sky. A small spur trail led us to ruins of an Ancestral Pueblo granary. The Navajo called Capitol Reef NP the Land of the Sleep-ing Rainbow. The contrast of red Entrada and white Nav-ajo sandstones and the magnificent rip in the crust of the earth create surreal landscapes of giant cliffs, massive domes, arches, bridges, and twisting canyons all exam-ples of geologic erosive forces shaped and lifted over mil-lions of years. Hike up 950 feet to Cassidy Arch; folklore has it that Butch Cassidy hid out here. Hikes not to be missed are the ascents up Cohab Canyon, and the ex-posed route up Hickman Bridge. We punctuated our hiking with a one day scenic road trip to get from Capitol Reef to Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument on Scenic Byway Route 12, one of the premier Byways in America. This drive was an ex-traordinary experience, through a landscape carved through geologic time. In GSENM we descended a mile into a steep wide canyon between sandstone cliffs down slickrock and soft sand leading through a desert moon-scape to a 120 foot waterfall. GSENM has an abundance of rock art - petro glyphs of pictures or symbols pecked into the rock's surface, and pictographs which are painted symbols by early native inhabitants hundreds of years ago.

Bryce Amphitheatre

Bryce Canyon NP is our 2nd most favorite of all the parks and monuments. Bryce Canyon is unlike any else in the world, hiking among pink limestone cliffs and multicolored pinnacles and buttresses. At over 8,000 feet, Bryce Can-yon was blessedly cooler than all the other parks, 70 de-

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CONSERVATION REPORT by June Fait, Conservation Chair

This summer, as we did last summer, the Conservation Committee held a “Retreat” at our Heart Lake property.

Those of us who arrived on Wednesday afternoon had a tour of the property led by Wes Lampman, Chief Operat-ing Officer. The campground is being expanded. A new washroom and snack bar are being built. The old wash-room has been refurbished and really looks good. And until the snack bar is complete, The Hungry Hiker is based on the porch of the High Peaks Information Cen-ter. And I did try one of the wraps offered at the Hungry Hiker - it was quite good. Yurts are being built for educa-tion programing, and more.

After dinner we had a talk by a member of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics. This group, based in Boulder, Colorado is working on teaching people to enjoy the outdoors responsibly. You know, pack it in/ pack it out, walk in the center of the trail - not enlarging it, only build fires in established fire pits, etc. But we need to be reminded especially now that so many more people want to enjoy the outdoors.

The next day we had the option of walking on a bit of the new section of the North Country Scenic Trail, a National Trail which will run from North Dakota to Crown Point on Lake Champlain. It has been quite a challenge to find a way through the Adirondack Park but Mary Coffin had done well in finding a good route. I must confess I cheat-ed and just walked around Heart Lake, as having just finished the Indian Lake 4-3-2-1, I wanted to relax a bit. Those who went were able to see our ADK professional trail crew at work.

Then at night, after dinner, sitting by the lake we had our meeting. Our Executive Director Neil Woodworth had quite a bit of information for us. An overview of some of this information was noted in Mike Vaughan’s Presidents Corner in the last issue of the Mountaineer. First news concerning the overuse of the High Peaks, especially around Cascade Mountain. The trail to Cascade will begin at the Mt Van Hoevenberg Ski Center not on Rt 73. Our ADK professional trail crew will work on this. Parking will still be allowed on Rt 73 to hike up Pitchoff. Parking around the Giant Mountain trails is also a concern. At this point there are delineated parking spaces but some hik-ers are ignoring them and parking every which way when the spaces are filled. Enforcement is being considered and also the possibility of a bus from a parking lot on state owned land at the intersection of Rt 9 & 73. There is also concern that with the relaxation of power plant emis-sion standards - our lakes will again become acidic be-cause of contamination with mercury. The only way at this point to stop this is by a law suit.

It was a good and informative retreat.

gree temperatures, versus 80's and 90's. The park's se-ries of natural amphitheaters are sunk into pink cliffs and filled with delicate red rock statuesque rock formations, called Hoodoos. These are bulbous columns of pink cas-tle spires resembling daggers, shaped by snow and ice melt and water seeping into fractures. As it re-freezes, it expands and cracks the rock around it. A 4-mile hike down 500 feet into the Bryce Amphitheater took us to a hoodoo named as it looks - Queen Victoria of England riding a horse. Then there was Zion National Park. One of the most memorable day hikes is Zion's Angels Landing, a 5-mile trail ascending first for 1,000 feet in 2 miles; hiking up long switchbacks up the canyon wall, hugging the face of the towering cliff, before the main attraction: a razor-edge traverse and a final 500 feet on a chain-assisted scramble to the summit. The final 500 feet of the 1,500’ total elevation gain ascends a series of switchbacks on a narrow, exposed ridge, impossible without the steel chains assisting. Often fellow hikers extended helpful hands, as they waited their turn to come down, as we climbed up single file. The 5,790 foot summit of Angels Landing has 360 degree panoramas of the entire Zion Canyon, towering rock mountains, startling sentinels of stone and sheer milky-white cliffs; rock walls varnished with mineral stains surrounded us. Even on a week day in late May, it was necessary to arrive at Zion's cavern-ous parking lot at 8 am, and to luckily find a parking spot, and to then wait 30 minutes to board the required shuttle bus to get to most of Zion's trailheads. I finally took a rest day and Allen proceeded to tackle Zion's more aggres-sive hikes, logging 13 miles and 3000 feet. Our special odyssey ended in Salt Lake City. How re-freshing it was to see so many young men and women so devoted to their Mormon religion that they spent a year and one half away from their families and friends to do volunteer missionary work in Salt Lake City.

Court of the Patriarchs

Hiking Utah’s Mighty Five - continued

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New Adirondack Hiking Challenge By Dan Nielsen

We all know about the Adirondack 46 and the Saranac Lake 6ers but did you know there are at least eighteen other Adirondack challenges. (For a list contact [email protected]) Most offer a badge to signify your accomplish-ment. Many of the towns and villages realize their local mountains have equally beautiful scenery as do the high peaks. The latest is Lake Placid 9’er Hiking Challenge https://lakeplacid9er.com This challenge started on July 1, 2018 and re-quires you to hike nine mountains: Cobble Hill, Mt. Jo, Baxter Mountain, Mt. Van Hoevenberg, Big Crow Mountain, Bear Den Mountain (Wilmington), Pitchoff Mountain, Catamount Mountain, and Hurricane Mountain. The organ-izers recommend you climb them in the order shown. There is no time limit on completion. For the truly adventurous you might consider the ultra and winter challenges.

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