During spring mud season, trails are particularly vulnerable to erosion. The spring thaw creates mud that penetrates much deeper into the soil than the surface mud created by summer rains, and trails are thus more easily damaged by hikers’ boots. Alpine vegetation, which is fragile and endangered to begin with, is also particularly vulnerable at this time. It is therefore best to stay off higher elevation trails during early spring.

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation institutes a voluntary trail closure in the Eastern High Peaks during this time of year that asks hikers to refrain from traveling above 3,000 feet. This is done to protect alpine vegetation and prevent trail erosion.

More information on trail conditions in the Adirondacks can be found on the DEC Web site or by contacting the DEC Forest Rangers at 518-897-1200.

If you are planning a trip to the High Peaks during this period, please call the ADK High Peaks Information Center at 518-523-3441 or DEC Region 5 headquarters to learn about trail conditions and whether the voluntary closure is in effect.

Trails to Avoid

To avoid damaging natural resources and promote safety, hikers are advised to use trails only at lower elevations during the spring mud season. Lower trails usually are dry soon after snowmelt and are on less erosive soils than the higher peaks. DEC is asking hikers to avoid the following trails until muddy conditions have subsided:

• High Peaks Wilderness Area — all trails above 3,000 feet—wet, muddy snow conditions prevail, specifically at: Algonquin; Colden; Feldspar; Gothics; Indian Pass; Lake Arnold Cross—Over; Marcy; Marcy Dam; Lake Colden; Phelps Trail above Johns Brook Lodge; Range Trail; Skylight; Wright, and all “trail—less” peaks
• Dix Mountain Wilderness Area — all trails above Elk Lake and Round Pond
• Giant Mountain Wilderness Area — all trails above Giant’s Washbowl, “the Cobbles,” and Owls Head

Alternative Trails

Weather permitting, alternative trails for hiking:
• Debar Mountain Wild Forest — Azure Mountain
• Giant Mountain Wilderness — Giant’s Washbowl and Roaring Brook Falls
• High Peaks Wilderness — Ampersand Mountain; Cascade; Big Slide; Brothers, and Porter from Cascade; avoid all other approaches
• Hurricane Primitive Area — The Crows and Hurricane Mt. from Route 9N
• McKenzie Mountain Wilderness — Haystack Mountain and McKenzie Mountain
• Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area — Pharaoh Mountain
• Saranac Lake Wild Forest — Baker Mountain, Panther Mountain and Scarface Mountain

The Glens Falls-Saratoga Chapter of ADK has joined with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) in the Adopt-A-Wildland Program. Our adopted wilderness area is the Pharaoh Lake Wilderness Area. This heavily used area is in perhaps its best condition in recent years. Pressure on Pharaoh Wilderness Area (“PWA”) begins in early spring when trout season opens. Unlike past years, the popular camping areas were relatively free of litter, fireplace unburnables, beer and liquor bottles left behind by people taking advantage of the excellent trout fishing in PWA lakes and ponds. Easy access to Pharaoh Lake from Beaver Pond Road pressures this resource all summer. While many come to revel in solitude, hike Pharaoh and Treadway Mountains, or simply relax waterside listening to loon calls at night; some come to party. This has been a good season. As adopters of this wilderness area, we are concerned with observing and reporting to DEC such things as:

• Faulty privies
• Messy lean-to areas
• Illegal trail use, especially ATV use
• Trail conditions
• Damaged bridges
• Sightings of rare or endangered wildlife
• Problems with bears
• Trailhead parking problems
• Incorrect or missing signs, etc.

OPRHP has issued a very comprehensive and thoughtful plan for Saratoga Spa State Park. At a public informational meeting held on Sept. 17, OPRHP presented an overview of the park’s cultural and environmental resources, and provided an opportunity for the public to comment on the plan.

Addressing natural resource protection, the plan proposes that certain ecologically unique areas be designated as Park Preservation Areas, thereby protecting them from inappropriate development. This stricter protection is especially important to ADK and our chapter. In years past, we have actively opposed the construction of both a highway bypass and a golf course in sensitive areas of the park that would now be protected. The plan also proposes to preserve certain sections of the park that provide habitat for rare and endangered species by designating them as Natural Heritage Areas.

The plan contains some exciting recreational goals, including additional trails and improvement of presently existing trail systems. One of the most important parts of the plan calls for links to existing and proposed regional trails, such as the Zim Smith, Railroad Run and future Geyser Road trail. Also recommended is the development of a water trail that would be part of the proposed Kayaderosseras Creek-Fish Creek Greenway.

Educational goals of the plan include development of an interpretive center and trail to highlight the cultural and historical resources of the park. Year-round educational programs for the public will be expanded.

The Saratoga Spa State Park Draft Master Plan balances stewardship of natural resources with providing opportunities for compatible recreational activities. You can view it on the New York State Parks website; go to “inside our agency,” then “public documents.” Comments will be accepted through October 9.

Allegany State Park — Chapter member and New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation employee Karen Terbush submits the following to correct information published in the last newsletter:

NYS OPRHP recently began the master planning process for Allegany State Park. Located in the southwestern part of the state, at 67,000 acres, Allegany is the largest State Park outside of the forest preserve. Public information meetings were held in July to kick off the planning process and it is hoped that a draft plan will be available for public review by July of 2010.

The major current threat to the park’s natural resources is the fact that the subsurface mineral rights under about half of the park are privately owned. OPRHP’s process for dealing with proposals for drilling oil and gas wells in the park will be addressed within the Master Plan.

Forest Management and timber harvesting are not currently threats to the park. The agency has recently adopted a policy on the Management of trees and other vegetation in state parks and historic sites. This policy recognizes the importance of forests and trees in state parks, prohibits commercial logging, and provides specific circumstances under which tree removal may be appropriate such as protection of patron health and safety, removal of invasive species, and restoration of important scenic overlooks in developed areas.

Comments and suggestions for the park Master Plan can be sent to OPRHP at: Allegany.Plan@oprhp.state.ny.us

If you have any further questions, please feel free to contact Karen B. Terbush at: Karen B. Terbush, Environmental Analyst 2, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Environmental Management Bureau, Agency Bldg. 1, Empire State Plaza, Albany, NY 12238, (518) 474-0409, Fax 474-7013

The Skidmore College Outing Club will be hosting the Banff Mountain Film Festival World Tour on Sunday February 14, 2010. The film festival is comprised of the top films entered into the Banff Mountain Film Festival. The films highlight both outdoor activities and other factors affecting the outdoors and the environment. The films cover a variety of outdoor sports from rock climbing and skiing to kayaking and mountain biking.

The film festival will include refreshments and door prizes. The event will be held at Skidmore College in Gannett Auditorium. Tickets are $13 in advance and $15 at the door, children 12 and under are $5. Tickets are on sale at EMS in the Wilton Shopping Center. The show starts at 7 pm. We hope you will com to enjoy the spectacular films that Banff Mountain Center has included this year

Sara Clinton, VP Special Events
Skidmore Outing Club
815 North Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866

ADK Files Lawsuit over Lows Lake Classification - The Adirondack Mountain Club and the organization "Protect the Adirondacks!" have filed a lawsuit to force the Adirondack Park Agency to adhere to the State Land Master Plan and classify the state-owned waters of Lows Lake. Under the law, the waters and bed of a lake that is wholly owned by the state as part of the Forest Preserve must be classified. In addition to settling the classification of Lows Lake, the lawsuit is being filed to protect all state-owned waters in the Forest Preserve.

For the past several years, Lows Lake has been the center of a controversy over the use of float planes on a lake that is part of an important wilderness canoe route. In 2008, ADK sued DEC over its failure to abide by a legal commitment to ban floatplanes on the lake by January 2008. In April of 2009, APA voted to ban floatplane use on Lows Lake after 2011. One month later, APA and DEC proposed classifying Lows Lake and other nearby water bodies as wilderness and adding them to the nearby Five Ponds Wilderness. In September 2009, APA Commissioners voted 6 to 4 to classify part of the lake as Wilderness and part as Primitive, and sent the recommendation to the governor. After a controversy arose because of the expired tenure of one agency member, a re-vote was scheduled for November. At that meeting, Governor Paterson's representatives on the agency reversed their earlier support for classifying the lake, and instead backed an amendment to remove the lake from the resolution and classify just the adjacent land. ADK feels that this would not adequately protect the lake in the future.

Additional information regarding the lawsuit and ADK's efforts to protect Lows Lake are available on the Club's website. Saratoga Sand Plains Wildlife Management Area - New York's Department of Environmental Conservation has begun a planning process for the Saratoga Sand Plains Wildlife Management Area. This area is comprised mainly of lands in the Wilton Wildlife Preserve and Park, and also includes parcels owned by the state that are adjacent to property owned by the towns of Wilton and Northumberland, Saratoga County or the Nature Conservancy. Public input is being sought for a comprehensive plan to ensure protection of unique habitat and wildlife, such as the Karner blue butterfly, whose larvae only feed on the blue lupine found on the sandy soils here. The management planning process includes analysis of the area's natural features and the ability of the land to accommodate public recreational use. Impacts of the plan may include modifying current recreational practices, which presently include hiking, skiing, snowshoeing, horseback riding, fishing and hunting.

Anyone wishing to be included on the mailing list for information about the development of the plan or wishing to submit comments may contact Wildlife Biologist Melissa Neeley at r5info@gw.dec.state.ny.us

My name is Ryan Simko but most people who know me just call me Simko. I was born and raised in Northwest Indiana, about 45 miles south of Chicago. After graduating college, I'd seen enough flatlands and cornfields, so I moved to Wisconsin where I started working at a large printing company. After a short six months I was relocated to Oklahoma City for a little over a year for training. I then went back to Wisconsin where I trained for six months. At that point I was offered a position in Saratoga Springs. I was flown out for a week to see what it was like and to make a decision. The new landscape and environment pulled me in and I decided to move here in September of 2008.

After moving to Saratoga Springs, I began hiking and learning about the Adirondacks. In an attempt to experience new things, get involved in the area, and meet new people, I decided to check out a group I'd found out about in my research online. After going to a meeting and being introduced to some members of this group, I decided to join ADK.

Since moving to the area, I have spent a lot of time out in nature. I enjoy hiking, camping, kayaking, mountain biking, snowboarding, scuba diving, wakeboarding, and spending time on the lake. I also like cooking, reading, hanging out with friends, going to concerts, woodworking, and touring microbreweries. I'm always out searching for my next adventure. Catch me if you can!

The snow crunches beneath your snowshoes as you make your way to the summit. The brisk air turns your nose and cheeks a rosy red, and your breath rises up in thick white clouds as you push forward. It is cold out and the peak is in sight. And your stomach is beginning to growl; but the last thing you want right now is a semi-frozen peanut butter and jelly sandwich. No. What you could really go for right now is a steaming hot, tasty lunch. What a great combination - beautiful mountain views and a hot meal to warm the belly.

However, you aren't interested in dealing with a portable stove, fuel canister, etc. Well, it's a good thing you brought a Heater Meal with you! You find a nice spot on the mountain to settle in for lunch, take out your Heater Meal box, slide the food pouch into the heater pouch and pour the supplied water into the heater pouch to trigger a chemical reaction, then seal and slide the heater pouch back into the box. You now have about 10-12 minutes to take in the views, take photos, and enjoy your surroundings. All the while, steam rises from the Heater Meal box and you grow hungrier with anticipation.

The wait is finally over! You open the box, carefully opening the food packet, and emptying its piping hot contents onto the supplied plate. Bon appétit! And when you're done eating, everything slides neatly back into the box to be discarded later. Heater Meals, originally developed for military use, can be ordered from www.heatermeals.com and come in a variety of entrees, such as Pancakes with blueberry topping, Vegetarian Pasta Fagioli, and Southwest Style Chicken with Rice and Beans. Sure, there are less expensive options, but having an easy-to-use, hot, tasty meal in the middle of the woods is worth every cent!