Celebrating 50 years 1966 - 2016 Ed President’s Corner ED MORAN ADK-LI Like us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/ADKLI First an enthusiastic thank you to the dozen ADK-LI members who traveled up to the Adirondacks on this year's unusually hot Memorial Day weekend to toil away during our annual trail maintenance of the Brothers Trail on Big Slide Mountain. Three separate teams split up to cover miles of trail, carried tools up the mountain then worked and sweated in the hot weather to clear waterbars, trim brush, and remove nearly 20 fallen trees from the trail. The importance of this trail work was underscored by the many words of encouragement and gratitude from numerous passing hikers. Next, we are looking for volunteers to assist with maintaining our chapter's Outings Schedule. The main tasks involve working with our talented hike leaders to create a robust schedule and identify potential new leaders and work with our publicity committee to publicize outings. Thanks to our new website, the clerical work of maintaining the calendar has been automated and taken off the plate of our Outings chairs. We are a diverse group of outdoor enthusiasts and we'll be working with the support of the main ADK club to increase our young membership as well as add more outings that will appeal to all ages and abilities. If you are a younger member, or have ever been younger, and want to assist with planning, leading or participating in such events please let me know. Thanks to Jerry Licht for the recent backpacking class conducted to rave reviews from both young members and those of us slightly more experienced. I'm certain the attendees are looking forward to the follow-up backpacking trip. Also, a special shout-out to Pat Wachter and Eunsil Recksiek whose empowerment hiking series is underway and has been a tremendous success so far. Look for more hikes in the series in the coming months with several of our seasoned hike leaders. I'll be leading one too. Finally, please keep in mind two important dates: Our annual club picnic will be held Saturday, September 10 at Blydenburgh Park in Smithtown. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of our chapter we will be hosting a dinner dance during the evening of Sunday October 23. Please consider attending as well as passing the details to former members you are friends with. We are working on finalizing a very nice but reasonably priced venue for the 50th Anniversary Dinner Dance. Have a great summer; hope to see you on the trails. Highlights : • Election of ADK-LI Officers - page 2 • Columbus Day Weekend - page 3 • 50 Anniversary Dinner Dance - page 3 • ADK-LI Annual BBQ - Page 10 Summer is upon us but there is still plenty of club business to discuss and important dates to remember www.adkli.org ADK Long Island Mountaineer NEWSLETTER OF THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB LONG ISLAND CHAPTER SUMMER 2016 JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER
Transcript
Celebrating 50 years 1966 - 2016
Ed
President’s Corner
ED MORAN
ADK-LI
Like us on Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/ADKLI
First an enthusiastic thank you to the dozen ADK-LI members who traveled up to the Adirondacks on this year's unusually hot Memorial Day weekend to toil away during our annual trail maintenance of the Brothers Trail on Big Slide Mountain. Three separate teams split up to cover miles of trail, carried tools up the mountain then worked and sweated in the hot weather to clear waterbars, trim brush, and remove nearly 20 fallen trees from the trail. The importance of this trail work was underscored by the many words of encouragement and gratitude from numerous passing hikers. Next, we are looking for volunteers to assist with maintaining our chapter's Outings Schedule. The main tasks involve working with our talented hike leaders to create a robust schedule and identify potential new leaders and work with our publicity committee to publicize outings. Thanks to our new website, the clerical work of maintaining the calendar has been automated and taken off the plate of our Outings chairs. We are a diverse group of outdoor enthusiasts and we'll be working with the support of the main ADK club to increase our young membership as well as add more outings that will appeal to all ages and abilities. If you are a younger member, or have ever been younger, and want to assist with planning, leading or participating in such events please let me know. Thanks to Jerry Licht for the recent backpacking class conducted to rave reviews from both young members and those of us slightly more experienced. I'm certain the attendees are looking forward to the follow-up backpacking trip.
Also, a special shout-out to Pat Wachter and Eunsil Recksiek whose empowerment hiking series is underway and has been a tremendous success so far. Look for more hikes in the series in the coming months with several of our seasoned hike leaders. I'll be leading one too. Finally, please keep in mind two important dates: Our annual club picnic will be held Saturday, September 10 at Blydenburgh Park in Smithtown. In celebration of the 50th anniversary of our chapter we will be hosting a dinner dance during the evening of Sunday October 23. Please consider attending as well as passing the details to former members you are friends with. We are working on finalizing a very nice but reasonably priced venue for the 50th Anniversary Dinner Dance. Have a great summer; hope to see you on the trails.
Summer is upon us but there is still plenty of club business to discuss and important dates to remember
www.adkli.org
ADK Long Island
Mountaineer
NEWSLETTER OF THE ADIRONDACK MOUNTAIN CLUB LONG ISLAND CHAPTER
SUMMER 2016 JULY - AUGUST - SEPTEMBER
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ADK-LI Monthly Meetings — All Welcome!
NO MEETINGS IN JULY and AUGUST. HAVE A GREAT SUMMER!
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6—ALL ABOUT THE CATSKILLS!! Jeff Senterman, Executive Director of the very important Catskill Center will inform ADK-LI of the history of the Catskills/trails and how it changed America. Jeff will also raise awareness of the work that the Catskill Center does. Exam-ples of the projects are leading the Catskill Park Coalition, managing the new Catskill Interpretive Center, organizing the invasive species agenda, working with DEP on a new land protection program, operating Catskill preserves and several more; too much more to list in this segment. DON’T MISS THIS INFORMATIVE TALK ABOUT THE CATSKILLS, NY!
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 DIRECTIONS: (GPS Coordinates Latitude: 40.810493, Longitude: -73.336918 (or N 40° 48' 36”, W 73° 20' 12'') 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 on left.
www.adkli.org L.I. MOUNTAINEER SUMMER 2016 - JULY - AUG - SEPT
Yahoo Group Moderator Allen Grunthal *****************.***
Election of ADK-LI Officers ADK-Long Island Chapter’s bylaws call for officers to be elected each year at the Annual Dinner, which this year will be on Sunday, October 23rd (see page 3) The slate of candidates is: Officers:
President: Ed Moran Vice President: Michael Vaughan Treasurer: Nancy Hodson Secretary: Sue Kenyon Director to Main Club: Mike Vetrano Alternate Director: Mike Kaiser
Board of Directors: Grace Gargiulo - 2nd year, 2nd term Tom Loscalzo - 1st year, 2nd term Dave Sweeney - 1st year, 2nd term Eric Markowitz - 2nd year, 1st term Christine Gillen - 2nd year, 1st term Rich Gerguski - 1st year, 1st term
Many thanks to our Officers and Board Members for their service to ADK-LI.
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My Most Embarrassing Camping Moment or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and
Love my Compass by Ed Moran
With all due respect to Stanley Kubrick, this is a tale about what happened when I failed to follow plan C (for Compass).
I was backpacking with our Boy Scout troop in Harriman State Park and it was a beautiful moonlit night in mid-November. Most of the boys were camped in the leanto and a few were in tents right next to it. As is our practice the adults were camped separately, on this occasion about 200 feet away.
At bedtime I made a quick “separation” break into the woods about 150 -200 feet from my tent in the opposite direction from the shelter. Aided by the bright moonlight, I found a nice clump of rocks to go behind and then eas-ily walked back to my tent.
In the middle of the night, nature called again. By this time the moon was gone and a thick fog had developed. Wearing a headlamp, I headed in the direction where I knew to find the rocks and this time counted my paces. I had no problem walking to the same set of rocks. When I was ready to return to my tent, I reversed direction and counted out the same number of paces. Where I should have found my tent, there was nothing but foggy woods. Wary of continuing to walk in the wrong direction I re-versed and found the “separation rocks” again, although it took a bit of searching. Trying again, this time I was more careful in counting my paces back in the correct direction where I knew my tent to be. It still wasn’t there. Even with a headlamp, everything looked different in the fog; I was disoriented.
I found my way back to the rocks again and mulled my options. I couldn’t be far from the tent and just by staying put until daylight I’d eventually be able to find the camp-site in a heartbeat. However, I’d been looking forward to a great night’s sleep in the woods and standing around a pile of rocks stamping my feet to stay warm for hours wasn’t what I’d had in mind so I devised a strategy of taking short trips out and back from the rocks to see if I recognized anything. After about 30 minutes of tentative exploration I recognized a rock feature that I knew was very close to the tents and my late night wandering finally ended. The risk I took, even with my cautious strategy, was that wandering could take me farther from the tent site to the point that I’d still be lost after the sun came up.
In the past, I’ve carried a compass in similar situations and used a bearing to and from a late night excursion, but on this occasion I had let the full moon lure me into a trap.
Now I ain't much of a hand at makin' speeches. But I got a pretty fair idea that there’s something doggoned important about keeping your compass on hand at all times in the back country. (Thanks again Stanley…and Slim).
50th Anniversary Dinner Dance
Sunday - October 23, 2016 (5 - 10 pm) Hartigan Manor 517 Central Ave.
Bethpage, NY 11714 Info at: www.hartiganmanor.com
This year’s annual dinner will be a special celebration of ADK-LI’s 50th Anniversary and will include a DJ, dancing, elections of officers, and awards.
Cost: $49 per person Buffet dinner in our own private room includes:
Salad Bar, Hot Buffet, Dessert, Beer, Wine, and Soda …………………………………………………………………. Please complete reservation form below and return with your check payable to ADK-LI to: Steve Lander 165 Waverly Avenue East Rockaway, NY 11518 Deadline: October 15
Name________________________________________ Number of people attending ____________________
Amount enclosed $ ____________________________
Phone _______________________________________
39th Annual ADK-LI
Columbus Day Weekend
ADK Loj—Adirondack High Peaks
Friday, Oct. 7th - Monday, Oct. 10th
There’s nothing better than sitting by Heart Lake after a great hike! Sitting by the fireplace in the Loj after a day of paddling, shopping, antiquing, enjoying fall foliage, or visiting a museum or other amusement in the area is not shabby, either. Columbus Day weekend in the Adirondack High Peaks region offers opportunities for everyone, from a walk in the woods to “bagging” a 46’R peak. Join other ADK-LI members for a great outing and great fun!
See the Spring 2016 (April-May-June) issue of the Mountaineer newsletter (pages 10-11) for registration form and detailed information about the weekend.
As of this writing, some accommodations were still available. Contact Cathy Stare at [email protected] or 718- 551-6472 with questions or to register.
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LONG ISLAND ADK OUTINGS SCHEDULE LEADERS: To list Outings in the Mountaineer newsletter, send them to: [email protected] Following your outing, be sure to mail the “Release of Liability/Sign-In Form” to Bill Scheider, 2631 Central Avenue., Baldwin, NY 11510-3634. Also send “Trip Report” to Micheline Kagan at [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 LOCATIONS
MEETING PLACE IS LEADER’S CHOICE. HIKERS: BE SURE TO ASK LEADER THE PLACE AND TIME TO MEET. Most Outings meet at one of the following locations for carpooling:
Christopher Morley Park parking lot (Searingtown Road, just north of LIE Exit 36.) In parking lot, turn right and go to end, the Park & Ride area.
Lake Success Shopping Center (Union Tpke, west of New Hyde Park Road) LIE to Exit 34 or Northern State Pkwy to Exit 26, New Hyde Park Rd south. After gas station, turn right on to Union Tpke. Turn left at first traffic light to enter Lake Success Shopping Center. Turn left and go past HSBC bank for carpool site. Park at east end of lot.
OUTING RULES AND PROCEDURES – PLEASE READ REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED FOR ALL OUTINGS. Call 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: Drivers set the final rate with agreement of riders. L.I. East End $10, Harriman $18, Shawangunks $25, Catskills $35, Adirondacks $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 climb-ing 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.
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B Saturday, June 18 - Huckleberry Point, Catskills: Empowerment Phase II Hike # 3 A great hike for fit beginners. Approximately 4.8 miles (round trip) with an elevation change of 1,100’ to one of the spectacular places in the Catskills. Moderate paced hike to the open rock ledges to admire the views of the Hudson River Valley and marvel at the 1000’ drop to the Plattekill Clove below. Contact leader Pat Wachter [email protected] 631-338-3711 by Thursday June 16. B+ Saturday, June 25 - AT: Eastern Pinnacles, Cat Rocks, Fitzgerald Falls Hike approximately 8 miles on the Appalachian Trail from Route 17A to Fitzgerald Falls and back. Rocks scramble over Eastern Pinna-cles and Cat Rocks with beautiful bucolic views. Post hike ice cream at Bellvale Creamery. Register with leader Sue Kenyon by June 23, 917-613-2042 or [email protected]
B+ Saturday, July 9 - Harriman Tuxedo Loop Trail: Empowerment Phase II Hike #4 Approximately 9 miles. Start from Tuxedo Trailhead, linking TMI trail, Parker Cabin Mtn, Lake Sebego, Almost Perpendicu-lar, and back. Must be able to enjoy friendship of a great hiking poodle, Winter. Contact co-leaders Pat Wachter [email protected] 631-338-3711 or Eunsil Recksiek [email protected] by Thursday July 7.
C+ Saturday, July 9 (12pm-4pm) - Nissequogue River Paddle, Smithtown Easy afternoon paddle on the 5 1/2 mile Nissequogue. Rentals available for $50 single, $60 double, or less if more than 6 rentals. Families welcome and must be able to paddle for 2-3 hours at an easy pace. Leader: Nancy Hodson 631-239-1867 or ***********64******.*** Contact by July 7.
NR Friday, July 15 - Adirondack Paddle and Camp-ing Two days paddling and two nights of primitive camping with a local guide. Most gear and meals pro-vided. Space is limited. For details, contact Pat Wa-chter [email protected] 631-338-3711. THIS TRIP IS FULL.
B– Sunday, July 17- Harriman State Park Hike & Concert We'll start at the Church of St John in the Wil-derness, Harriman State Park. We will walk on the Long Trail to Dunning, then the A-SB back to the Long Path. Walking at a relaxed pace we plan to arrive back at St John in time for the 4PM concert of the Parker Cabin Melody Makers. Total distance about 6-1/2
miles, ups & downs, past some old iron mines. Regis-ter with June Fait at ****.**********.***
NR Sunday, July 17- Thursday, July 28 - ADK Pad-dle Outing in the St. Regis Canoe Area Over 40 different day trip options in some of the most scenic parts of the Adirondacks. For more information: http://www.adktravel.org/canoeouting.htm
B Thursday, July 28—Sleater Hill and Almost Per-pendicular – Harriman State Park Panoramic views from Almost Perpendicular & Sleater Hill, & wildlife viewing opportunities. 5.2 mile loop hike with 1,140' total ascent. Rain cancels. Please register with lead-e r s A l l e n a n d D i a n e G r u n t h a l a t *****************.*** or 862-324-3138 cell (day of hike only). NYNJTC Harriman map #118, and Circuit Hikes in Harriman hike #7. Joint with ADK North Jer-sey Ramapo. Meet 10am at end of Johnsontown Road for this 2 park hike - Harriman State Park & Dater Mountain Nature County Park.
B+ Saturday, July 30 - Eagle Mountain, Catskills: Empowerment Phase II Hike #5 Hike 8 miles (elevation gain 1,600’), trailhead to be determined. One of Catskill 3500 peaks. Must be able to enjoy friendship of a great hiking poodle, Winter. Contact co-leaders Pat Wachter [email protected] 631-338-3711 or Eunsil Recksiek [email protected] by Thursday July 28. A+ Wednesday, August 10-14 - Cranberry Lake 50: Adirondacks As descr ibed on ht tp: / /cranberrylake50.org/. The Cranberry Lake 50 is an exciting challenge that offers 50 miles of trails that loop around one of the largest Adirondack lakes - Cranberry Lake. This 4 day, 3 night hike consists of days that have 11, 12.6, 16.7 and 10 miles. Hike is limited 6 members with backpacking experience. There is a patch available for those completing the entire hike. For details, contact the leader, Lorraine Brink at: [email protected] C Sunday, August 14 - Northport Bay Kayak Pad-dle on Northport Bay to Asharoken. Easy paddle. Kayak rentals available at $47. Families welcome. Leader: Nancy Hodson 631-239-1867 or ***********64******.*** Contact by Aug 12. A- Sunday, August 21 - Sugarloaf Mountain, Cats-kills: Empowerment Phase II Hike #6 Hike approxi-mately 7 miles (elevation gain 1,800’) through Pecoy Notch pass Dibble’s Quarry. Moderate paced hike with nice views, challenging climb up and down. One of Catskill 3500 peaks. Must be able to enjoy friend-ship of a great hiking poodle, Winter. Contact co-leaders Pat Wachter [email protected] 631-338-3711 or Eunsil Recksiek [email protected] by Friday August 19.
Outings continued on next page
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A– Sunday, August 28 - Giant Ledge and Panther Mountain, Catskills: Empowerment Phase III Hike A moderately challenging hike of 6.6 miles with over 1900 feet of elevation gain to these two summits known for their great views. We'll hike over 3200 foot Giant Ledge, famous for its views on the way to Pan-ther Mountain (elevation 3720). Panther is one of the peaks on the Catskill 3500 list and has views equal to those of Giant Ledge. Most of the hiking is moderate with just a few short sections that are more difficult. Register with leader Ed Moran [email protected] 631-724-4540 by Thursday August 24
A Sunday, September 11 - Trail from Woodland Valley to Phoenicia, Catskills: Empowerment Phase III Hike Are you up for Empowerment Phase III challenge? The hike consists 11 fun miles, on one of the newest trails the Catskills with 3000 ft. elevation gain. Offering scenic views from Cross Mountain, Mount Pleasant, and Romer Mountain. Moderately paced and challenging hike will empower you with beauty of nature. Register with leaders Connie Du-quette [email protected] or Eunsil Recksiek [email protected] 631-921-0028 by Thursday, Sept 8th.
B- Saturday, September 17 - Fall Trail Maintenance – Catskills Join us for the Fall Trail Maintenance of the section of Long Path - Catskill State Park. The trail covers Bangle Hill, south-east of Peekamoose Moun-tain. Distance is about 4.2 miles. Bring works gloves and loppers or pruners if you have them. Beginners are welcome. Contact Eunsi l Recksiek [email protected] or 631-925-0028 by Sept 15th.
B+ Sunday, September 24 - Schunemunk Mountain Loop - Lower Hudson Valley Empowerment Phase IIIThis strenuous, but moderately paced hike will pass the beautiful cascade on Baby Brook and feature a ridge walk on unusual 250 million- year old “puddingstone” conglomerate studded with pink/ purple pebbles and smoothed by glacial action. Many fine views. We’ll also visit the Megaliths, a group of huge stone blocks that split off from the bedrock and makes a great spot for lunch. Approximately 7 miles and 1100-ft. elevation gain (700-ft. in 3⁄4 mile.). Register with leaders Pat Wachter at [email protected] 631-338-3711 or Bill Schneider at [email protected] or 516-378-3043 by Thursday Sept. 22nd.
B+ Sunday, October 2 - Overlook Mountain Fire Tower and Echo Lake, Catskills: Empowerment Phase III Hike Approximately 9 miles. We will hike to the fire tower following an old carriage road that once transported guests in the late 19th century to the Overlook Mountain House and we will be passing the picturesque ruins. After enjoying the views from the fire tower, we will continue on to Echo Lake. Register
with leaders Grace Gargiulo [email protected] or Mike Kaiser ********************.*** by Thursday, Sept. 29th.
NR Friday, October 7 - Monday, October 10 - 39th Annual ADK LI Columbus Day Weekend, Adiron-dack High Peaks (see page 11 for more details)
C+ Saturday, October 15 - Fall Trail Maintenance - Schunemunk Mountain Please join us for the annual Fall clearing on our section of the Long Path -Schunemunk Mt. Distance about 5 miles with good views with fall colors from the top. Bring work gloves and loppers or pruning shears if you have them. Excel-lent beginners hike. Contact Pat Wachter at [email protected] or 631-338-3711 by Oct 13th.
Outings continued from page 5
Welcome New Members!
Jaime Aparicio, Hauppauge Emily Lebens, Rocky Point
Amy & Scott Loeb, Lake Grove Robin Stevens, Port Jefferson Anthony Alvarez, Staten Island
Russell Clough & Genevieve Drwal, Dix Hills Lisa Dunlap, Eastport
Jeremy Grosvenor, Sagaponack Thomas Marzigliano, Bellmore
Kenneth Sands, Roslyn Nick Schepis, Lindenhurst Michael Cohn, Long Beach
Laura Conroy, Bablylon Anthony Palumbo, Rockville Center
John Whelan, Coram Matthew Janish, Kings Park Andrew Kazin, Huntington
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. It could be a slide show, talk, demon-stration, skill workshop or other activity. 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 Shelley.
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April 2, Schunemunk Long Path Trail Maintenance On a drizzly early Saturday morning 6 hearty volunteers set out for the annual Spring maintenance. Volunteers were Grace Gargiulo, Micheline Kagan, Wan Lee, and Eunsil Recksiek with wonder dog Winter, Bill Schneider and Pat Wachter. We hoped the dreary weather would pass as we continued to prune and clear the first half of the trail, including the newly rerouted lower section. After several hours of work, it was evident the rain was going to stay, so we adjourned for the day and stopped for a warm meal at a favorite local eatery. Thank you volunteers for work-ing in not so great weather. You truly are a Hearty Bunch of Volunteers!
April 16, Bangle Hill in the Catskills Four volunteers - Pat Watchter, Richard and Wendy Greguski, and Eunsil Recksiek participated in Spring 2016 Catskill trail work . Bangle Hill is an area on the Long Path trail. Welcomed by the bright sunshine of a spring day, guarded by a ca-nine friend, Winter, we cleared 5 water bars and 2 downed trees using hand-saw and clipper off the trail, and did clipping. We also cleared downed branches up on the 2.5 miles section starting from the Spencer trail-head and built a stone foot step at the beginning of the Spencer trail head to help with a muddy step. We worked from 9:30 am until 4:30 pm. Overall, the trail was in great condition. We enjoyed our meal after work at Gabys. April 17, Avalon Park, Stony Brook Yoga Hike Cathie Hart, Micheline Kagan, Sue Kenyon, Keelin Murphy and Bill Schneider met at Avalon Park and Preserve for a pleasant afternoon of walking meditation, yoga poses and quiet reflection. We learned about the mountain pose. The next exercise involved an awareness of breath and its relation to steps. This was different for everyone due to differences in pace and length of stride. The group walked to a spot off the trail near a fallen tree that was used for balance to get in to Triangle pose and Tree pose. The walk back to the cars was in silent meditation.
March 12, Nissequogue River State Park to Sunken Meadow State Park: Empowement Phase I, Hike #1 The start of the Empowerment Series of hikes was well attended by Kelly Dowling, Ginny Fitzgerald, Rich & Wendy Gerguski, Dick Maemone, Julie Moran, Chiara Nuzzo, Carol Santosus, Cyndy Sotomayer, Dave & Joan Sweeney and co-leaders Eunsil Recksiek and Pat Wa-chter. A beautiful day and a great group of hikers lead to a wonderful outing. We started from Sunken Meadow State Park continuing up the bluffs with nice views of the sound and Nissequogue River. At Nissequogue State Park we stopped at the nature museum and enjoyed the sun while having a snack. On the return we hiked along the salt marshes leading to the beach peninsula. Perfect day with an amazing group of hikers! Great Beginnings!
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Looking Back continued from page 7 April 24, Charcoal Burners Trail in Fahnestock State Park: Empowerment Phase I, Hike #3 Thirteen hikers led by Winter, the Wonder Dog, and co-leaders Eunsil Recksiek and Bill Schneider though the farmlands in Fahnstock. Lots of new members took advantage of one of the Chapter’s Empowerment series of hikes, including Jerry Rardin, John Whelan, Rich Greguski, Wendy Greguski, Chiara Nuzzo, Brian Turchin, Aixa Diaz, Sage Diaz, David Sweeney, Joan Sweeney and Cyndy So-tomayr. Spring was confirmed when we encountered some black flies but a rising breeze made them a non-issue for the rest of the hike. This hike offers some open fields with bucolic vistas, not expected from a park near to a large metropolis.
May 7, Anthony Wayne Loop, Harriman: Empower-ment Phase I, Hike #4 Ten hikers participated in the fourth Empowerment hike of the series on a cloudy day in Harriman. The enthusiastic hikers were Rich & Wendy Greguski, Mike Kaiser, Monika Kuzdro, Eric Markowitz, Shelley Weber, Cyndy Sotomayor, Dave Sweeney and co-leaders Pat Wachter and Eunsil Recksiek (along with Winter the amazing hiking poodle). We started out from the far south parking area proceeding along several small streams, then connecting to the Appalachian Trail for a few miles. The many viewpoints east and west were stunning. We were so close to Bear Mountain it felt like we could reach out and touch Perkins Tower that sits on top. There are so many Mountain Laurels in this area, must be beautiful when caught in full bloom. Continuing on, we hiked a portion of the 1777 Revolutionary War trail learning some of its history. By the end of the day we hiked a few extra miles as we enjoyed a day in nature’s bounty! PS: Rich, we hope for a speedy recovery from your fall as you turned to say “Hello” to a passing hiker.
May 21, Balsam Lake Mt. Eunsil Recksiek (with Winter, the hiking Wonder Poodle) and Pat Wachter served admi-rably as co-leaders of Hike #6 of the chapter’s Empower-ment Phase I series. After mostly unsuccessful efforts to ward off the clouds of black flies at the Mill Brook trail-head, Eunsil, Winter, Pat and hiking companions Mary Ariola, Grace Gargiulo, Mike Kaiser, Cyndy Sotomayor and Pete Weiss started up the section of the Dry Brook Trail leading south to the summit. The weather did not look very promising at departure, shortly after 10 am, but turned out to be nearly perfect for hiking – cool with some hazy sunlight occasionally popping through the cloud cover. The trail was in fine condition, with a few muddy spots that also attracted pesky flies. On the way up, Mike informed the group about three metal discs on the sum-mit, placed there by the U.S. Geodesic Survey (USGS), and announced that he would try to find all three. Upon arrival at the summit, the group removed their packs, did some exploring around, had lunch, and some climbed the fire tower as far as the closed cab to check out the view and take some photos. The fire tower also served as a backdrop for photos of Cyndy as she struck a challenging yoga pose. While others had lunch, Mike went looking for the USGS discs and in a few minutes found two of the three. But he also found a geocache box with several items in it, to which he added a business card from the Long Island ADK chapter. After the excitement over find-ing the box subsided, Grace announced that she had found the third disc! Winter the hiking Wonder Poodle en-joyed meeting a couple of large, friendly pooches on the summit while his human companions enjoyed meeting a couple of other hiking groups before leaving for the return to the trailhead. The trip plan called for doing a loop, leav-ing the main Dry Brook Trail to reach the summit and then returning to the main trail via a moderately steep descent. Winter is truly a hiking Wonder Poodle, having done the equivalent of four hikes, as he ran back and forth from the head of our group to the rear several times on ascent and descent. After reaching the trailhead and exchanging warm good-byes, some of the group headed into Phoeni-cia for dinner at Brios, while others chose to head straight home after a great day of hiking.
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Send this form with payment to: Adirondack Mountain Club, 814 Goggins Road, Lake George, NY 12845-4117 ...or bring it to an ADK-Long Island Chapter meeting. ADK is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization. Membership fees are tax-deductible as allowed by law. Please allow 6-8 weeks to receive first issue of Adirondac magazine and ADK Long Island Mountaineer newsletter.
L.I. MOUNTAINEER SUMMER 2016 - JULY - AUG - SEPT
ADK LI is now on Meetup!
To join go to:
www.meetup.com/ADK-Long-Island/
Facts from the First Twenty Five By June Fait
Well, mostly facts but some comments also. As nothing ever stays the same, I was looking back at our begin-ning years to see what has changed. And of course some things have remained the same. We have always had a great Christmas party. And we have always main-tained the Brothers Trail. And almost always maintained a section of the Long Path. Since 1978 we have had a Columbus Day trip in the Adirondacks. Started by Larry Braun, the first 5 years were a bus trip. There were some memorable parties on the bus going home. And for a long time we have had a X-country Ski Weekend initially started by Vi & Bal Hoeffner. They went to Indian Lake. Others led trips to Lapland Lake & most recently at Craftsbury Commons. Does anyone remember the annual Denning Lean-to Backpack run by Dick and Vera Allan? That event went for over 6 years. And some of our memorable canoe and raft trips on the Delaware River? Does anyone remember Skinners Falls? In 1980 Bill Crump started a two year project to climb the 3500. A bunch of us did finish & this activity has continued, Eric Markowitz being our lastest finisher (in winter, no less). Other projects in these years included the North-ville Placid Trail & the AT. In 1969 we were hiking in the “Whites” In “the good old days” we seemed to do more in the Adirondacks. We did ten years worth of winter weekends at the LOJ, many led by Herb Coles, usually over Washington’s Birthday Weekend. Started by Lee Behrer, we also walked into Winter Camp, now demol-ished. After that we went into Camp Peggy which had been built with a propane stove so there was no waiting for the wood fire to heat up the cabin after the walk in from the Garden parking lot or a hike up Gothics. Other hardy souls did winter backpacks. During these times the “Main Club” Fall Outing was held from Keene Valley and this event was listed in our outings schedule and was well attended. One memorable year we even got to stay at the Ausable Club!! I can’t write about the first 25 without mentioning the Otis Pike Fire Island High Dunes National Wilderness. We, under the leadership of Larry Braun, joined forces with other hiking and environmental organizations to make this happen. We enjoyed many memorable hikes and backpacks to the island starting in 1976 and continuing. Read all about it at adkli.org. Click Mountaineer. We had a lot of good times but watch for information about the Second 25 in the next issue of the Mountaineer.
Wanted: Summer Vacation Photos The Fall Edition of the L.I. Mountaineer will once again include summer vacation photos or our mem-bers enjoying the great outdoors. Send your Summer Vacation Photos photos to Grace [email protected] with a short description of who is in the photo where it was taken. We are hoping to include as many as we can in the Fall Edition.
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www.adkli.org L.I. MOUNTAINEER SUMMER 2016 - JULY - AUG - SEPT
ADK-LI BBQ-Picnic!
Saturday Sept. 10t h Noon to 5 p.m. Blydenburgh County Park – Smithtown, NY
Everyone’s welcome at the ADK-LI Annual BBQ-Picnic
ACTIVITIES: ♦ Kayaking on Stump Pond (**need your own kayak. No rentals available.) ♦ Hiking around Stump Pond ♦ Road biking in the area (no mountain biking in the park) ♦ Volleyball, Frisbee and other summer games
Activities will start at noon. Snacks will be available. BBQ will start at 3 p.m. We will provide BBQ meats (and non-meats), condiments, rolls, and snacks as well as soft drinks. Please bring a side dish to complement the BBQ. BYOB DIRECTIONS: The main Southern entrance to the park is on Veterans Memorial Highway (NY 347/NY 454), opposite H Lee Dennison County Center, follow the road to the picnic area parking lot.
……………………………………….…... YES, I want to attend the ADK-LI BBQ Picnic (Please respond by September 1st, so we have time to shop for the food and stuff!) Name(s)______________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________City___________________State______ZIP__________ Tel: ___________________ Cell:_____________________ E-mail:_______________________ Emergency contact: ___________________________________Tel: ______________________ COST: $10 per person for everyone. Children under 12 free. Amount Enclosed: $________ (make check payable to ADK-LI) I will bring 8 servings of: salad (specify type)____________ side dishes__________ dessert_______ other________ Mail completed form with your payment to: Kathleen Berger, 48 Rim Lane, Hicksville, NY 11801. Any questions: 516-320-5597 or [email protected]
Take it easy or take on some fun activities before the big ADK-LI BBQ-Picnic!
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www.adkli.org L.I. MOUNTAINEER SUMMER 2016 - JULY - AUG - SEPT
The Climb: 4 Reasons Hikers Are The Best People You’ll Ever Meet by Vica Bugrimenko
From Elite Daily (www.elitedaily.com)
If you can surround yourself with anyone, surround yourself with hikers. They are the most down to earth, adventurous badasses you’ll ever meet. They are the definition of pure, good vibes.
Ever since I started my adventures in New Zealand, I have come to absolutely adore my weekend trips hiking, mainly because of the people.
They’re all different, but they all have similar characteristics that make them simply irresistible. If you don’t hike, you should strongly reconsider. Here’s why:
They’re optimistic, yet prepared for anything
Every hiker needs to have a plan before he or she starts: how many hours to hike a day, which campsites to stay at, how much food is necessary and so on.
But, even on the warmest of weekends, every hiker will have thermals and a rain jacket, just in case.
They know their plans are not set in stone, so changing their route last minute does not cause any worries or drama; every detour is an adventure to them.
Their love for the mountains keeps them going; it doesn’t really matter whether they stick to the path or not.
A little rain simply means better waterfalls and maybe even a rainbow or two. What’s not great about that?
They’re minimalists
They can be whomever they want to be during the week, but during those weekends, they are low-maintenance, selfless, nature-loving explorers.
They can survive without brushing their teeth or having toilet paper without a single complaint.
Their only requirement for dinner is that it’s a warm meal — and even that’s a luxury.
They carry everything they need on their backs and they require very little. Most of their motivation comes from the view from the top and the climb up.
They get high off their surroundings and simply marvel at the world around them while others are too busy to even realize the significance of such beauty.
They’re incredibly encouraging
Meeting people at campsites and in huts is an experience everyone should have.
There’s a feeling of haziness from the exhausting day, but also a sense of accomplishment for coming so far.
You’ll have at least one person offer you some hot chocolate before you leave, along with a story or two about a memorable trip.
They are so willing to share their lives with you, all the while encouraging you to keep going and see the amazing landscape that awaits you.
I once met a family of two little boys and a younger girl hiking with their parents in one of the first huts I stayed in.
Although we only talked for about 10 minutes, I ended up running into them at the very end of my trip and they easily remembered me.
They said they were thinking of us when a bad storm hit the day before, hoping we made it over the crossing okay. It was such a genuinely caring thought, and I couldn’t help but be in awe of such humanity.
They’re carefree and bold
Hikers do crazy things. They feel adrenaline of climbing mountains and volcanoes, knowing if they stand too high, they might just get blown right off.
The climb is always worth the view for them, and hardly anything will get in their way.
They don’t sit on their phones all day and they don’t worry about the lives of everyone else. Their task is simple: Get to the top and to the other side.
They don’t spoil their thoughts with the mindless, ever-changing drama most of us do. They pack light, both physically and mentally.
They simply live in the moment and shouldn’t we all be striving for that?
Once the hike is completed, they’re left with feelings of pure euphoria and accomplishment.
Although those feelings fade, they’re exactly what gets them onto the next track and the next adventure.
Surround yourself with those who do not fear the unknown, but yearn to see it.
Surround yourself with those who care more about fulfilling their souls than they do about keeping up with the latest trends and drama. Surround yourself with hikers.
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