Humbug Mountains, page 3
Wildlife photography, page 6
Camp Santanoni, page 8
Five hiking trips, page 10
Your guide to Adirondack adventure
April-May 2017
On the fly ■ Get up to speed on the latest
fly fishing equipment and DEC regulations, page 4 ©2017 Adirondack Daily Enterprise
Recommended reading
By JUSTIN A. LEVINE
eddy Roosevelt is remembered as a lot of things: president, governor, writer, adventurer and hunter amongst them. But a new book by the chief field naturalist at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History offers a fresh look into the methods and decisions that often left Roosevelt labeled as a killer of innocent animals. “The Naturalist” looks at Roosevelt’s hunting and conservation exploits through the lens of a naturalist, something Roosevelt fancied himself to be throughout his life. Starting when he was a young and sickly boy in New York City, Roosevelt was shaped by the natural world, often through adventure books of the times. Those adventures inspired him to start his own “natural history museum” which consisted of dozens of skeletons, skins and stuffed mice and moles. In The Naturalist, author Darrin Lunde looks at Roosevelt’s many famous hunting exploits and puts the apparent slaughter of animals large and small in the context of what field expeditions were like at that time. Many of the museums and institutions we now hold dear, like the Smithsonian and the American Museum of History in New York City (which was supported by Roosevelt’s father) were just getting started in the late 1800s and early 1900s. And with the desire for serious scientific study spawned by these institutions, there was an insatiable demand for animals and plants of all sizes and shapes from all over the world. Looking at Roosevelt’s hunting career through this lens will soften the more modern view of hunting expeditions of that time being nothing more than slaughters. In fact, in an apparent display of rampant hypocrisy, hunters like Roosevelt were often rushing to shoot animals for museums before the species became extinct. Lunde explains that Roosevelt’s African hunting expedition (which was taken immediately after he left office) actually led to numerous scientific discoveries, as well as trophy game killed by Roosevelt. Lunde says that the game taken by a previous president would be inherently more valuable to the museum, and was seen as an attraction that would get people in the door and expose them to more scientific information about the natural world. But The Naturalist isn’t just about Roosevelt’s hunting exploits in the West or in Africa. The Adirondacks must be mentioned at least 100 times (I stopped counting at 35, early in the book). Lunde devotes several chapters to the formation of Roosevelt’s self-imposed naturalist tendencies, which began early in his life. “The three young boys (Roosevelt, his brother and a cousin) quickly demonstrated their unbridled enthusiasm for the outdoors,” Lunde writes of a Roosevelt family trip to the Adirondacks in 1871. “They searched the ruins of Fort George (in Lake George), took turns shooting an air gun,
visited a Native American encampment, rowed to an island in the lake, swam offshore, ascended a small mountain, and climbed some trees atop that mountain – all in one day.” From Lake George, the Roosevelt family continued on to Paul Smith’s hotel, where the family camped and canoed and looked at birds, an experience that Roosevelt would repeat later in life when he visited Paul Smith’s with a friend and published his first book: The summer birds of the Adirondacks in Franklin County, N.Y. “Theodore was in heaven,” Lunde continues. “Later, he would refer to his Adirondack days as his introduction to and first inspiration for preserving wilderness.” Roosevelt’s deep ties to the Adirondacks continued throughout his life, and he even became president somewhere between Long Lake and Minerva as he rode through the night to make it to the North Creek train station. Lunde glosses over the famous “midnight ride” because The Naturalist is focused on Roosevelt’s outdoors career, rather than being a general biography or recap of his political career However, once he became president after William McKinley fell to an assassin’s bullet, Roosevelt’s hunting exploits were stifled. Lunde elucidates that Roosevelt, often seen as a man who did what he wanted, was saddled with a press corps that was watching his every move. This was especially evident after the incident that resulted in the world gaining the toy “Teddy bear.” The bear hunt took place in Mississippi early in Roosevelt’s first term, and the legendary hunter was hounded by the press. He was hoping to shoot a bear, and employed a guide to help with the hunt. The guide’s dogs cornered a bear after several days of poor hunting. The dogs, while keeping the bear cornered, suffered several serious injuries. The guide had called for Roosevelt as soon as the bear was cornered, but by the time the president arrived, the guide had wounded the bear and tied it to a tree. Roosevelt, who was a founding member of the Boone and Crocket Club and lived by strict game-hunting ethics, found the situation dismaying and declined to shoot a tethered bear, leaving others to put the injured animal out of its misery. “While most reports spun the details of the hunt into a chivalrous story of a good sportsman refusing to shoot a subdued bear, the episode was a devastating blow to Roosevelt, who was forced to acknowledge that he would never be able to experience the full thrill of nature while in office,” Lunde writes of the incident. “And Roosevelt made the difficult decision to all but hang up his rifle while he remained in office.” The Naturalist is not simply a justification for the hunting expeditions of Roosevelt’s time, but explains that much of what we know about birds and mammals — and many of the animals we see in mu-
In an apparent display of rampant hypocrisy, hunters like Roosevelt were often rushing to shoot animals for museums before the species became extinct.
seums today — would not be available if not for the daring and adventurous naturalists of that time. The book is an enjoyable read, whether you like history, hunting or just Roosevelt the man. And despite a lack of Adirondack action later in the book, The Naturalist shows conclusively that the Adirondacks played an integral and unforgotten role in Roosevelt’s life. “Much of Theodore Roosevelt’s greatness is, in fact, rooted in his being so thoroughly shaped by this kind of direct, and often bloody, involvement with nature,” Lunde concludes. “He loved the visceral knowledge that came from his wild adventures with animals. “Steadfastly focused on both the tragic and the beautiful sides of the cycle of life, Roosevelt the naturalist has taught us to see and experience nature as it really is, whether we like that way or not — both the giving and the taking of life.”
AuthoR: Darrin Lunde PAgEs: 334 CoPYRight: 2016
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April-May 2017
backcountry adventure
huMbugs: nothing
PHOTOS BY SPENCER MORRISSEY
to gRoAn About
From the summit of Elephant head one can see titusville Mountain, tamarack swamp and lake titus. the below staircase leads to the top, where there are also obscured views of the humbug Mountains, below right.
D
By SPENCER MORRISSEY
ecisions, decisions, decisions. Where to go this week and what new area would I like to visit? It came down to crunch time, and then my buddy Mike gave me a shout about going for a hike. That helped narrow it down a bit, at least we had the day pinned down. Scanning my maps of the Franklin County region, my eyes focused on two mountains that had the most unusual names: Humbug and Little Humbug. Through some additional research, I quickly came to realize that another uniquely named peak was right next door: Elephant Head. A bit more digging revealed the trailhead was just to the north of the Humbugs. This access road and trail would be the perfect launching point into these mountains and I’d get to visit a trail I had never ventured upon. With a modest meet time at the corner of state Route 30 and Route 86 in Paul Smiths, we quickly got underway with our travels north toward Malone. According to the web, the access road had a trail sign located about 10 miles south of Malone, right along Route 30. And, sure enough, there it was. The plan was coming together. Warnings were popping up online about the access road not being in the friendliest condition for low-clearance vehicles, so I half expected to need to hike the 1.5 miles of the road back to the actual trailhead. Well, we made it about a half-mile up before I decided I didn’t want to take a chance getting stuck in the black waters along the road. We found a spot off the road a bit, just enough to let other cars pass if they felt so adventurous. A couple rabbit hunters along the road were the only people we came across all day, and they looked to be calling it quits. We set our course and speed on cruise control until we finished off the 1-mile road walk. Arriving at the trailhead, we brought it down a gear, and enjoyed the soft footing of the trail beneath us. The chickadees gave us a song, as if welcoming us to the neighborhood. The trail looked to be roughly a half-mile to the summit and not all that demanding,
April-May 2017
but with such heavy leaf cover the footing was a tad slippery and awkward as it covered the slightly rocky terrain before us. We made short work of the trail and were at the staircase to the summit quickly. Slippery, old and falling apart (the staircase, not me) was a neat addition to the trail. We visited the true summit, which gave us a slight view through the new growth to the Humbug mountains. Atop the summit rock sat a summit registry. Of course we had to sign it , and sign it we did with the piece of charcoal supplied by the old school purveyor. The secondary view provided a better reward as we looked out Titusville Mountain, Tamarack Swamp and Lake Titus. Too bad the colors were so dim on this day. It must be breathtaking in the fall. According to my trusty GPS, we were only about 0.45 miles from the summit of Little Humbug Mountain and the trail would get us a third of that out of the way. We left the trail into the open forest. The hardwoods were quite amazing in this area and under the leafless spring canopy, the sun tried to warm our shoulders. The terrain was steep, but we were relentless and with a wellplaced switchback effort we topped out on the semi-open summit. With steep sides, we looked around for views and through the trees we reached out for a hazy observation over the mountainous terrain. The summit gave us nothing much more than the hope of finding something more. Little Humbug is made up of a long ridge and two high points of the same general height. This current one laid just outside of the Adirondack Park, but the other, about a quarter-mile away is within. We crossed back into the Adirondack Park by foot, something I don’t believe I have ever done before. The second high point, you ask? It didn’t have much either. The descent was not as steep, but it had its moments of slippery loose-leaf action, and in the valley we were welcomed onto the terrain that would gladden any heart. The openness of the forest was the scenic high point up until then and the perfect place
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to have an early lunch. Again the climb was steep, but that was mainly because we went right for the summit and didn’t dilly-dally around with trying to take pressure off our quads. The summit came pretty fast but we did need to traverse over a couple smaller little knobs along the way. The summit itself was pretty neat, not like many others I have encountered in the past. The summit was lined and covered in gnarly looking mountain ash and birch. It was super open all around us and the views were unique through the twisted forest. The colors of the evergreen ferns were still breaking through the orange leaves that lay around us on the forest floor, almost as though they were ready for warmer temperatures, and they too said “humbug.” We made plans to just head right for the access road below. In a straight line, it was 0.75 miles through open forest, down steep
slopes and through a shallow pass of two small rises of land. As a raven gurgled above us casting a shadow on the land, we made a direct line over the rubble-infested slopes of Humbug Mountain. Being protective to our ankles, it was not all that fast. The thick coating of leaves again gave a challenge by covering the holes — “femur eaters” — among the rubble. Now in the shallow col of the two mountains, we moved quickly along trickling drainage and eventually over it. The road came quickly after that, and our ramblings in the woods had come to an end. As we walked the road back to the car, we looked back on the hike as pure enjoyment in the Franklin County forests. But we still had a few questions in our minds: Where to for the next adventure? And would the hot dog vendor still be there in the parking lot where we left the other car? He was!
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Cover story
GEARiNG uP FOR thE SEASON-OPENER
PHOTOS BY JUSTIN A. LEVINE
F
By JUSTIN A. LEVINE
ollowing the resurgence of winter and a dumping of more than 3 feet of snow in mid-March, it was possible opening day of trout season could require some snowshoes and toe warmers, in addition to the normal fishing gear. Either way, the streams will open at some point and fishermen of all stripes are expected to hit the waters to catch some trout. To gear up for the fly fishing season, it pays to get professional advice on what to use, and the best places to seek that advice are shops that employ guides and avid fishermen. One such establishment is Wiley’s Flies on state Route 86 in Ray Brook. Owner Vince Wilcox sells millions of flies around the world through large distributors, but still hand ties flies that can be purchased in the shop or through its online store. Wilcox recommends several of his own flies based on his experience, but if you’re in the market for a woolly bugger or other classic designs, Wiley’s can accommodate for that as well. Wilcox also offers a full room of fly-tying supplies for the do-it-youselfers of the fishing world. “We have some of the old standard flies,” Wilcox said. “People come in, they’re looking for a woolly bugger, they’re looking for a muddler. So we carry some of that, but we definitely specialize in flies that you aren’t getting anywhere else.” Through years of experience and trial and error, Wilcox has found fly designs that outperform the old stand-bys. “A lot of it is our own custom ties, like these little bunny bangers — phenomenally effective little streamers — you’re not going to find that anywhere,” he said. “You might have something like a woolly bugger, but we’ve had more success with bunny bangers. I never send anyone out with a woolly bugger, and it’s not that it doesn’t work and they sell a million of them a year. I’m sure, we just do things differently.” Wilcox has also developed improvements on some of the standards, like his Better Bugger, which is similar to — but different than — the woolly bugger. “(It’s) different materials, a little quicker and easier for us to tie,” he said. “It’s got a little more weight (and) we catch more fish on them, so we call it the better bugger. It’s just a hairy little guy. “I think most of the time, trout are taking them for leeches or little minnows, but we don’t know what they’re thinking,” he laughed. Wilcox said that color can play into the veracity of the flies, especially in the spring and fall. One of the most noticeable things about entering the shop in Ray Brook is the stunning array of colors. Wilcox said that streamer flies can be good in the spring, when the water is high. “Stone fly patterns are prevalent all year-round, they’re always in
vince Wilcox, owner of Wiley’s Flies in Ray brook, stands in front of one of many cases of hand-tied fishing flies at the store.
‘Where something is nondescript and little, they just open their mouth. They’re not thinking it’s a guy fishing for them.’ Vince Wilcox the water,” he said. “They just change in size. It takes them a few years to molt out.” Wilcox offers a variety of sizes in stone fly patterns, but the overall look of the flies is the same. “There’s bigger and heavier ones, but you want to put a stone fly in there,” he added. One of his favorites is the “green machine,” a minuscule fly that combines the look of mayflies and midges. Wilcox, through his distributor, has sold more than one million green machines over the last 15 years. “We fish a lot of little 20s (an incredibly small hook) here that I don’t think most guide shops here in the northeast focus on a whole lot,” he said. “I just learned that out west, especially on the tail-waters, they eat thousands of midges a day, but they do the same thing here. Just not a lot of people are fishing with them. “But that works to our advantage. You’re using lighter tippets, smaller flies. Sometimes bigger flies, fish will look at them (but) there’s a lot to look at there. Where something is nondescript and little, they just open their
mouth. They’re not thinking it’s a guy fishing for them.” Wilcox prefers the smaller flies, since a bigger fly does not equal bigger fish. “Twenty-six to 28-inch trout, I’ve caught them on little green machines, and landing them is a real trick,” he said. “Sometimes they get away, but you still had fun.” Another fly Wilcox recommends is his C-squared fly, which is a caddis fly larva replica. “It’s a little more weighted,” he said. “It’s got a tungsten bead on it, so it drops down pretty heavy, pretty fast.” Wilcox had a hard time narrowing down his favorites for spring fishing, and there is certainly no shortage of options. However, one of his most versatile flies is the J.C. Special, which is a dry fly. “So this is an attractor dry fly,” he said. “We’ll change the color and size if there’s drakes hatching or whatever it may be. But the moral of the story is you can fish it anywhere, anytime there’s any kind of dry fly action. And they will eat it. That’s one of my best selling, one of the best flies you can come up with.” An assortment of flies, many of which were tied on the above table in vince Wilcox’s workshop, is on display at his store.
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April-May 2017
Fishing
DEC AltERs FREshWAtER Fishing REgulAtions
W
By JUSTIN A. LEVINE
ith the opening day of trout season on April 1, the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced numerous changes to freshwater fishing regulations that will go into effect this year.
2017 changes
While there are many changes to the regulations that have statewide impacts or affect areas outside of the Adirondacks, several of the changes do affect local waters. All of these changes take effect on April 1 this year. The DEC has removed the size and creel limits on walleye in Franklin Falls Flow, but has instituted an 18-inch minimum length and limit of three per day on walleye in other local waters, including Little Wolf Pond, Kiwassa Lake, St. Regis Falls Impoundment, Putnam Pond, Lake Pleasant and its tributaries and on Sacandaga Lake and its tributaries. DEC has also closed several streams for walleye fishing in St. Lawrence County and Crane Pond in Essex County, near Schroon Lake, has been reopened for ice fishing. Several local lakes will continue to have restrictions on the number of ice-fishing devices allowed. Bigsby and Copperas ponds in Essex County, Upper Saranac Lake in Franklin County and Fawn Lake in Hamilton County will continue to have special restrictions imposed. Anglers will now be able to take just three northern pike from the St. Lawrence River instead of five, and the special trout regulation on Whey Pond at the Rollins Pond campground has been removed. The special landlocked salmon regulations on Piseco Lake have been removed and lake trout in Woodhull Lake in Herkimer County now only need to
April-May 2017
A fly fisherman looks for a strike on the West branch of the Ausable River.
PHOTO — JUSTIN A. LEVINE
be 18-inches long to be kept. Snatching and blind snatching whitefish is no longer allowed in Piseco Lake. Lake George anglers can now catch smelt, as the use and possession of the fish on the lake has been eliminated. Special regulations on black bass in the Hudson River in Hamilton County has also been eliminated. For a full summary of the 2017 freshwater fishing regulations, go to www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/7917.html.
Economic impact
Sport fishing has a major economic impact on New York State, particularly in areas that rely on tourism dollars. In a 2015 report from the state Comptroller, the state found that hunting, fishing and trapping is a $5 billion per year industry and that nearly $2 billion of that money was spent on lodging, food and travel. The DEC sells fishing and hunting licenses, and generated $50 million in 2012-13, according to the report. DEC’s spending on fish and game programs averages just over $44 million annually.
In 2011, New York ranked third in the nation in the number of people who engaged in hunting and/or fishing. Of about two million people who participated in those activities, the vast majority, at 63 percent, only fished. Nine percent only hunted and the rest both hunted and fished. In the decade between 2001 and 2011, there was an increase of 35 percent in the number of people who engaged in fishing, and fishing license sales routinely out-perform hunting license sales.
range of programs important for the management of non-game fish and animal species, such as the protection of endangered species, protection of wetlands, wildlife pathology, biodiversity mapping and assessment of threats to aquatic habitats.” As a percentage of the population, several upstate counties ranked in the top-10 statewide for license sales. “While Hamilton County is the least populated county in the state, the total number of licenses sold in Hamilton County was equal to over 84 percent of its population,” the reLicense sales impact port says. “More than a third of all The sale of licenses for fishing licenses issued in the county were to and hunting has a huge impact on out-of-state residents.” the state economy as well. Sales of Oswego, Warren and Lewis counlicenses support the fish hatcheries ties also ranked in the top 10. and fish stocking programs, as well You can read the full economic as other wildlife and conservation impact report at efforts. “The Conservation Fund Main Ac- www.osc.state.ny.us/reports/economic/sportpersons_11302015.pdf. count supports the operation of the State’s 12 fish hatcheries, the assessment of game fish and animal popuAwards lations, the creation of fishing access DEC’s Angler Achievement prosites and the enforcement of fish and gram recognizes outstanding fish game laws,” the report says. “These caught by anglers in New York each funds also support a comprehensive year.
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The annual award is for the three heaviest fish caught and is awarded on 43 different species. Several of the winners last year were caught on Lake Champlain. There is also a catch-and-release award for 21 game species. Two 22-inch largemouth bass were caught on Paradox Lake in Herkimer County last year and a 10-inch pumpkinseed was caught on Long Pond. The third category of awards is for the state record. Several staterecord fish have been caught in Lake Champlain, and in 2013, a 6pound, 22.6-inch was caught in the Silver Lake Wilderness area in Hamilton County. Richard Beauchamp caught the fish using a Lake Clear warbler. For more information on the awards program, including specific rules for registering your catch, go to www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/ 7727.html.
Free fishing weekends
The DEC offers free fishing days throughout the year, when no fishing license is required. All other bait and catch limit regulations still apply. The next free fishing days will be Saturday, June 24 and Sunday, June 25. For more information on the free fishing days, go to www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/89821.html. In addition to the free fishing days, DEC also offers free “learn to fish” clinics around the state. Participants in the clinics don’t need a fishing license to participate, and will learn the basics of fishing equipment, techniques and fish identification. To find a free fishing clinic, visit www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/ 27123.html. There are also resources on the DEC website for beginners at www.dec.ny.gov/ outdoor/44804.html.
5
E Y E F O R NAT U R E
Wildlife
larry Master shares lifelong passion through photos Photos bY lARRY MAstER
L
PHOTO BY JUSTIN A. LEVINE
bRoWn bEAR in AlAskA
lARRY MAstER
PEnguins on south gEoRgiA islAnD
6
By JUSTIN A. LEVINE
arry Master chuckled softly as he talked about his boyhood and how his mom and brothers noticed early on how much he liked to look out the window at the birds and squirrels. “My brothers were quite a bit older than me, and they had to babysit,” Master said over lunch this week. “When they wanted some alone time with their girlfriends, they’d say, ‘Larry go look at the squirrels’ and then they would have some privacy to neck.” That lifelong love of the outdoors has taken Master around the world, spawned his schooling and career, and led to a fulfilling retirement of photographing birds and wildlife. It’s a pursuit that he hopes will inspire others to appreciate the natural world around us.
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April-May 2017
Wildlife
loons on uPPER st. REgis lAkE
Life and career
Hailing from the suburbs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Master took an early interest in the natural world. “I’ve been enamored of the natural world my entire life,” he said. “There’s a story, I don’t know if it’s true or not, but my mother said when I was in my crib I spent a lot of time looking out the window watching a robin building a nest and feeding its young. “I knew in fourth grade I wanted to be a biologist or geologist. I was very lucky I knew what I wanted to do, and even luckier that I got to do it for my career. “I just always loved the natural world. I was once sitting around a table with a bunch of other biologists, and we all said, ‘How’d you get started?,’ and it seemed like everybody had a pond or a stream in their backyard where they monkeyed around as a kid, you know, with salamanders and tadpoles and everything, and that’s true for me, too.” Master didn’t really get into birds until he was in high school, when a teacher sparked his interest. But despite his lasting passion and world-class bird photography, Master said he’s always loved mammals as well. In fact, he did his Ph.D. thesis on mammalian behavior. Master took that early interest in the natural world through college and into graduate school. He eventually went to work for The Nature Conservancy and then a nonprofit group called NatureServe, which was the science division of TNC and is now its own 501(c)3 organization. His studies and career led him to Michigan for school and then to Boston, where he worked on creating nature preserves and other conservation measures around the Northeast. “I had the best job in the world, I thought,” he said. After he retired about 10 years ago, Master moved full-time to the Adirondacks, settling in Lake Placid. It was a natural fit for someone whose family had a camp on Lake Placid dating back to the early 1900s. “My great-grandparents built my grandparents a camp on Lake Placid in 1903 as a wedding present,” he said. “It stayed in the family until 1968. My grandmother, whose
April-May 2017
bobCAt in MontAnA camp it was, my father, my uncle and I all share the same birthday in July, so we have sort a big family birthday party.” Despite a break in his Adirondack visits due to a divorce in the family, Master was soon attending school at St. Lawrence University and making regular trips to the TriLakes, where he met his future wife. “We’d been coming here seasonally ever since: many times a year from Ann Arbor (Michigan), where we lived for 12 years, then from Boston, where we lived for 25 years,” he said. “It just seemed like a natural place to be.”
Photography
Once Master retired, he took on several advisory roles, serving on the boards of nonprofits and continuing his passion for learning about and sharing his joy of the outdoors. One of the most recognizable ways he does that is through his nature photography. “You can see birds (and) look at them year-round. They’re just fun to watch. They’re colorful,” he said. “I used to keep a life list (of birds he’s seen), but now I’d rather take a good picture of a common bird
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than see a new bird. “I love trying to turn people on to nature through photography. It seems to me that a visual medium like photography has a really good potential for inspiring people.” In the world of nature photographers, some people may have hidden gems or secret spots they keep close to their vest. But Master is more than happy to get the word out about rare birds or his favorite spots. This desire for others to share in his joy has been on example twice very publicly this winter. At the end of January, Tupper Lake resident Jack Delahanty spotted a bird on the ice in front of his house. Delahanty, who is no slouch himself when it comes to winged creatures, took a photo and sent it to Master. Within hours, birders were driving to Tupper Lake from around the country to get a glimpse of the bird that is rarely seen south of the Arctic Circle. Master explained that he had the bird’s identity confirmed by experts in Connecticut, and soon the word was out that a Ross’s gull in its first-year plummage was hanging around the Adirondack town. Locals flocked (pun intended) to the area,
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as did people from every state that shares a border with New York. There were license plates from Ohio and Michigan spotted near Simon Pond as well. “It’s the rarest bird I’ve ever seen in New York state,” Master said, noting that it was likely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for many people. In early March, a great gray owl was spotted in Keene, and Master’s breathtaking photos of the bird that stands about 3 feet tall have inspired dozens of bird watchers and photographers to make the pilgrimage to the town known more for its hiking. Master has also traveled the world in search of wildlife to photograph. About 10 years ago, he took a cruise to the South Atlantic, in search of penguins and other southern hemisphere birds. “It was a three-week trip, going out of the Falkland Islands,” he said. “In South Georgia (Island), there’s no predators, nothing that eats birds or penguins or anything else. So as a result, all the birds there are tame as can be. “They were hunted a little bit by whalers way, way, way back when, but nothing recent. And so I sat down on the beach and put my little sort of nature hat next to me. And within five minutes, I had four or five different species of birds coming up and pecking at the hat right beside me. “The penguins just walked right past you. They don’t see humans as a threat.” Although he has had close-up encounters like this, he said that advances in camera technology have made it a little easier to get shots of more reclusive animals. “The nice thing about telephoto lenses is you don’t have to intrude,” he said. “You could be a long ways away in a blind or something.”
Bird count
Although Master doesn’t keep a life list anymore, he did admit he’s seen about 715 species of birds just in North America. While he’s not counting all of his birds per se, he does engage in an annual bird count here in the North Country. Master has been organizing the local Audubon Christmas Bird Count since the 1970s, and glows at the thought of the rare and unusual sightings catalogued over the years, as well as the number of volunteers, Continued on page 11
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Santanoni getaway Following in history’s footsteps to visit an Adirondack great
neilson snye stands in front of a cluster of buildings at the farm site, which is about a mile from the trailhead.
A
PHOTOS BY JUSTIN A. LEVINE
on the trail
By JUSTIN A. LEVINE
fter two straight days of sunshine and above-freezing temperatures in February, my friend and I decided we better get out skiing again before the snow was completely gone. We drove down to Newcomb and donned our cross-country skis for the 10-mile round-trip out to the historic Great Camp Santanoni. Although we were out for a ski, this trail is open to hikers and mountain bikers, as well as horseback riding, so this is a trip that can be done any time of year. It was another bluebird day with the temperature a few degrees below freezing, so we weren’t dealing with a slushy trail when we started out. The great camp was built more than 100 years ago, and even though a lot of the original buildings are now gone, the complex is largely intact. We decided to go down there that weekend because the state Department of Environmental Conservation and Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) were hosting the second of three open weekends at the camp. The camp was built by Robert Pruyn of New York City as a summer home and retreat. At its biggest, the camp was made up of nearly 13,000 acres of land. The Pruyns used the property to entertain rich and famous people of the time, including Theodore Roosevelt. Although many of the buildings are gone, there are three main components to the great camp property that still provide a glimpse of its past glory. The Gate House is just off state Route 28N in Newcomb and is a formidable building that truly conveys the potency of the classic Adirondack Great Camp. Although the camp is situated in the midst of the Vanderwhacker Wild Forest and butts up against the High Peaks, the three building complexes and the road that connect them have been classified as a Historic Preservation area. You’re allowed to ski, snowshoe or hike into the camp any time, but during the open weekends, AARCH has people on site to discuss the history of the camp and, perhaps more importantly, keep a pot of coffee boiling away on top
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of the woodstove. During the summer, many of the buildings are open to the public and there is staff on hand to discuss the fascinating history of the property. The folks providing the hot drinks and history lessons were there courtesy of AARCH, the town of Newcomb and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry, which has a campus just down the road. Steven Engelhart, executive director of AARCH, said the 2017 Presidents Day weekend was likely the busiest in terms of visitors to the historical site. “We estimate that between 300 and 400 people visited Santanoni over the long weekend in February. Some of these only went as far as the farm, but most got all the way to the main camp,” he said in an email. “We think that our previous record for a long weekend was about 300, so yes this had the best attendance to date.” Engelhart said that while the camp is interesting enough to draw people on its own merits, the open weekends provide an added incentive to make the trek. “Camp Santanoni has gotten a reputation over the last several decades for having reliably good snow and cross country ski conditions and so has become an increasingly popular skiing destination. Even before we offered these winter open house weekends, it got a lot of ski traffic,” Engelhart said. “We saw an opportunity here to make people’s ski experience even more enjoyable by providing a
Camp santanoni ACtivitY: Ski, snowshoe, hike, bike, horseback ride DistAnCE: 2 miles Rt to the farm site, 10 miles Rt to the main camp complex DiFFiCultY: Easy to moderate DiRECtions: the main entrance to Camp Santanoni is located on Newcomb Lake Road off of state Route 28N in Newcomb. there is a DEC sign at the turn-off from the main road, about 14 miles from Long Lake and 29 miles from Exit 26 on interstate 87.
the Artist’s Cabin is adorned with this field-stone front wall on the lake side of the building. Above, a piece of the great camp’s main building, which was built around the turn of the 20th century. Above right, one of the original exterior doors.
place to get out of the cold, to meet fellow skiers and adventurers, and to give tours of the camp, much as we do in the busy summer months. This helps to build interest in the preservation and public use of the camp and to demonstrate its importance as a historic site in the region. “On previous weekends when there’s been a lot of below zero weather, the numbers are much
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lower but still we might get 40 people even on those cold days.” My friend Neilson Snye, of Tupper Lake, and I began skiing on the crusty trail, which is actually a road, so it’s plenty wide enough to handle skiers and snowshoers at the same time. But the previous two days of above-freezing temperatures and below-freezing nights ensured that the last tracks of the
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previous day were set in stone. It was unfortunate that several people had gone in without skis or snowshoes and had left postholes all along the trail and ski track. With the crusty conditions, the skiing was tougher than it should have been for a trail that is, in general, quite easy and forgiving. Despite the trail conditions, we quickly made our way about a mile in to the site of the former farm. The great camp had a fully functional farm and was one of the early leaders in “scientific farming,” according to the DEC. The farm site is the second of the three building complexes, and there are a couple of houses as well as the foundation of a barn that burned down in 2004. During the Continued on page 12
April-May 2017
Adirondack names
WhAt’s in A nAME: big MoosE REgion T By SPENCER MORRISSEY
he Big Moose region has been a goto area for outdoor recreation for generations. Whether you like hiking, paddling, snowmobiling, hunting, fishing, snowshoeing or skiing you can find something to do. Surrounded by the Pigeon Lake Wilderness and the Fulton Chain Wild Forest, you will not be hard pressed to find seclusion and a true wilderness experience. Below is a short list of named features in the area, with a little about their history and where they got their name.
Brown’s Rock
Brown’s Rock is located just a bit northeast of Billy’s Bald Spot, and according to Barlow, was named after Leslie Warnick Brown who was a tobacco dealer from Utica. He was one of the first to own land in the Big Moose region and it was rather extensive. Upon the land, Brown would build a large network of elaborate buildings on the property that extended well out over most of North Bay and the island located within that bay. There was, and still is, a trail from the Waldheim Adirondack Lodge. Those interested in climbing to the top like so many have over the years, can spend a wonderful weekend at the Waldheim and maybe visit Billy’s Bald spot and paddle or ski on the scenic lake.
PHOTOS BY SPENCER MORRISSEY
Billy’s Bald Spot
According to Jane Barlow in her book on Big Moose Lake, Billy’s Bald Spot was named after Billy Dutton, who was an organ builder who owned an island on Big Moose Lake where he entertained guides, patrons and instrumental artists alike. The bald rocky crest that lies above the western part of the lake was a favorite location of Billy’s, and the name just stuck. Many visitors would come from far and wide to hike the trail to the bald spot, and even today people travel out of their way to go there. It is unclear if the current trail follows the old route up to the view, but it is clear that it is a worthy destination. The trail is over private property, but according to the Adirondack Mountain Club in their West-Central guidebook it is open to the public to use to access the view and Squash Pond slightly farther in.
slide off Mountain Mount Tom
A large portion of this mountain was logged by Bissell and Yousey whose lumbering operations extended from 1914 to 1918. The lumbering operation cleared the lake-side of the mountain, which was considered a desecration of the mountain by local residents. A gentleman named Thomas Fox Jeffress owned a camp called Owl’s Nest that was located in the area east of the narrows and near Echo Island on Big Moose Lake, which is in the general location of the small mountain. Jeffress was a businessman originally from Virginia who dealt in paper products, tobacco and real estate. It is not clear if this is the Thomas for which the mountain was named, but it is quite likely. Mount Tom can be reached by paddling or skiing across Big Moose Lake then climbing the mountain from the Gull Lakes Trail. There is no trail to the summit. Even today remnants of logging can still be seen.
Cascade Mountain
Not to be confused with the High Peak, this Cascade Mountain is much smaller, with its name derived from a cascade/waterfall on the north side of the mountain at the east end of Cascade Lake. The long ridge of Cascade Mountain extends from Eagle Bay to the Brown’s Tract, but the highest point along the mountain ridge is located in Eagle Bay. This mountain’s massive expanse offers periodic views but no trail to access them. However, the cascade is easy to reach by following the loop trail around Cascade Lake.
Slide Off Mountain
The naming of this peak is not all that easy to verify, and through much research online and on paper, the best conclusion I can come up with is that it could be a reference to the impressive cliffs on the eastern portion of the mountain. In a phrase: “The cliffs are so steep one
could ‘slide off’ them.” If you were so inclined to check out the cliffs or the mountain, there is a foot trail to Goose Pond on the west side of the mountain that could be used to access the mountain. There is no trail access the summit or the cliffs.
Sugarloaf
According to the 1904 USGS map, a trail once existed over the northern shoulder from Big Moose Lake to Constable Pond along the Totten and Crossfield boundary line, which today would be the state land boundary. The name Sugarloaf comes from how sugar was once sold. Granulated sugar was produced and sold until the late 19th century as one solid chunk in the shape of a cone. The shape of this sweetener may have been what gave Sugarloaf its name. The appearance of the mountain from some geographic location, possibly Big Moose Lake made it look cone like, or sugarloaf-like.
Cascade Mountain
April-May 2017
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5
Hikes and trail runs in Franklin County By SPENCER MORRISSEY sheep Meadow trail
PHOTO BY SPENCER MORRISSEY
Five trips
Azure Mountain
Jenkins Mountain
Kettle Trail
Sheep Meadow
The Pinnacle
ACtivitY: hiking DiFFiCultY: Easy DistAnCE: 2.0 miles round-trip PERks: Short, sweet and worth every step. With the added bonus of a fire tower on the summit, your views will not be limited in the very least. Wander about the summit area for additional interesting lookouts from ground level. obstAClEs: A bit steep in areas, but short enough to negate any obstacles that other steep trails could impose. QuotE: “One of the best fire tower peaks with sweeping views of both the Adirondacks and the St. Lawrence Valley, even without climbing the fire tower.” — www.saranaclake.com DiRECtions: From the intersection of state Route 30 and Route 86 in Paul Smiths, follow Route 30 north toward Malone. Continue for about 100 yards to Keeses Mill Road on the left. turn down Keeses Mill Road which will eventually turn into Blue Mountain Road. Continue approximately 15 miles from Route 30 to the trailhead on the left. the Blue Mountain Road can be quite rough, but it is very scenic and worth the adventure.
ACtivitY: hiking, trail running DiFFiCultY: Moderate DistAnCE: 9.0 miles round-trip PERks: Seclusion is a foremost advantage to this peak, as its well-deserved attention tends to get overlooked. Expect stellar views and possibly a summit to yourself. Be sure to check out the visitors center for an added perk. obstAClEs: Length tends to be an obstacle for some, but it doesn’t get steep until near the very end, where it can get quite slippery on the open rock areas. QuotE: “Duck the crowded high Peaks. … Keep an eye out for beaver dams and some of the 300 species of birds, like the gray jay and the broad-winged hawk.” — Backpacker Magazine DiRECtions: From the intersection of state Route 30 and Route 86 in Paul Smiths follow Route 30 north toward Malone. Continue for 1 mile to the entrance to the Paul Smith’s College ViC on the left. Pull in here and park in the parking lot. Walk back down the road past the Gazebo and take a left onto the forest road — this is the trail.
ACtivitY: hiking, trail running DiFFiCultY: Easy to moderate DistAnCE: 6.4 miles round-trip PERks: this hidden trail is seldom visited by anything more than a few locals and a random wandering hiker. You will have a very peaceful walk in the tall pines with the soft trail beneath you to keep you happy. obstAClEs: Finding the trail is the hardest part, but once on it, it is well marked and easy to follow. QuotE: “Along these rolling hills you will have the opportunity to overlook some kettle ponds.” — www.saranaclake.com DiRECtions: From the intersection of state Route 30 and Route 86 in Paul Smiths, follow Route 30 north toward Malone. Continue for 3.8 miles to Slush Pond Road on the left. turn onto Slush Pond Road and follow for 0.5 miles to the hidden trail on the right. there are equine (horse) trail markers on the tree, but no trailhead sign.
ACtivitY: hiking, trail running DiFFiCultY: Easy to moderate DistAnCE: 7.5 miles round-trip PERks: this is a leisurely trail, even though the distance may suggest otherwise. the end of the trail will bring you to a massive scenic meadow dotted with attractive trees and grasses and inhabited by horse barns and lean-tos. this is a wonderful spot for a picnic and nap. obstAClEs: the maze of trails and roads that lead off the main trail can be confusing, but signs at the intersection make it much easier. QuotE: “this relatively easy trail will bring you back to very attractive backcountry lean-tos surrounded by the small foothills of the Adirondacks.” — www.tupperlake.com DiRECtions: From the intersection of state Route 30 and Route 86 in Paul Smiths follow Route 30 north toward Malone. Continue for 3.8 miles to Mountain Pond Road on the right. turn here and follow to the right. Continue for 0.25 miles farther to a yellow state gate and trailhead on the left and park roadside but not in front of the gate.
ACtivitY: hiking, trail running DiFFiCultY: Easy DistAnCE: 5.0 miles round-trip PERks: A perfect mellow hike for the entire family which ends with an amazing payoff as you overlook many of the foothills and larger mountains of Franklin County. obstAClEs: None really to speak of, but always bring along emergency equipment on any hike in the woods. QuotE: “the summit is a partially open viewing platform with outstanding scenery and a nice cool breeze.” — www.visitmalone.com DiRECtions: From the intersection of state Route 30 and Route 86 in Paul Smiths, follow Route 30 north toward Malone. Continue to Route 458 which will be on your left. Follow Route 458 for just under 10 miles to the trailhead on the right.
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April-May 2017
PHOTO BY LARRY MASTER
gREAt gRAY oWl in kEEnE
Larry Master Continued from page 7
which has climbed since he took over the count. The Christmas count takes place all over the world, with tens of thousands of volunteers going hiking, paddling, driving and walking road sides trying to count each individual bird they see. This information has proven to be one of the most successful citizen-science projects in history. “I started doing the bird counts in high school with my biology teacher,” he said. “When I started coming here to visit my inlaws in the early 1970s, there was a Saranac Lake Christmas Bird Count that had been abandoned in the 1960s when the compiler died. “So I started it up again in 1974 or ’75 and have been doing it ever since. It’s been fun. We started out with 10 people in the ’70s, and now we’re up to 45 to 50 people. “Bird watchers are a tremendous citizenscience resource.” He said most bird watchers now submit their results and sightings to a website called eBird, a joint effort of the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and the Audubon Society. The site allows anyone to submit bird sightings, and provides essentially a realtime feed of where various species are located at any given time.
Feeders
Master’s love of watching birds at the feeder may or may not have started while he was in the crib, but he now ensures that his yard is filled with squirrel and bird feeders. However, he said that several of the volunteers for the Christmas Bird Count noticed empty feeders along their routes and has some advice for those who want to attract a variety of birds to their yard. “I’ve been feeding birds since 1950something,” he said. “Mixed bird seed, it’s cheap, but it’s a waste of money. A lot of it the birds don’t like.” “Mostly, I feed the sunflower hearts because small finches can’t really eat black oil (sunflower seeds). They just can’t take it apart very well. “I think sunflower hearts is the best. Chickadees, nuthatches, woodpeckers, all
Adirondack “By Owner”
the finches, blue jays, red squirrels — they all love sunflower hearts. I also feed suet for woodpeckers and chickadees.” He said that niger seed attracts some birds as well, but it can be expensive and doesn’t last as long as the sunflower seeds. He also feeds hummingbirds in the summer with non-colored water. Master said it’s also important to keep an eye on the birds coming to your feeder for any sign of disease. Bird feeders should be washed regularly, and even more frequently if it looks like any of the birds visiting it may be sick. He chuckled while admitting that he currently has more than 20 feeders set up in his yard.
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Getting started
Seeing Master and other bird watchers in the field, you might notice one or more long camera lenses, covered in camouflage. These aren’t cheap, but Master said expensive gear isn’t a requirement to get into birding. He said an inexpensive pair of binoculars is all that’s really needed, and even those can be borrowed if you’re on a guided bird walk or with more experienced birders. “I would take them out and show them owls or something big, and take them out with other people who are enthusiastic, and maybe that enthusiasm will be catching,” he said. “That’s how I started in high school. “You don’t have to have a camera. My binoculars are mostly cheap ones. It shouldn’t be a big expense,” he said. “Lots of people come without binoculars on a bird walk, and people share.” He also said that guided walks, like those sometimes offered at the Paul Smith’s VIC, are a great way to get started. Master hopes that with every bird walk and bird count that goes by, he inspires someone to share in the joy of the natural world that he himself has found over the course of his life. For those who can’t get out in the field, his stunning photographs should impart some appreciation of the wonders that surround us. To view thousands of Master’s bird and wildlife photographs, visit masterimages.org.
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Continued from page 7
open weekends, several of the buildings are open to the public to explore, with picnic tables out for lounging. There are also informational placards that provide a brief overview of the surrounding history. With the sun shining bright and only a few other people on the trail, we hung out at the farm for just a few minutes before heading back into the shady woods to continue our trip. From the farm, it’s about another 4 miles out to the main camp. Along the way, you pass through largely open hardwoods, crossing field-stone bridges and catching glimpses of the High Peaks. The trail itself climbs very gradually to about the 3-mile mark, and then descends down toward the camp on the shore of Newcomb Lake. Since the trail was icy and pockmarked with boot prints, we took it easy on the downhills. But in better conditions, even the most novice skier shouldn’t have any problem
Camp Santanoni
navigating the wide and clearly defined trail. After an easy descent, you cross a bridge which offers the first open views since the farm site. From there, it’s just another couple of minutes to the main complex. The doors were open to the camp’s great room and we took off our skis and wandered in, taking in the grandiosity of the mammoth stone fireplace and exposed wood beams. There’s no wallpaper, just birch bark lining the entire room. The great camp was designed by a prominent architect of the era, Robert H. Robertson. Robertson and Pruyn met while attending Rutgers College and 25 years later Pruyn hired his former classmate to design the “Japanese aesthetic” camp, according to AARCH’s history of the property. Pruyn was born in Albany, but his father was appointed minister to Japan when Robert was 15, and the
CANOE & KAYAK TRIPS
younger Pruyn went with his father to the Far East, imprinting on him the appeal of the Japanese culture. Robertson was a member of the Adirondack Club in nearby Tahawus, and so was familiar with the area his friend had decided to turn into a country retreat. Santanoni would eventually have about 50 buildings in all, but the appeal of fitting the camp in with the surrounding woods largely stemmed from Pruyn’s early Japanese influences. Thinking of the great camps of the Adirondacks, one can think of sprawling mansions with elaborate boat houses dotting the shores of the St. Regis lakes or Upper Saranac. Santanoni is different in terms of how it is nestled into the woods. It was impossible to get a complete photograph of the camp, except maybe from the lake. We walked around the building and went back outside. Because of
a recent spate of people falling through the ice in February, we never even considered going out onto Newcomb Lake, which was described by E. R. Wallace in 1895 as “one of the fairest waters of this lake-bespangled and leafysolitude. It is crescent-shaped, island-adorned, and mountain-locked.” There were other sets of skis stuck in the snow around the main building of the camp and Neilson and I walked down to the little Artist’s Cabin, with its field-stone front wall looking out over the lake and the smell of fresh coffee filling the small room. There were quite a few other people there, looking through pamphlets on the history of the camp or just enjoying the steamy warmth of a packed room. There was tea and hot chocolate and coffee on the woodstove. After talking with a couple of
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people, Neilson and I put our skis back on and started the trek back to the parking lot. The temperature had come up, but the shade of the woods kept the trail hard. We ran into a considerable number of people heading into the camp, but the trail still never felt busy or crowded. One gentleman was out of control coming down one of the hills, but it was a leisurely out of control and it took him a full minute to go past me once I had stepped off to the side of the trail. He was going maybe a mile per hour. The sun was dappling through the trees enough that we were hatless and glove-less while skiing, the kind of spring skiing day that you just have to soak up and enjoy. We had a pretty uneventful trip out to the great camp. At the time, I hoped it wouldn’t be the last chance to get out on skis. Little did I know that about a month later in mid-March, the area would receive one of the biggest snowstorms in recent history, which facilitated many more ski outings.
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April-May 2017