 |
||||||||
|
|
LPN News Archive
New MembershipsWe welcome the following people who have joined the club during the past few months: Gary Ackerman Thanks for your added support. We hope you will enjoy hiking the Long Path on a club outing or with your family. Solstice Lunar HikeWith the shortest day of the year, 1st day of winter, and a full moon making its closest orbit to the earth in over 100 years, we ushered in winter a little different this year. Our plan was to hike a few miles in the afternoon, watch the sunset, and the full moon rise. Huckleberry Point was our first choice. We wanted to revisit this spot in all four seasons, but concerns with the parking lot/snowplow turnaround changed our plans to North/South Lake with the Escarpment Trail. Adequate parking, excellent sights and views across the Hudson Valley made this area a perfect second choice. At noon, fourteen lunar-seeking hikers (a.k.a. Lunnies) converged at the Schutt Road parking lot. We first visited the Laurel House Dam site and ventured down to the top of the Kaaterskill Falls. Then, we pushed on to Layman's Monument, Sunset Rock and Inspiration Point. Linking up with the Long Path, we ascended to the Kaaterskill Hotel site and turned east toward the Catskill Mt. House site at sunset. Just before reaching the Mt. House site, we could see the moon rising though the haze on the horizon giving it a red hue. Once at the site, darkness fell for a moment while the moon emerged from the haze to illuminate the clear sky. We also enjoyed a vista from Coxsackie to Saugerties along with fireworks from a snapped powerline in Catskill. We ate supper and headed back along the park road to the South Lake outlet. The frozen lake, reflecting the moon in the background, provided a picturesque and memorable moment none of us will soon forget. Special thanks to Harold Guest for the adventurous idea; Paul Praus, the leader of the Lunnies; Mark Traver for picking the perfect location. Portion of Section 33 ReroutedA one mile section of the trail between Saw Mill Road and Elm Drive has been closed by a property owner. The trail has been rerouted on town roads as follows; heading north after reaching Saw Mill Road turn left, follow Saw Mill for 1/2 mile to it's intersection with Long Road on the right, take Long Road for one mile to intersection with Elm Drive, turn right and head south one mile to where the trail previously crossed Elm Drive, turn left and follow along the left side of the hedgerow to continue the off-road trail towards Roemer's High Point and Thacher Park. This road walk adds about 1.5 miles to this section, changing the mileage from 7.4 to 9 miles. You should make allowances for the extra time and joint fatigue this change will add to your hike. Reroute of Section 32 CompletedOn National Trails Day, June 5, we started work on moving one mile of trail off Willsie & Irish Hill Roads and onto state lands. Mike Willsey, trail supervisor for Albany County, had flagged the new route and our work crew tore through the woods like brush hogs. By the end of the day, we had pushed through a four foot wide swath almost a mile, leaving about 1/3 mile unfinished. Between then and our next work day, Tristan Von Haugg (a new maintainer for this section) completed cutting the trail to Irish Hill Road. On July 17, we removed some larger trees, did some touch-up trimming, and blazed the new trail. Then we worked on stabilizing a steep side slope to accommodate cross country skiing. Between July and October, Tristan, who happens to work for the Albany County Highway Department, sought out help from the County to install a small culvert for the ditch on Willsie Road and widen the shoulder to create a parking area for several cars. On October 16, we went back to move the trail upstream on a tributary of the Switz Kill to make it possible for construction of a foot bridge (hopefully with the help from Camp Summit). We also completed the side slope stabilization. Thanks to the "dirty dozen" (Kathleen Arcaro, Paul Cockerham, Clark Galloway, Joe Gardner, Kathleen Gill, Jon Jacklet, Ron Neadle, Paul Praus, Mark Traver, Greg VanDyke, Tristan Von Haugg and Mike Willsey) for your labors. On a nice day this winter, members should get out on skis or foot and enjoy this beautiful addition. Annual Meeting ReportFirst, we must thank Chris Fallon (the new Thacher State Park manager) for accommodations at the Hailes Cave Pavilion for our meeting. We also thank the five elected board directors (Harry Garry, Milton Jones, Clarence Putnam, Mark Traver and Mike Willsey) who have volunteered their services. During the meeting, Clarence presented two Adopt-A-Natural Resource signs from DEC to recognize the LPNHC for adopting the LP on state lands in Schoharie and Albany Counties. After the business meeting, we enjoyed a smorgasbord with vegetarian chili, baked chicken, and a slew of other fine dishes, with a tart cider (a.k.a. ice tea) to wash it down. Lunch was followed by a tour to the Tory Cave, lead by Fred Schroeder (with special Park permission) to inspect the trail work that would be needed to re-open the old trail to the public. Members present thoroughly enjoyed a day at the Park. Others should plan to join us at the next annual meeting, hopefully a pizza party at the new nature center. Tory Cave Update
On September 25, Fred Schroeder organized a band of volunteers to lay the footprint for a new trail which will connect the Indian Ladder Trail to the long closed Tory Cave. The Volunteers included members of the ADK, AMC, MVHC, LPNHC, and the Friends of Thacher and Thompsons Lake State Parks. By day's end, we accomplished the task and a well-defined trail now exists. |
|
||||||