Category: Adirondacks

Coney Mountain Tupper Lake

10/2/2014

After a trails meeting in Tupper Lake today my colleague, Joe Dadey, and I hiked up nearby Coney Mt. We noted that of the four cars in the parking lot two were from out of state. One from Florida and one from Alaska. Seeing the ADK license, we were not surprised that the mother and daughter from Alaska were also summer residents of Tupper Lake.

It was a great day to be outdoors!

Having hiked Goodman Mountain a month earlier we pondered the idea of Tupper Lake creating their own version of the Saranac Lake 6er Program. Perhaps they could call it the Tupper Lake Ten. It might include:

Mount Morris (Big Tupper)
Coney Mountain
Goodman Mountain
Mount Arab
Panther Mountain
Floodwood Mountain
Iron Mountain
Frederica Mountain
Mount Matumbla
Moosehead Mountain

Some of these are on private land and if they aren't viable perhaps others could be substituted. I know that I have been to the top of seven of theses peaks and they are generally very easy and have great views. It would complement the Saranac Lake 6er Program nicely.

What do you think?

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Essex Chain Lakes Management Complex - Draft Unit Management Plan, by Doug

7/17/2014

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Essex Chain Lakes Management Complex Draft Unit Management Plan

Public Comment Opportunity

The NYS Department of Environmental Conservation will be accepting comments on the Draft UMP until July 25, 2014.
Complete information can be found by clicking here to open the DEC page about this plan.

Doug's formal comments to the DEC are posted below. Be sure to send your own comments before the 7/25/2014 deadline.

July 17, 2014

Josh Clague, Natural Resources Planner
625 Broadway, 5th Floor
Albany, NY 12233-4254

lfadk@gw.dec.state.ny.us

RE: Essex Chain Lakes Management Complex - Draft Unit Management Plan

Dear Josh Claque:

This letter contains my comments on the Essex Chain Lakes Management Complex - Draft Unit Management Plan. I found the plan to be well written and comprehensive. Although the plan is moving quickly, it is obvious that a lot of effort has been expended to put it together. Overall the plan has many positive proposals that I support, it also has some proposals that concern me and may even be precedent setting. These comments reflect my thoughts on both what I see as positive about the plan and what I am apprehensive about. In all cases these remarks are offered as practical and constructive comments.

II. NATURAL RESOURCES AND PUBLIC USE
A.2. Biological
a. Vegetation
Please note that while exploring the area last fall I identified a stand of Phragmites near 8th Lake. It is just off the four-wheeler trail that leads to the lake.
Coordinates:
N 43 degrees 53.019’
W 074 degrees 13.352’

c. Fisheries
The following is quoted from the Public Use section:
“However, fishing will likely be a popular activity.
The Essex Chain Lakes and surrounding water bodies are fairly accessible. As access to this area is improved, fishing pressure can be expected to increase in the short term. Experience with similar acquisitions, such as the Whitney Wilderness Area in 1998, suggests that public use will begin to level off as public curiosity is satisfied.”
This statement is significant to the public’s use of the area in general, not just in regards to fishing. It seems that many of the more restrictive proposals in the plan are based on concerns about the level of use in what could be termed the “curiosity phase”. Indeed public use of areas such as Whitney, Lows Lake and Lake Lila have leveled off. Over time, the more restrictive proposals in this plan will not be necessary or even relevant. It may be argued that in the future the plan could be amended and restrictions eased, but we all know that this is difficult to do and rarely happens once a plan is in place.

B.1. Gates
I urge the Department to use natural barriers in place of gates wherever possible. Even as of last fall there seemed to be an over proliferation of gates in this complex. These man-made structures should be carefully considered with natural barriers such as rocks, timbers and plants used whenever feasible. As “old roads” become impassible to vehicles existing gates should be removed.

B.2. Motorized Access and Parking Areas
a. Near Hudson River and Iron Bridge
Moving this parking lot closer to the Hudson River is a practical and sensible decision.
b. Deer Pond
Although I recognize that parking lot size can be utilized to control public use, parking for 10 day use vehicles and 15 overnight vehicles at this site is totally inadequate. Due to the widespread use of small solo boats now commonly paddled in the Adirondacks, even most small groups will have multiple vehicles just to transport their boats. The parking inadequacies of the Lows Lower Dam site is a prime example of what occurs when the parking capacity of an area is undersized as related to the actual carrying capacity of the area being accessed. There is plenty of room for adequate parking at the Deer Pond site, please use it to expand on what is proposed.
c. Outer Gooley
Designation of a 6 vehicle existing parking area in the vicinity of the former Outer Gooley Club is a practical and sensible decision.

B.4. Camping
b. Camping Permit System

Utilizing the Adirondack Interpretive Center as the location where permits are issued for camping at the 13 designated primitive tent sites in the Essex Chain Lakes Primitive Area which require a permit is a good plan for the initial opening of this area. Various other systems were used during the “curiosity phase” when the afore mentioned areas were first opened. In each of those cases it was found that once the initial influx of users leveled off that these systems were no longer necessary. Even though the plan calls for a review of this reservation system at the end of the 2014 season, I would also suggest that the language in the plan be changed to allow for a comprehensive re-examination of this system at the end of the 2016 camping season or at least no later than the end of the 2018 season when the hunting camp leases expire.
The limitation of camping to a 3 night maximum is unnecessary. Current Forest Preserve regulations requiring a camping permit for more than 3 nights at one location are adequate for addressing this concern.
The prohibitions of camping at large for the Essex Chain Tract are unnecessary. In almost all Adirondack Forest Preserve units the vast majority of camping takes place at designated sites. The few campers that camp legally in undeveloped sites under current regulations are rarely a problem. Current regulations are adequate to address environmental concerns related to camping in undeveloped areas.
Here is a statement from this section of the plan that is a concern; “…, and the maximum day use and overnight group size is 8 people.” While an overnight group size of 8 people does have precedence, limiting day use groups to 8 people is unprecedented and is not acceptable. In fact, further in this plan in the section titled Promulgation of Regulations a day use group size of 15 is proposed for enactment as regulation. The discrepancy between these two sections leads me to believe that the reference to an 8 person day use maximum in this section is either an error or a last minute addition to the sentence. A day use group size of 15 is acceptable. Please address this and let me know what the actual intent for day use group size is.

c. Fires
Although I personally always carry a cook stove and use it for almost all my cooking in the backcountry, I still find that the prohibition of fires on the shoreline sites in the Essex Chain is an unnecessary rule. I believe that the campfire ban in the Eastern High Peaks was a practical and necessary management tool and has made a difference there. The situation there is much different than what is found in the Essex Chain. The High Peaks have been heavily used for decades and camping use is year round. In addition the forest types found there differ greatly and are more fragile than those found in the Essex Chain. I have camp in many of the Forest Preserve units that are primarily accessed only by canoe and kayak users. In all cases I have rarely if ever seen the degradation mentioned in the 32 year old citation from Cole, Dalle-Moll. In fact I believe that the conditions stated in the opening paragraph of this section describe more front country locations than they do back country. It is fair to point out that camping on these sites will primarily take place during the short warm season in the Adirondacks. There are many months each year when these site will lay fallow and rest.

I have camped in Algonquin Provincial Park in Ontario and the Boundary Waters Canoe Wilderness Area in Minnesota. Both those places have existed for decades and receive much more use than the Essex Chain will get. Fires are still widely used in these places and there is little sign of the degradation that is feared to occur here. In the Boundary Waters fires are kept very small by a regulation that restricts their location to within the small iron fire grate that is permanently installed at each campsite. I realize that there are those in the DEC and the APA that would feel these types of units do not meet the natural standards set forth in the APSLMP, but if they were to see these units in action they would feel differently.

In addition to all this, the regulations proposed in the plan regarding fires are confusing. Some places they are allowed and some places they are not. The public will struggle to understand and accept the differences.

VI. DETAILED MANAGEMENT PROPOSALS
1. Public Motor Vehicle Access
I am please to see that providing access to both the Chain Lakes and primitive area trails for persons with disabilities is a priority.
The CP-3 parking area to be located west of Fifth Lake is ideally sited. In fact when I explored the area last October I identified that same area as a possible location for this use. I also support and am pleased with the proposals outlined in section 4. Accessibility.

6. Trails
c. Mountain Biking
I am pleased that the Chain Lakes Road (North) and the road to the Iron Bridge have been temporarily designated for mountain bike use through September 30, 2018. I encourage the Department to expand mountain bike use during this period to all the trails identified on Map 10. Equestrian and Mountain Bike Use. Further, I strongly support the permanent designation of mountain bike trails on all the units in this Management Complex.

8. Floatplanes
The lean-to site on the north end of Tirrell Pond in the Blue Mountain Wild Forest is an example of the degradation that can occur on campsites used by floatplane customers. With the concern about user impacts on other campsites in this complex it is important that the floatplane only sites be closely monitored and the exclusive use of them be re-examined periodically. Language calling for this review should be added to the plan.

Additional management considerations
In order to properly maintain and fund the stewardship of this complex I strongly encourage Lands and Forests to work with the Division of Operations to establish a Maintenance Management Plan to be included in section VI of this plan.

The number and variety of new user policies and restrictions proposed in the plan will be confusing to the public. I encourage the Department to streamline and standardize the rules and regulations proposed for the different units in this plan. In almost all cases the current Forest Preserve regulations, if properly enforced, are adequate to address user impacts

As former commercial forest lands with a complete network of roads, the character of this complex well fits the classifications that have been assigned to the various parcels. I am pleased that this plan allows a diversity of citizens and user groups to access the property. People with disabilities will be well served by allowing the access outlined in this plan.. The road network is a fantastic resource for mountain biking and I am happy that this activity is being study for permanent inclusion in these areas.

Thank you for consideration of these comments.

Sincerely,
Doug Fitzgerald
NYS Licensed Guide
Broadwing Adventures

Mountain biking along the Cedar River

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We Finally Have Decent Backcountry Snow

2/9/2014

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We finally got a decent dumping of snow this week so it was time to get out and enjoy it. Friday friend and colleague Duane Gould and I set out to snowshoe up McKenzie Mountain one of the Saranac Lake Six. We have hiked this mountain too many times to count so the question of the morning was, "Which route should we take?" We decided to take the Shore Owner's Trail up and come down the DEC trail to the Jack Rabbit Trail.

The morning temperature was in single digits with a slight wind as we headed out. The forecast was for clearing skies but unfortunately for us they didn't clear until late afternoon so we were pretty socked in with occasional flurries for most of the day.

The Shore Owner's Trail heads north parallel to Lake Placid before it heads northwest up along Twin Brook. The snow was nearly two-feet deep as we snowshoed up along the brook. It ascends steadily until you come up to Bartlett Pond.

Bartlett Pond

From there it starts getting pretty steep. That combined with the deep snow made travel, even with snowshoes, pretty demanding. It was a long six tenths of a mile up to the ridge. Once on the ridge the snow was over 30 inches deep but the going was easier. From there it was an easy two tenths of a mile to the summit. The Shore Owner's Trail was much

better maintained than I remember it but then again I probably hadn't hiked on their trails for around 15 years. I was particularly impressed with how well the trails were signed.

Once we summited we headed down the south side where we were very grateful we hadn't climbed up the traditional route. It was much easier to slide down the steep pitches rather than have to climb up them. For those who have never climbed McKenzie Mt be prepared to go up and down a number of "false" summits. There was more than one that I slipped on the way up as well as slid down.

After sliding down, down, down we finally hit the Jack Rabbit Trail where the trail was broken by skiers and it wasn't long before we saw a group of French Canadian snowshoers. It was a long two miles out to the road and then a short jaunt to our car. After over seven miles and nearly six hours of breaking trail with snowshoes we were pretty bushed. It is so nice though to have enough snow to get out and XC ski and snowshoe. More trips to come...

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Something's Missing from the Rail - Trail Debate

1/19/2014

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The Adirondack Rail Corridor in Ray Brook.

Is it just us or is there something missing from the discussion of rails and trails? Why is the discussion of trails limited to one rail bed (of many within the park) rather than exploring the larger question of, “What are the trails needs park wide?”

Rather than looking at the rail – trail issue in isolation from the larger issue of creating and enhancing recreational opportunities within the Adirondack Park, we should focus on exploring the idea of an Adirondack Park Community-Based Trail System. The rail - trail issue can and should only be addressed after we have acknowledged and prioritized our park-wide trail needs. What follows is a vision for such a trail system in the Adirondack Park and, although the process for such an effort needs to be determined and articulated, it is a vision that would benefit the entire Adirondack Park and its communities.

Adirondack Park Community-Based Trail System

Goal: To create a community-based trail system in the Adirondack Park that will link communities via multi-use trails by utilizing existing trails, the railroad corridor, highway right-of-ways, and newly created trails.

Background: It is estimated that there are over 4,000 miles of different types of trails in the Adirondack Park; however, by and large, these trails are either concentrated in certain areas or haphazard in nature. System is defined as a set of connected things or parts forming a complex whole. With few exceptions the park’s trails are not part of a system.

By community-based trails we mean trails that have a number of features:

They allow travel throughout the community to various points in a town or village (e.g., home to grocery store)
They allow travel to scenic and recreational points within or near a community (e.g., hotel to summit of nearby mountain, home to cross-country ski center)
They allow travel between communities and public lands (e.g., community to community, hotel to wilderness area trailhead)
They allow travel from trailhead to trailhead not just to interior destinations (e.g., from trailhead through a wilderness area to another trailhead)
They allow looped trips that don’t require retracing your travel (e.g., rather than a trail that goes to a pond, perhaps it goes around the pond and comes back to the starting point via a different route)
They may be side by side with existing roads and rail corridors or intersecting them
Trails can be accessed locally without the need to get in an automobile

Rationale:
A variety of state agencies and not-for-profit organizations manage, advocate for, and maintain the park’s trails. Most would agree that they are underfunded and lack a comprehensive park-wide vision.

The Adirondack Park Recreation Strategy called for a more comprehensive recreation strategy to, “Establish recreational linkages between communities in the Park...Create a system of destination trails that weave between the regions of the Park…” and “Identify and develop recreational opportunities within communities.” In addition it suggested that “...a dedicated fund devoted to maintaining recreation infrastructure” be established.

The reasons for such a system distills down to two fundamental points:

It makes good economic sense
It improves the quality of life for residents

Possible Next Steps:

Host an Adirondack Park Community-Based Trail System Summit to explore the idea in more depth
Develop a process for gathering public input and collecting data
Develop a plan for the development and implementation of this system.
Explore funding opportunities

References

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Merry Christmas from Doug Fitzgerald at Broadwing Adventures

12/17/2013

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It is time to look back at another exciting and wonderful year.

Ski season is off to a good start, we now have enough natural snow to start cross country skiing and the temperatures have been cold, so Whiteface has been pumping out the manmade snow like crazy.

Last winter was good and my son John, neighbor Rich and I went to Sugarloaf Maine in March for five days of skiing. It was a fun big mountain experience, but we hit some rain and it took the mountain some time to recover. On our way home we stopped in NH to ski historic Wildcat Mt., which is just across the valley from Mt. Washington in the White Mountains. We finished off the trip home with a stop to ski Attitash Mt. on St. Patrick’s Day.

In January I joined, colleague and friend, Leo Kelly and the CT Chapter of the Appalachian Mountain Club for a long weekend winter hike to Carter Notch Hut in the Whites. It was a fun and eventful trip. To read about it see my previous blog entry.
It was the start of a good association with the AMC.

Besides skiing I have been busy hiking, paddling, camping and this year I added some interesting mountain bike rides to my list of activities.

The Mayor of Saranac Lake started a program for hiking the six mountains surrounding the village. It is called the Saranac Lake 6 and around 500 people have completed it since Memorial Day. I am SL 6er number 33. In June, Leo Kelly and I guided six members of the AMC on a week long vacation experience and climbed the 6. Members of the group stayed at beautiful White Pine Camp in Paul Smiths. Leo arranged the lodging and I provided meals. We will be offering another week long vacation trip again in June 2014. Click here to see the details on the AMC Adirondack Adventure Trip.

I had 30 days of guiding, about half as Broadwing Adventures and half with St. Regis Canoe Outfitters. We had three trips scheduled with the Wild Center and enjoyed the mix of people that attended those. We have already identified three trips to do with them in 2014.

Jan and I carved out a couple of weeks together. One week we went to Maine and spent half our time on the coast in Bar Harbor and the other half hiking and paddling in Baxter State Park while staying at Katahdin Lake Wilderness Camps. We spent another week in Wanakena and stayed in a cabin on the Oswegatchie River.

My friend Bill Ulinski and I went to the Connecticut Lakes of northern New Hampshire. A beautiful lightly used wild lands complex. We did some paddling and a unique hike on the Canadian border.

To top off a year of fun and success, after 41 years, I got together with my Army buddies. We met in Niagara Falls and spent three great days playing tourist and catching up with each others lives since our time together in Korea.

On a personal note, Jan and I have three beautiful granddaughters that fill our lives with love and joy. Sweet, sweet babies.
Hadley is 16 months old and gets prettier everyday. Brian, Danielle and Hadley moved back to Saranac Lake last winter. It is nice to have them in the area.
Jesse and Renee brought twins into their lives in February. Grace and Autumn have unique and charming personalities. They are fun to play with and we all enjoy spending time together.

We have much to be thankful for and joyous about again this year and are looking forward to a festive Christmas and a wondrous New Year. We wish all of you the very best now and in the coming year.

Have a Safe and Happy New Year
Doug

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Essex Chain Lakes - by Doug

10/14/2013

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From here the road gets rough.

On Thursday, October 10, 2013 I got my first glimpse of the Essex Chain Lakes. Most recreational users of the Adirondacks are likely familiar with the recent activity concerning the Essex Chain Lakes tract, which is part of the former Finch, Pruyn & Co. lands purchased by New York State from The Nature Conservancy (TNC). The State Land classification of this tract has been in the news for several months and the decision is now in the hands of the Adirondack Park Agency (APA) and will be subject to approval by the Governor.

Kiosk & register box at Deer Pond parking lot.

The day was slightly overcast, warm and dry. The mornings have been cold, so my two friends and I took our time
getting started. It was 11:05 AM by the time we signed in and started carrying
our lightweight solo canoes the 0.25 miles to Deer Pond. Still waters and no
bugs made ideal conditions for exploring the Chain Lakes.

Second Lake outlet.

Leaving Deer Pond we carried
0.5 miles to Third Lake, paddled into Second Lake and then carried to First Lake. The carry to First is flagged and lightly brushed out, but it has not been cut or developed yet. We paddled the length of the lake then down the outlet as far as the first beaver dam. Wanting to explore the other lakes in the chain we retraced our strokes to Third Lake.

A glimpse of Vanderwhacker Mt.

We stopped for lunch and watched as a member of the Gooley Club trolled around, fishing from an aluminum boat power by an electric motor. Although I am pleased to have a new portion of the Adirondacks to explore, I couldn’t help but think about the sense of loss members of the Club must be
feeling. These lakes have been a special part of their lives for a long time and now that is all changing. For the next five years this group will have lease access to the camp buildings and will be able to use motor boats on Second through Sixth Lakes. The DEC’s Interim Plan allows Club members to use electric motors from July 1st to September 30th and ten hp gas motors from October 1st to the end of the big game hunting season and from ice out until June 30th. As the day went on a few more fishing boats appeared on the water. Another paddler we encountered made a comment about eliminating motorized boats from the tract. I on the other hand did not find the boats to be bothersome. My earliest experiences in the wilds were fishing with my grandfather in boats like these.

This sign was not posted when we entered the tract.

After lunch we resumed exploring
lakes Fourth through Seventh. As it was getting later in the day we did not have time to investigate Sixth or Eighth Lakes. We will save those for future trips. The sun was setting as we retracted our route to the Deer Pond carry. We arrived at the parking lot before needing to break out the headlamps. We talked to some mountain bikers at the parking lot and discussed the potential for riding that the logging roads on the tract would provide.

The day’s paddle was an enjoyable experience. I am grateful to have the opportunity to explore this
beautiful area. While we were paddling we discussed the classification options currently being decided by the APA. I think we all had preconceived ideas about what classification we would favor. The area certainly is a great addition to the Forest Preserve; many people will enjoy experiencing it. Having seen the
tract first hand has provided me with a much better idea of the recreational use potential available. Given the character of the land I favor a Wild Forest classification over Wilderness. The
road network was constructed for extracting timber and can easily withstand the impact of mountain biking which would be allowed as Wild Forest but not as Wilderness. As far as motor boats, I think the current restrictions that apply to Gooley Club members would work for me. I know that some paddlers would disagree, but the area can certainly withstand this level of use. In addition, the Wild Forest classification would allow appropriate development of accessible facilities for use by people with disabilities.

Map from DEC Interim Plan

I hope that those deciding the final classification have had
a chance to explore and discover what the tract has to offer for the people of New York State.

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Spring Conditions on Adirondack Lakes, Ponds and Trails - by Doug

4/21/2013

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Upper Saranac Lake, Thursday, 4/18/2013.

This time of year, people that like to boat and hike in the Adirondacks start asking about the snow and ice situation here. Questions this week have ranged from people asking about ice on specific lakes and ponds, to questions about snow and mud on the trails and one that asked about hiking
the Northville Placid Trail from Lake Durant to Route 28N.

Doug at Whiteface, Friday, 4/19/2013

Believe it or not, Whiteface Mountain just closed for skiing and riding. I went Friday, April 19th and again today, Sunday the 21st, but this was the last day of operation for the season. This past week we have had warm temperatures and strong winds mixed with some rain and snow at times. Pretty typical stuff for April in the Adirondacks and even those of us that are diehard skiers have to say goodbye to winter.

So based on my ramblings during the last week or so, here is the unofficial report on outdoor conditions for the Tri-Lakes region.

Trying to save a dock from shifting ice.

Ice out: At the start of the past week the ponds and lakes were starting to turn gray, but they seemed to still be locked tight with ice. On Thursday, April 18th extremely high winds started to blow from the west-southwest and on the larger bodies of water the ice started to shift. On that day I watched as one of the local caretakers and her family tried to keep the moving ice from destroying a permanent dock that was ill-advisedly built two years ago. It seems like they may have had some success, but I’m sure the ice will win one of these years. It always does on the west facing shores.

Shell ice on Upper Saranac Lake, 4/20/2013

On Friday April 19th, Lake Colby was about 1/3 covered in the morning, but clear by mid-afternoon. Lake Clear seemed tight that afternoon, but was on
the way out by evening. Saturday the 20th, Upper Saranac Lake cleared completely except for about 200 feet of rolling shell ice in the Northeast Bay and about the same amount of weak ice around the boat launch in Back Bay.

Some shoreline ice lingering on Folensby Clear Pond.

As of Saturday, April 20, 2013 here is what I have seen:

Ice free are;
Lake Colby, Upper Saranac Lake, Lake Clear, Folensby Clear Pond, Fish Creek Pond, Square Pond, Whey Pond and Rollins Pond.
The smaller ponds without much wind exposure still have some ice; Church Pond and Osgood Pond in Paul Smiths are still ice covered.

Lake Placid from Little Whiteface Mt. Still frozen, Sunday, 4/21/20013

While skiing today I looked down on Lake Placid to see it frozen
everywhere except the far western end. Rumor has it the lake trout are active near the edge of the ice shelf there.

Our friends at St. Regis Canoe Outfitters have been checking the ponds along the Floodwood Road. Contact them or check their Facebook posts for updates.

Ice on the first 100 yards of the Baker Mt. trail.

Snow in the woods and on the trails.
A week ago winter was still locked in fairly tight with only the south facing slopes free of accumulated snow. I climbed Baker Mountain, one of the Saranac Lake “6”, on Thursday, April 11th and except for the first 100 yards the trail was almost all ice free. As the trail was very muddy, I kept my microSpikes on for the entire hike; they were helpful.

The only patch of snow on the Poke-O-Moonshine trail.

This past Wednesday, the 17th I climbed Poke-O-Moonshine down in the ChamplainValley. My friends and I picked this trail because we knew the trail would be relatively dry and there would be little or no snow on this lower elevation trail. It was a beautiful day and we only encountered a few small patches of snow and ice; we never needed to break the spikes out.
Looking at the north facing slopes of other mountains from the summit of Poke-O-Moonshine we could still see large patches of snow. In the upper elevations there is still substantial snow that likely requires traction
devices or snowshoes.
If we have some nice days in the next week I hope to hike Haystack and/or ScarfaceMountains, both are Saranac Lake 6er peaks.

The Eastern High Peaks still snow covered on Sunday, 4/21/2013

Trails with mud or water running on them can be easily eroded, so choose your routes to avoid these conditions.

Wearing PFDs on a spring paddle.

Cold Water Safety
Cold water can be extremely dangerous. For about a minute after entering the water, Cold Shock Response will affect your breathing. In response to rapid skin cooling initially there is an automatic gasp reflex. In a capsize situation if the
head goes underwater, water may be breathed into the lungs during the gasp causing drowning. A life jacket or PFD helps keep your head above water and can prevent this.
Hypothermia is also a danger, depending upon the person and what they are wearing. Moderate hypothermia will occur between 5 and 30 minutes after submersion in cold water. A wet suit or dry suit will provide thermal protection and minimize the Cold Shock Response and hypothermia.

In New York State, paddlers are required to wear a PFD between November 1st and May 1st.

Be safe out there and minimize your environmental impact. Let someone know where you are going and practice Leave No Trace (LNT). Have a fun spring.

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Summary #2 - Ten Trails We Should Build Before We Worry about Converting Rails to Trails

1/8/2013

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To see the introductory Blog Post to this series and the other trail suggestions click HERE

Happy New Year – Let’s hope that 2013 helps us develop more trails in the Adirondack Park in general and the Saranac Lake area in particular.

Over the last month I have had two meetings as a result of this blog series. The first with Dick Beamish, founding publisher of the Adirondack Explorer and founding member of Adirondack Recreational Trail Advocates. I’ll report on our meeting in a separate blog post.

A little over a week ago I met with Steve Guglielmi the NYSDEC Forester largely responsible for the Saranac Lake Wild Forest Unit Management Plan (SLWFUMP.) Steve shared with me some of the trails the DEC has proposed for the SLWFUMP and solicited my thoughts on a variety of trail issues. I think the trails proposed for the SLWFUMP in general are excellent. My general observation and what I attempted to reinforce to Steve was the importance of connectivity. I mean connectivity in a number of ways:

Can you get from one trail to the other without having to get into your car?

Can you get from one trailhead to another rather than just traveling in to an interior location and then hike back out?

Can you create a loop trail so people don’t have to retrace their steps?

The trails I have proposed all have great connectivity.

I also shared my idea for what I’m calling “50 in 2.” Any community within the Adirondack Park should be able to have at least fifty miles of trails with trailheads within two miles from the center of the community. A concept like this would make the Adirondack Park a mecca for trail activities.

I appreciate the opportunity to meet with Steve and share my thoughts. I look forward to seeing the Saranac Lake Wild Forest UMP completed.

Let’s take a look at our conversation regarding each of my proposed trails.

1. Saranac River/Pine Pond Trail
It is safe to say that the DEC is concerned about using the Route 3 State Bridge Boat Launch as a trailhead. There are many issues with that site and adding a new use just complicates things further. Having said that this is a natural location for a trail head and at least two trails could start from there. (This one and #9) Given that the trail I proposed here runs through the High Peaks Wilderness it turns out there are at least two other options for this trail that might make more sense. Evidently there is a route north of the bridge that DEC employees use to access the lower locks in the winter to check the water level. There is also the old abandoned trail from route 3 north of the river that went into the lean-to on Lake Kiwassa. From there it wouldn’t be too hard to get to the locks. The challenge is to find a route from the locks to the trail from Averyville. Finding a way to get from Averyville to route 3 just makes too much sense not to do it.

2.  Saranac River/Moose Pond
This trail is in the McKenzie Wilderness. The UMP for this unit will probably not be completed for a long time yet. The fact that this is a wilderness area seemed to raise red flags but I pointed out that all the trails I have proposed for the McKenzie Wilderness Area have close proximity to Route 3. This trail has great connectivity to the Village.

3.  McKenzie Wilderness Trail
The DEC appears to support the trail proposed in the Village of Saranac Lake Trails Plan from the summit of Baker Mt. The trail I have proposed here would complement that trail and combining this with #2 and #5 make for a nice trail network on the east side of the Saranac River.

4. Scarface to Pine Pond
The SLWFUMP proposes a trail around the south side of Scarface Mt but does not, at this time, connect to Pine Pond. By this time you know my mantra, “Connectivity.” Connect trails around Scarface to Pine Pond, which will connect to Route 3 and Averyville.

5.  Moose Pond Trail
A loop trail around Moose Pond makes a lot of sense because it would meet all three of my connectivity points when combined with trail #4. Ditto the comments for #2

6. Saranac Lake to Mt. View – Conceptually the state seems to support this although, if I understand it correctly, they don’t have ownership of the entire roadbed. The DEC has some excellent ideas for this region which is in the DeBar Wild Forest. They are trying to link the VIC, the Slush Pond Trail, and the Hayes Brook trail and other areas. This would be excellent. Great connectivity!

7. Turtle Pond Trails (Fowler’s Crossing) – The proposed UMP supports the development of this area but a trail linking to the Scarface trail is challenging due to wetlands. We need to find a way to make this connecting trail work. The trails south of Turtle Pond are nice but connecting them to the Scarface trail opens up numerous additional opportunities. There may be some options to run the trail through private property. The DEC has proposed some good connectivity on the east side of the tracks north of route 86 to Ray Brook.

8. Scarface Mountain Loop – The proposed UMP has some very interesting trails proposed around Scarface Mountain. I support their proposals and suggest that my proposal be left as a bushwhack and not developed as a trail in light of the other trails they are proposing.

9. Lower Saranac Lake Trail – We had a lengthy discussion on this trail. There is a desire to keep this large parcel of land more primitive with few trails. We looked at some options that allowed for that such as keeping the trail close to the lake and then running it closer to private land up to the Forest Home Road. I really feel that this trail has lots of potential especially if it is continued on to Lake Colby as I propose.

10. Black Pond Trial – I’ll gladly sacrifice this trail for #9, the Lower Saranac Lake Trail, in order to preserve a larger trailless area in this region.

3 Comments

Summary #1 - 10 Trails We Should Build Before We Worry about Converting Rails to Trails

12/18/2012

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To see the introductory Blog Post to this series and the other trail suggestions click HERE

Sorry I haven't followed up on my ten trails blog posts but other commitments have kept me from wrapping this series up. I hope to make a few more entries on the topic before things are complete. (At least for the time being.) For tonight I provide you with a map that includes all ten trails plus one major addition (provided by the Village of Saranac Lake Draft Bicycle + Pedestrian Trail Master Plan) and a number of minor additions The major addition is a trail from the Forest Home Road to Lake Colby. Although I have never traveled it, my understanding is that it exists and is used by mountain bikers and others. I propose extending it on the north side of the Forest Home Road to where it could link up with my proposed Lower Saranac Lake trail. Minor additions include:

A couple of spurs along the Saranac River near the upper locks that connect the Lower Lake to Middle Saranac. This route is an old snowmoble trail and could by used by snowmobles and x-c skiers to traverse both lakes in the winter. I've skied it many times.
A number of connecting spurs along the railroad tracks in and near the village that link all the trails together.

The linking of these trails would allow people to leave from their doorstep (home or motel) and travel nearly 100 miles. Imagine if every village in the Adirondack Park developed a similar trail network. We would become the trail mecca of North America.

Jack Drury's Proposed Saranac Lake Area Trails

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Trail #10 - 10 Trails We Should Build Before We Worry about Converting Rails to Trails

12/13/2012

6 Comments

To see the introductory Blog Post to this series and the other trail suggestions click HERE

I have had so much interest in this series I thought I would encourage people to submit what trail they think should be built. Let's keep this conversation going and, if you would like, share a trail in the Saranac Lake area that you think might be appropriate for one or more outdoor recreation uses. Once I have completed posting my ten trails I will start posting trails submitted that I think are appropriate. You can make your submissions by sending them to me HERE. Let me hear from you.

Trail # 10 - Black Pond Trail
This trail already exists from the Forest Home Road to Black Pond. I've skied it many times and once bushwhacked on skis from Black Pond to Little Weller Pond, to Middle Saranac Lake and out to the Ampersand Mountain Parking lot. For these purposes I have the trail intersecting my trail #9. This provides a nice second option for those hiking around Lower Saranac Lake.

Stay tuned tomorrow to see how I connect all these trails so you can see how you can access any of the trails from the other.
Thanks for following along.
Jack

Name

10. Black Pond Trial

Access/Description

From the Forest Home Road to Black Pond and then intersecting with the Lower Saranac Lake Trail.
Difficulty:
Hiking is moderate
Skiing is challenging
Mt. Biking is challenging

Distance

>4 miles

Thoughts?Issues

This is Wild Forest so could be a multipurpose year around trail although for a number of reasons it wouldn't be practical for snowmobiles. A hunter/fisherman’s trail already exists to Black Pond.

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Coney Mountain Tupper Lake

Essex Chain Lakes Management Complex - Draft Unit Management Plan, by Doug

Essex Chain Lakes Management Complex Draft Unit Management Plan

Public Comment Opportunity

Doug's formal comments to the DEC are posted below. Be sure to send your own comments before the 7/25/2014 deadline.

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Summary #2 - Ten Trails We Should Build Before We Worry about Converting Rails to Trails

Summary #1 - 10 Trails We Should Build Before We Worry about Converting Rails to Trails

Trail #10 - 10 Trails We Should Build Before We Worry about Converting Rails to Trails

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Jack Drury
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Essex Chain Lakes Management Complex Draft Unit Management Plan

Public Comment Opportunity

Doug's formal comments to the DEC are posted below. Be sure to send your own comments before the 7/25/2014 deadline.

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Thoughts?Issues

Jack Drury & Doug Fitzgerald

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Jack Drury
& Doug Fitzgerald