Adirondack Mountain Club

What a summer this has been! Eleven of us braved the rainy conditions to hike this section of the Conservation Trail. The misty rain brought out the colors of the woods and the smells too. This writer loves hiking in rain in the summer: no bugs and the refreshing feel of rain is much nicer than hot, humid and oppressive! The ravines were beauitful with their shale creeks, little waterfalls and impressive descents. The Alley-Cat crews of volunteers from Foothills Trail Club, our chapter of ADK and the others from the Finger Lakes Trail Conference have done a very impressive amount of trail work on this 8 mile stretch! A tip o’ the hat to them all! The rain stopped by 11:30 and we enjoyed a pleasant lunch interlude. A nice time to chat and get to know each other. As the hike continued the sunshine came streaming through the leaves with the beautiful dappled effect that we love so much. It was a good day and place for a hike! Submitted by Cheryl Peluso

We began with a six hour drive to the Bell Lake Access Point Thursday morning. A 300 meter portage to Johnnie Lake was followed with a 12 kilometer paddle through Johnnie and Carlyle Lakes to the 940 meter portage to Kakakise Lake. We camped there for two nights and hiked on the Killarney Ridge and Silver Peak sections of the LaCloche Silhouette Hiking Trail. We, negotiated terrain that reminded me of the “Gunks Ice caves hike. The destination was the “Crack”, with a good view of O.S.A. and Killarney Lakes, cradled between the white hills of Killarney Ridge and Blue Ridge to the north. To the south, we had an equally good view of the Georgian Bay. Saturday, we started back with the portage back to Terry Lake. The portage out seemed easier than on the way in. We found a wonderful campsite on Carlyle Lake. This campsite featured a rock cliff that sloped down to the water level offering various levels for jumping/diving into the lake. The campfire was also memorable with a clear nighttime sky. We paddled out on Sunday, through Johnnie Lake and took a ride into the Village of Killarney for a fish fry dinner at Herbert’s Fish Market. These trips offer a great opportunity to get to know the other in the group and discuss important world issues like camping gear and trail food preparation. Submitted by Richard Schraven

Eight hikers met at ASP Sunday, July 11 for a delightful 7 mile hike on Beehunter Trail. Most of the time, we were under the canopy of trees in full leaf, but the sun and blue sky were usually evident. Many of us had hiked this trail last October, for the FLTC Fall outing under significantly different conditions (several inches of snow, and branches laden with snow partially obstructing the trail in many areas)! It was a treat to experience what the trail has to offer when trail markers and the well-worn trail are actually visible!

Cheryl informed us along the way of some interesting information she had learned from hike leaders while attending the Nature Pilgrimage a few years (how’s this for a subtle plug?).

Afterwards, seven of us enjoyed a potluck lunch in a shady area, savoring a variety of cold salads, homemade hummus, cheese, crackers and fruit, finishing with wedding cake from Cheryl’s daughter Sarah’s recent wedding!

Five of us then headed to the beach, although only three of us swam in the refreshing water.

Three folks then headed back to Buffalo, one headed out for a bike ride and one enjoyed the quiet of Red House Lake for another hour.

It was a marvelous day; join us next time!

Submitted by Kathy Boni

Ten hikers participated in the Bear Caves Hike on July 5th in Allegany State Park despite the heat and humidity. It was warm but bearable (no pun intended) as the park is cooler and we were shaded in the woods. Following the hike we had a delicious potluck picnic. The variety of dishes provided us with everything from hot dogs, salads, desserts and even a cold carrot dish. Everything was homemade and delicious1

This morning, I led a paddle outing for ADK. 21 paddlers enjoyed a spectacular day on the Niagara River with a 10-mile trip, beginning at Beaver Island (East River Marsh’s new roller ramps) and ending at Buckhorn Island Park (Eagle Overlook). Today was the largest group that I have led to date, and conditions were perfect. What a great Independence Day weekend this has been! Submitted by Bob Van Hise

All the people who missed out on this trip in the past because of questionable weather or other conflicts, had another opportunity on this glorious day. 17 bikers completed the uphill ride to the North-rim with no flat tires nor any other bicycle breakdowns. The mood was generally upbeat that the hardest part of the outing was over, but people had another chance to test themselves at the knife-edge. This ridge that descends from the rim to the creek level, provides anxiety on the way down with a flakey surface that has little grip. Those, who took this option, enjoyed their lunches next to the creek’s moving water. In fact, most availed themselves of the cool water for relief from the hot sun. Everyone who went down climbed back up the 400 feet high wall. Those who chose to stay up, continued along the rim to have their lunches by a cool, leafy glade, where a small stream makes its way to the edge of the gorge and then becomes a waterfall to the creek below. The reunited group retraced its route back to the bikes and was treated to a mostly down-hill trip back to the cars. It was a beautiful day with clear blue skies. Peddling up the hills got hot, but the breeze from the speedy descents was cooling and the hike on the forested rim trail was comfortable besides being scenic. Special thanks go to Paul Kochmanski, who ably performed as sweep on the bikes as well as on the trails. My wife, Mary also served as guide for the alternate route to the glade. Submitted by: Richard Schraven

We had the most awesome hike on Sunday. Kim led it at Griffith Sculpture Park. She knew a lot about the history of the park and the sculptures. It was a beautiful day. The weather was perfect. We hiked on wooded trails and viewed beautiful sculptures. A pond with ladies diving and swimming all around it. Amazon ladies, a “yellow” submarine and Kim’s personal favorite a lady with a cut-out heart. We met one of Mr. Griffith’s sons who answered lots of questions and walked with us a ways. We had a picnic lunch under some tress surrounded by the sculptures. People from 9 – 71 years old enjoyed the hike with a group of 17 people. What a beautiful time we had. Thanks to Kim. Submitted by Sherry Schleede

This annual hike on Mt. Tuscarora/Firetower trail in Allegany State Park was quite enjoyable. We saw a good number of wildflowers but were very suprised that the usual assortment had already bloomed and gone to seed. This year is definitely an early growing season! The other big change was caused by a tornado that went through last year and flattened a roughly two mile stretch of trees on the side of the mountain. More sunlight is hitting the trail now and one of the consequences is that it is drier. This year there is less rain too so it was hard to tell how much the dryness was due to the tornado vs the rainfall.
After the hike finished we enjoyed hot dogs done on the charcoal grill at the Quaker Picnic area as well as the delicious contributions from the other participants: salads, baked beans, fruit and dessert.
There were many rumbles of thunder in the distance as we hiked but it wasn’t til we were finished and at the picnic grounds that we actually saw the lightnening flashes and heard the storm come seemingly close. Luckily the rain did not really pelt us til we were ready to leave. Got home around 6pm. Submitted by Cheryl Peluso

Mother Nature smiled on 14 riders with sunshine and mild breezes. We enjoyed a relaxed ride from Clarence Center to the lower park at Akron Falls. Lunch was had at the picnic shelter as we relaxed in the shade. Returned to Clarence around 12:45 for a 18-mile trip. Submitted by Don Felton