Kids Running - Adirondack Sports & Fitness

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10 Adirondack Sports & Fitness A s the last glacier began to recede from the Adirondacks, swift rivers of meltwater coursed through the fissures and fractures in the ice. These rivers carried many tons of sediment, and when they dried up they deposited this sediment in long, snakelike mounds across the landscape. These mounds, which are distinguished by their narrow ridgelines, are called eskers, or sometimes “hogsbacks.” They are common features all across glaciated North America. A part of the longest esker in the northern Adirondack region borders the west side of Long and Black ponds at the base of Jenkins Mountain. These two ponds, which are managed as part of the Adirondack Park Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) campus at Paul Smiths, are scenic gems encircled by excellent hiking trails. They provide a somewhat more rugged Adirondack experience than the well-groomed interpretive trails nearer the main complex, and they rarely lead the hiker out of view of the ponds. They are also the beginning of a 4.1mile hike to Jenkins Mountain, with its gradual 880-foot climb. Jenkins’ partially wooded summit offers a fine view to the south, and this route that takes you there by way of the two ponds and the esker is one of the finest in the northern Adirondacks. All of these trails are very well suited for winter use, although many cross country skiers and snowshoers may prefer to travel across the open ice, where the traveling is easier. How to Get There The main entrance to the VIC is located just north of Paul Smiths on NY Route 30, and the facility is open all year long, seven days a week. However, the Black Pond trailhead is located on the outer edge of the VIC campus. To find it, drive west from NY Route 30 in Paul Smiths for 2.5 miles on Keese Mills Road. The St. Regis Presbyterian Church is on the south side of the road, and opposite it to the north, just across a stream, is a parking area that can accommodate eight to ten cars. The Trail The main orange-marked trail takes you along the west bank of the outlet for 0.2-mile to Black Pond. There are three lean-tos on the two ponds. They were built by forestry management students and are currently open to the public, but only for daytime use. Camping is not allowed anywhere on this property. The first lean-to is a five-minute trek from the road, at the southwest corner of Black Pond. The narrow trail is pinched between the steep slopes of the esker to your left PERCEPTION • PLATYPUS • PRIMUS • PUR • STOLQUIST • SWIFT • TEVA • WERNER • WILDERNESS • YAKIMA CROSS COUNTRY SKIING & SNOWSHOEING and the pond to your right. Rarely is the view impeded. You pass a canoe landing at 0.8-mile, and then leave the pond to reach the outlet stream of Long Pond. At one-mile, you reach a marked intersection where the orange trail bears right to loop around the east side of Black Pond back to Keese Mills Road. To reach Long Pond and Jenkins Mountain, follow the red-marked trail straight ahead. ADK BOOKS • AQUA BOUND • BELL CANOES • BOMBER GEAR • BOREAL DESIGN • CHACO • CURRENT DESIGNS It’s Never Too Soon To Gear Up For A Great Time. Kayaks, Canoes & Paddling Accessories, Outdoor Clothing, Books, Camping Gear and More. Sales, Lessons, Rentals, Tours. 518.644.9366 www.lakegeorgekayak.com Paddle Shop: Main Street Bolton Landing, NY 12814 Not Just Inventory. Answers. Service. Selection. Knowledge. Satisfaction. Your Resource for In-Stock Composite Boats. KELTY • KOKATAT • LIFE IS GOOD • LOTUS • MARMOT • MITCHELL • MSR • NECKY • NRS • OR • PATAGONIA JenkinsMountain 0 1 Scale in Miles MAP BY JEFF CARON Jenkins Mtn. ▲ Keese Mill Black Pond by Bill Ingersoll Long Pond Keese Mills DAGGER • EDDYLINE • EXTRASPORT • FEATHERCRAFT • GAIA • IMPEX • KATADYNE • KAVU • KEEN Road To NY Rt. 30 & Paul Smiths � MCKENZIE RANGE FROM JENKINS MOUNTAIN. � WHITEFACE FROM JENKINS MOUNTAIN. PHOTOS BY BILL INGERSOLL The Beaver Lodge Lean-To is located near the north end of Long Pond. The trail passes the pond and its lean-to and continues north. You pass beside an open wetland and into a balsam forest to reach the intersection with the Jenkins Mountain road/trail at 1.5 miles. Bear left on this blue-marked trail, heading northwest. Shortly beyond, the road bends sharply south. The trail narrows and winds along the top of the series of eskers, with one huge beaver meadow below the steep slopes to your right. Over the beaver pond you have a lovely view north to the rock slopes of Jenkins’ eastern summit. The travel along the eskers continues for another half-mile before angling sharply right. At 2.5 miles, the trail begins a long traverse along the foot of Jenkins’ steep southern slopes. You have wonderful views up to the rock ledges that front this part of the mountain. Notice how tall, straight, yet small in diameter are the trees that grace the slopes. In one place there is a stand of paper birch – sure signs of an old forest fire – but most of the trees are maples. Just short of 3.5 miles, the trail makes a sharp turn to the right and climbs more steeply to a turn back west. The grade then moderates again as the trail approaches the summit. Gradually, the trail curves east to head up the northwest slopes. As the slopes become steeper, the trail zigzags back and forth to keep the grades gentle, thus making it possible that determined cross country skiers, capable of negotiating the few truly steep sections, could make their way up this mountain. Just below the western summit, the trail zags back left, west to the rock knob that tops the far western edge. From the knob you can see Follensby Jr. Pond to the north, St. Regis Mountain just west of south, the McKenzie Range, and the High Peaks from the Sewards around to Whiteface. The return trip, retracing your steps, takes little more than two hours, but pause frequently to discover what you may have missed on the trip up. Bill Ingersoll lives in Barneveld. He is revising Barbara McMartin’s Discover series and is co-author of several books. For more information about this region consult Discover the Northern Adirondacks (Lake View Press); the third edition will be in stores this month. Discover Inlet, NY And all the beauty that surrounds us Free Cross-country Ski & Snowshoe Trails. Free Ice Skating Rink with Warming Hut. Free Sledding Hill. Great Food , Cozy Accommod ations, Groomed Snowmobile Tra ils, Fun for the W hole Family For maps & more: Inlet Area Information Office 1-866-GO INLET www.inletny.com
www.AdkSportsFitness.com March 2006 11 KAYAKING & CANOEING by Johnny Miller The spring whitewater blitz is just around the bend! Are you ready? The river is! When the spring sun warms the air and thaws the ground, high volumes of cold water start flowing into the creeks and rivers creating a whitewater playground. Unless you paddled throughout the winter, you’re probably not ready to take full advantage of this natural playground. Your technique is a little rusty, your muscles are slightly out of paddling shape and your gear is beat up from last season. Therefore, like most other paddlers, you’re not starting the season at your peak performance level, thus creating a gap in performance between the beginning of this season and the end of last season. So, in order for you to be safe, have fun, and get the most out of this spring’s whitewater blitz, you need to close that gap by getting in shape, planning your strategy and preparing your equipment. Get in Shape! Kayak pool sessions are a great way to brush up on your skills before hitting the river. It also gives you an opportunity to inventory your whitewater gear and to repair or replace that ragged gear from last year before you get to the put-in. When at the pool, take full advantage of the session. Refine your forward and backstroke by warming up with some laps around the perimeter. Having a strong torso rotation is also important, so do several sets of sprints between the opposite ends of the pool. Get wet and roll around to bombproof your roll, because swimming in the chilly spring river water is not a safe option. Rolling in near freezing water isn’t much fun either, so learn a solid low brace and avoid those ice cream headaches. While you’re improving your low brace, bomb proofing your roll and refining your for- Salmon Hills Outdoor Adventure Center Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Skijoring, Kite Skiing, Ice Climbing, Ice Fishing Lodging, food, rentals, lessons • 30K of groomed trails with 2K lighted Full-service retail shop with stone grinding machine Family winter wonderland vacations • Mid-week lodging specials Live entertainment weekend packages Redfield (45 miles northwest of Utica) on the Tug Hill Plateau & Salmon River Reservoir — the snowiest area in the East! (315) 599-7008 • www.SalmonHills.com Also, closest ski operation to NYC: High Point XC Ski Center Sussex, NJ (near Port Jervis, NY) • xcskihighpoint.com Narrowing the Gap for Spring Whitewater � JOHNNY MILLER PADDLING THE BOREAS RIVER IN MINERVA. COURTESY OF JOHNNY MILLER ward stroke, throw in a flatwater cartwheel to mix it up. If a pool is not readily available and the rivers haven’t started running yet, get out on some flatwater for a preseason paddling session. The best way to get those kayak-specific muscles back into shape and lubricate those rusty skills is to kayak. Plan! In order to be safe, whitewater paddlers need to be aware of what the air and water temperatures are for the day they plan to hit the river. When planning for a day of spring whitewater, Pierre Cyr of Thurman says, “I keep track of the snow pack throughout the winter in various regions of the state and before loading up to drive two hours to Rome for some surfing on the Fish Creek, I’ll check the weather forecast for the Tug Hill Plateau.” I recommend referencing a map to get an idea of the watershed geography of the rivers you plan to paddle this spring. Knowing where the water feeding the river comes from will help you determine whether you’re going to be paddling in ice cold or warm water. Remember that the air temperature at higher elevations and in mountainous terrain is cooler than in the valley and run off from snowmelt will be colder than run off from a recent rainstorm. Along with a weather forecast, this information will allow you to better estimate what the air and water temperatures will be for that day. Once you know these two temperatures, add them together. If the total is less than 100 degrees you are susceptible to hypothermia. Prepare! Once you know the conditions you’re going to be paddling in, prepare your gear accordingly to avoid being a victim of hypothermia. “If the water temperature and air temperature added together are hovering around 100 degrees, I wear several layers of insulation � PIERRE CYR OF THURMAN SURFING FISH CREEK NEAR ROME. PHOTO BY TRACY MILLER under my Kokatat Gore-Tex drysuit,” states Pierre. He also wears heavy latex gloves, a skullcap, warm socks and booties. You’ll need to put on an extra layer of insulation when paddling the Boreas River in Minerva compared to paddling the Poultney Creek in Fair Haven, because the Boreas is up in the mountains. Before you get to the put in, you might also have to adjust your kayak outfitting for those added layers of insulation. Being comfortable and having your gear dialed in will help you concentrate on paddling, closing that season to season performance gap. �� With such varied conditions in the spring, it’s a challenge keeping a steady body temperature to prevent from overheating or being too cold. Having a breathable drysuit or drytop helps makes it easier to regulate your temperature, although you will need to dress right the first time, because shedding layers is difficult and time consuming. One thing to remember when getting dressed for a day of whitewater fun in cold water is not to overdress. Overdressing can make you start to sweat, which will likely give you the chills. Remember that once you get paddling on the water you will warm up. Email your paddling buddies, call the local outfitter and check the Adirondack Sports & Fitness Calendar of Events for a kayak pool session near you. Reference the pages of your New York Gazetteer and study the surrounding region of the river you want to paddle when the ground thaws out. Repair those worn out drysuit gaskets, fix that leak in your skirt and practice paddling with that new bent shaft paddle. Now you’re ready to take full advantage of the whitewater season. See you on the water! Johnny Miller of Saratoga Springs is an outdoor recreation consultant who publishes Johnny Miller’s Adventure Guide and coordinates several kayaking events around New York. For more info visit johnnymilleradventures.com. ��
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