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Upcoming Champlain Area Trails (CATS) events and activities:

• Thursday, January 26, 7:00 to 8:30 - We will announce the winners of the first CATS Travel Writing Contest at the Susan Morse event.

  Yes, please come to the Whallonsburg Grange at 7:00 this Thursday for a presentation by Sue Morse, the renowned wildlife tracker, photographer, and founder of Keeping Track. She titled her talk “Wild, Yet Wonderfully Near Us: Bobcats Return to the Champlain Valley.” CATS and Northeast Wilderness Trust are hosting this entertaining and informative evening. Sue will share stories from her own experience and research. Plan for an entertaining and informative evening because Sue is a great speaker and photographer (suggested donation of $5 – 10). You can read more about this in the attached poster and the press release copied into the text below:

  PRESS RELEASE

  Tracker Susan Morse at Whallonsburg Grange on Jan. 26

  Susan Morse, the renowned wildlife tracker, photographer, and founder of Keeping Track will speak on Thursday, January 26th at the Whallonsburg Grange from 7 – 8:30 p.m. Champlain Area Trails (CATS) and Northeast Wilderness Trust (NWT) are hosting her presentation titled, “Wild, Yet Wonderfully Near Us: Bobcats Return to the Champlain Valley.”

  “Sue will talk from her own experience and research,” said Chris Maron, Executive Director of CATS, “She is a great speaker and photographer who tells entertaining stories which illustrate her extensive knowledge and sometimes controversial ideas about wildlife.”

  Rose Graves, the Conservation Director of NWT, added, “Sue’s description of bobcats in the Champlain Valley is inspiring and show how this is such a special place. Plus her photographs are amazing—it’s hard to believe someone can capture animals so beautifully on film.”

  Morse is the founder of Keeping Track, Inc. (www.keepingtrack.org), a non-profit organization whose mission is to inspire community participation in the long-term stewardship of wildlife habitat. Keeping Track offers programs to teach interested citizens about detecting animal uses of habitat near their communities and ways to conserve local wildlife. Attendees are asked to make a donation of $5 to $10.

  For more information, call Rose at 802-453-7880 or go to www.champlainareatrails.com or www.northeastwildernesstrust.org.
  
  

• Next Trail Project is a hike to learn "How Wildlife Prepare for Winter" - Saturday, December 10th, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  Please join a hike led by Naturalist Alcott Smith in the natural lands around Essex and discover how wildlife prepares for cold weather. Champlain Area Trails is partnering with Northeast Wilderness Trust (NWT) to host the hike as part of the “Get Wild and Connected” Outdoor Education Series.

  Rose Graves, the Conservation Director for NWT said, “This will be a great opportunity to explore how animals use habitats in shifting seasons. We’ll see how species in the Champlain Valley cope with the cooling weather and talk about how local wild lands connect habitat for wildlife and nature.”

  Dr. Alcott Smith, a veterinarian and field naturalist, is an outstanding outdoor educator who teaches a wide variety of ecology programs including “Reading the Natural Landscape,” “Finding and Interpreting Signs of Wildlife,” “Understanding Bears and Bobcats,” and “The Ecology of Timber Rattlesnakes.”

  Space for this event is limited; Plan to spend the day hiking off-trail so bring lunch, layers, and good hiking shoes. Suggested donation is $10-20; Pre-register by contacting Northeast Wilderness Trust - send an email to rose@newildernesstrust.org, call 802-453-7880, or go to the website www.newildernesstrust.org.
  
  

• Report on the November 19 Essex Area Trail Projects - We split into two groups--one focused on the Rocky Ledges Trail and the "chain-saw crew" went after fallen trees noted on the Trail Maintenance map that Bill Amadon keeps
  
  
• Report on the November 5th Cheney Mountain Trail Project - We did it! We finished clearing the trail on what was probably the most beautiful November Saturday in years. Stay tuned as we gather photos to post in the gallery.

  Cheney Mountain Trail is on Pelfershire Road about halfway between Westport and Port Henry. It starts by the Town’s former landfill on Pelfershire Road and follows an old logging road to the summit where it passes by a number of unusual small ponded areas and wetlands to overlooks with spectacular views. People have talked about making a trail here for years so we are proud to help make this dream come true.

  Directions:
  From Westport - go south on Rt 22/9N about 7 miles to Pelfershire Road. Turn right and go about 1.4 miles to a wide shoulder on the left side of the road.
  From Port Henry - go north on Rt 22/9N about 3 miles to Pelfershire Road. Turn left and go about 1.4 miles to a wide shoulder on the left side of the road.
  
  

• Report on the October 8 Cheney Mountain Trail Project in Moriah - We had a great turnout with volunteers coming from Port Henry, Mineville, Moriah, Crown Point, Westport, Wadhams, Essex, and even southeast Kentucky. After some tasty muffins, welcoming words, and introductions we cut branches and saplings, removed fallen logs, weed-whacked through tall goldenrod, and put up trail markers as we worked uphill to the summit.

  Cheney Mountain is shaped like a loaf of bread so the top of the mountain has a long, fairly level surface with rock outcrops near the edges and numerous wetlands and tiny ponds. The best views are from the south end of the "loaf" which is where we were headed. The attached picture, taken by Jim Davis, shows the view to the southeast.

  At about 12:30 we were within a couple hundred yards of the end but chose to call it a day and return later to finish the trail.

  So, stay tuned for the next Cheney Mountain Project. It will feature a hike to the top of the mountain, stopping to look at the views, and then clearing the final bit of trail that will take you to the best overlook.

  Thanks to all the volunteers and to the Moriah Town Board for having the vision to create a trail on its scenic property.
  
  

• Report on the August 20th Trail Project - We had a great group of volunteers who completed the clearing of a new trail in Westport. This trail is the first of two links that will enable people to hike from the Westport Boat Launch to Coon Mountain. Stay tuned for when we hopefully get approval for the next section of the trail.
  
  
• Report on the July 16th Trail Project - Several volunteers worked on the the Rocky Ledges Trail in Essex to put up trail markers, cut back branches, and clear fallen limbs from the trail. They completed the project and the trail is in great shape. It just needs a trailhead sign by the road.
  
  
• SUMMARY OF JUNE 16TH TRAIL PROJECT - The trail project at the Black Kettle Nature Trail was quite productive. The first thing we did was to put a “Trailhead Sign” by the road because the beginning to the trail, located behind the barn at Black Kettle Farm, had been difficult to find. Then at the end of the morning as we were having sandwiches, a car drove up, hesitated at the new trailhead sign, pulled into the driveway, parked and two people got out dressed in hiking boots and trail clothes. They pulled out walking sticks and packs from the back seat and started walking down the trail to where we were sitting. I asked how they happened to be hiking on this trail and they answered, “We wanted to take a hike this morning and we had heard about Champlain Area Trails so we looked at the website, saw this trail on the list and decided to hike on it. We were uncertain if we could find it though and when we saw the sign, we figured we were here.” As they continued down the trail, we patted ourselves on the back and basked in the immediate gratification of improving the hiking experience for others through the little action of sticking up that trailhead sign.

  Besides putting up the trailhead sign, we cleared branches from the trail and cut wood for the bridges while Bill Amadon mowed the vegetation on the Boquet Mountain Trail with our new battery-operated trail mower. Then we carried the cut wood through the field, across the stream, and into the woods to the four bridges we are replacing. So, now the wood is in place to complete rebuilding the bridges on the trail, which recently hosted several hundred students for outdoor education classes led by Sheri Amsel and Elizabeth Lee.
  
  

• REPORT ON THE JUNE 4 EVENT - The CELEBRATE CHAMPLAIN AREA TRAILS EVENT FEATURING BILL MCKIBBEN was an amazing success. To read a great review that Athena Roth wrote of the event, please click on this link http://www.lakeplacid.com/blog/2011/06/champlain-area-trails-hosts-autho....
  
  
• SUMMARY OF FEBRUARY HIKE - Saturday, February 5; We partnered with Friends of Poke-O-Moonshine and took a fabulous hike investigating a potential trail route that would go from the Poke-O jeep trail to Trout Pond Road. We broke trail through about two feet of snow as we climbed up through Lost Oak Valley and then down the long decline to the road.
  
  
• SUMMARY OF JANUARY HIKE - We had a great turnout and a beautiful day of hiking at Poke-O-Moonshine in what was to be a "tracking" hike to see signs of wildlife. It had snowed the night before so the tracks we saw were just depressions in the snow with no detail indicating what the animal was except for size.

  Hike leaders David Thomas Train and Elizabeth Lee provided commentary and interpretation as we hiked up the old jeep trail to a new beaver pond. The old beaver dam had washed out a few years ago and the DEC built a nice bridge over the now free-flowing brook. Then the beavers came back, built a series of new dams downstream from the bridge which raised the water level higher than the bridge. Oops!

  On the beautiful Saturday morning, we hiked up to the dam and had lunch. Then some continued on to the summit, some explored the beaver flow (series of ponds and beaver dams), and others left early to return to their more home-bound lives.

  In summary, it was such a beautiful winter morning that we all were energized by the sun, the snow, the cold-warmth, and the best of what winter has to offer.
  
  

• SUMMARY OF DECEMBER HIKE - We had an excellent Holiday Hike on Saturday morning, December 18 at the Wildway Overlook Trail. We had a great turnout and saw fabulous views. The summit seemed like a fairyland because of the snow clinging to the tree branches.
  
  
• SUMMARY of November 20th Trail We had a great turnout for the “hiking trail project” to walk the new Rocky Ledges Trail and put up trail markers so people can hike, snowshoe, or ski along the trail without getting lost. It was the first time many had walked the trail since the leaves fell and the views through the trees was quite beautiful. We completed marking the trail coming in from Leaning Road and will have to finish up later by marking the trail as it returns from the Boquet Mountain Trail to Leaning Road.
  
  
• SUMMARY of October 16th Trail Project. We spent the morning creating a new trail that connects Boquet Mountain Trail to Beaver Flow Trail. This new, and as yet unamed trail begins right across Cook Road from the Boquet Mountain Trailhead. It follows an old road overgown with saplings and some areas of tall vegetation. We cut the saplings and made a trail through the tall vegetation.

  This new trail will make it possible to hike south on Boquet Mtn Trail and cross Cook Road to get the next trail instead of walking down the road for a half-mile. It also allows the Beaver Flow Trail to become a loop trail. Best of all, the new trail should be great for cross-country skiing!
  
  

• SUMMARY of 10/10/10 project - On Sunday, October 10, we participated in the 10/10/10 "Global Work Day to implement solutions to the climate crisis" organized by 350.org. It seemed more like a Global Fun Day as we worked on the Beaver Flow trail--clearing up an old trash pile, removing a few logs across the trail, cutting vegetation infringing on the trail, and clearing out little rocks and cut saplings that people trip on.
  
  
• SUMMARY OF KEEPING TRACK WILDLIFE EVENT!
  A rainbow is brightly shining outside the window of the CATS office right now--totally amazing. It is one of the brightest I've seen. The rainbow seems like a continuation of the fabulous Keeping Track Wildlife Event we had last night. Over 200 people turned out on a cold and rainy night to look at the animal pelts, skulls, antlers, bear-clawed logs, etc. and enjoy Susan Morse's beautiful and entertaining slide show.

  Fifteen people signed up for the 9-session Keeping Track Training Program. It is not too late to sign up so please email champlaintrails@gmail.com to inquire about the program.

  Thanks to everyone for your support of CATS and our Champlain Valley Conservation Partnership who hosted the event. Our partners were Northeast Wilderness Trust, Champlain National Bank, Adirondack Council, Elizabeth Lee - Outdoor Guide, and Dogwood Bread Company in Wadhams. We also thank the local Fish and Game Clubs, the Hunter Safety Instructors, Westport Federated Church, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Essex County, Lake Champlain Basin Program, Larry Carroll, and all who helped set up and take down the chairs, tables, etc.(www.keepingtrack.org).
  
  

• SUMMARY of the September 18th Trail Project
  It was a beautiful day for clearing fallen trees from trails and that's just what we did. Our volunteer crew had a beautiful hike into the Boquet Mountain Trail, got to the fallen trees, and cut away. It was some heavy lifting and major cutting but our hand saws did the trick and now the trail is open.

  We still need to get to the fallen trees on the Beaver Flow Trail--probably next time.
  
  

• SUMMARY of the July 17th and August 21st projects - You know it takes a lot of work to maintain a trail through an old field because if you don't get out there often enough to cut back the grasses, what was once an obvious trail becomes a question as to where to go. This has been the case at the Beaver Flow Trail as it heads south from Walker Road across Eddy Foundation property.

  Our Trail Committee Chairman, Bill Amadon, realized that we could move the trail to the eastern edge of the property and follow an old stone wall located between the edge of a mostly-deciduous woods and an overgrown Christmas tree plantation. Thus, problem solved--trail goes through the woods where it is easier to maintain, shadier on these too-hot summer days, and able to keep snow longer for cross-country skiers.

  On July 17th and August 21st, our small trail parties cut the new beginning to Bobcat Trail so it passes through the woods and confirmed the mathematical theory that hot summer days = fewer volunteers. We will do some occasional maintenance on the old trail through the field though, so hikers can see the wildflowers, grassland birds, and dragonflies; but the trailhead will now be about 100 yards of the old entrance. We expect that people making it an in-and-out hike will see on their return that they have the option of walking through the field or back along the new entry trail that passes along the stone wall and forest edge. Ah, choices...
  
  

• SUMMARY of the June 19th Trail Project - We cleared vegetation on part of the Boquet Mountain Trail and scouted the new beginnings for the Beaver Flow and Bobcat Trails.

  We also had our first Trail Committee meeting and created a number of sub-committees—New Trail Planning, Trail Stewardship (clearing and maintenance), Landowner Contact, and Communications. Please participate on any of these committees—it gives you a stronger voice in developing our trails. Just send an email about your interest.
  
  

• SUMMARY of the Celebration of CATS on June 5 -National Trails Day: It was a fabulous day to honor the great effort so many people are making to create the Champlain Valley trail network. Steven Kellogg welcomed everybody, I gave a brief overview of CATS and the Champlain Valley Conservation Partnership, and Elle Berger explained how countryside walking benefits people and local economies.
  
  
• SUMMARY of the May 15th project: Another beautiful morning and a perfect turnout to hike the Rocky Ledges Trail and do some follow-up clearing along the lower elevation trail that ties into the Boquet Mountain Trail.
  
  
• SUMMARY of the May 1st Project: We had a large turnout on May 1st to develop the Rocky Ledges Trail in Essex. As people grabbed their tools, made introductions, and learned about the project, they enjoyed some delicious scones donated by Dogwood Bakery in Wadhams. Yum!

  The project began with a fairly effortless hike because a lot of work had already been done before Saturday by several volunteers. So we walked, cut a few overhanging branches and removed fallen limbs. We went below a beautiful cliff that looked almost iridescent blue in the spring early-morning sunshine and then hiked up a rocky draw. Just beyond that, the trail split into an easy and more difficult route to the Boquet Mountain Trail. I shall tell this with a sigh, somewhere ages and ages hence, two roads diverged in a wood, and we took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.

  Yes, that is Robert Frost’s poem about the road not taken—in case you want to step back into your old English class, the entire poem follows this report.

  We did take the less traveled route, climbing up the steep trail through some slick dry beech leaves. This part of the trail did need to be cleared so everybody got to work, cutting, sawing, and moving branches out of the way. Because we had a big crew, it seemed fairly easy and the next we knew, it was 11:30 and we intersected the Boquet Mountain Trail. We followed it left for several hundred yards until we met the more level route and then hiked back to Leaning Road.

  Alvin Reiner of the Plattsburgh Press Republican was there as was the Rob Ivy, the Essex journalist-scribe for the Valley News. So, this may be a trail project that will go down in history—in upcoming issues of their respective newspapers and maybe 50 years from now, one of their articles will be featured in the “50 Years Ago” archive section of the paper.

  The Road Not Taken – Robert Frost

  Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
  And sorry I could not travel both
  And be one traveler, long I stood
  And looked down one as far as I could
  To where it bent in the undergrowth;

  Then took the other, as just as fair,
  And having perhaps the better claim
  Because it was grassy and wanted wear,
  Though as for that the passing there
  Had worn them really about the same,

  And both that morning equally lay
  In leaves no step had trodden black.
  Oh, I marked the first for another day!
  Yet knowing how way leads on to way
  I doubted if I should ever come back.

  I shall be telling this with a sigh
  Somewhere ages and ages hence:
  Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
  I took the one less traveled by,
  And that has made all the difference.
  
  

• SUMMARY of the March project: We had another perfect turnout for the trail project on Saturday, March 20. When we met at the Whallonsburg Grange, Trail Committee Chairman Bill Amadon, reported that the plan to work on the Beaver Flow Trail should be changed because the trail was too muddy. As you might know, the trail goes from Cook Road to Walker Road and is entirely in the woods. The warm weather and lack of sun on the trail allowed the snow to melt but not enough exposure to dry the soil.

  So, we went to Boquet Mountain to scope out a potential new trail route that would connect the Boquet Mountain Trail to the intersection of Jersey Street and Leaning Road. This is where hikers would cross the Boquet River on their way to or from Essex. Bill and Jamie Phillips had marked a potential trail route last summer so we followed the flagging to see how appropriate the trail might be.

  We hiked west from the intersection through a shrubby old house site to a small field, and then into the woods. We skirted along the base of Boquet Mountain, rising slowly in altitude as we walked toward the south. We soon encountered some surprising cliffs and ledges that didn’t seem like they should be located there; from a distance, it looked like the mountain didn’t have such steep rises.

  We passed under the cliffs, hiked along some ledges, and then traversed the east-facing slope to connect to the Boquet Mountain Trail. This new trail, which we are tentatively calling the “Rocky Ledges Trail”, will be a good way for people to get from the intersection of Leaning Road and Jersey Street to the Boquet Mountain Trail.
  
  

• SUMMARY of February's project: The perfect number of people always shows up for our hikes and trail projects. Larger groups allow more work to be done quicker and smaller groups provide opportunities to get to know each other better. The smaller group we had on February 20th was perfect for the project of hiking/skiing on the Beaver Flow Trail. The trail was in pretty good shape so mostly walked, talked, removed some branches from the trail and put up trails signs where needed. It was a great morning.
  
  
• SUMMARY of January's hike at Poke-o-Moonshine's Lost Oak Valley: As you can see from the photos in the gallery on this website, we had a large turnout and a lot of fun on the January animal-tracking hike. This hike is a continuation of winter tracking hikes organized by Friends of Poke-O-Moonshine and Keeping Track that began several years ago. Usually, the January hike has temperatures below zero, but last Saturday the temperatures were quite warm, making for a very comfortable and enjoyable day outdoors.

  Nineteen of us snowshoed on the crusty snow up the old jeep trail and then on a side-trail into the valley. As the valley narrowed with Little Deerfield Mountain on the left and a foothill of Poke-O-Moonshine on the right, hike leader David Thomas Train noted a grouse hole in the snow. Grouse create a small snow cave for warmth and to hide from predators. This one appeared to have been used for some time as there was quite a large pile of grouse droppings which looked like porcupine scat—we didn’t think grouse could eat so much.

  We continued into the Valley which opened into a horshoe-shaped area formed by large cliffs with numerous frozen waterfalls. The tracking conditions weren't too good because of the hard snow and dusting that occurred the night before so most of the animal tracks were indistinct. However, the trail had been criss-crossed by a fisher who was a recent traveler because its tracks were the only clear ones we saw except for a few squirrel tracks.

  When tracking, one might think you spend the whole time looking at the ground to see where animals have walked. But many times you will find signs of animals on trees and sure enough, on many tree trunks were wonderful displays of bear claw marks made when they climbed the trees to get food, parked the cubs while the mother foraged around, or communicated with other bears (scratch-scratch = "hey, I've been here"). It was quite a display of bear activity.

  After lunch and a continuation of the hike a little further into the valley, we returned by the same trail, got back to our cars, and headed on home. It was a beautiful way to spend part of the day. Check out the gallery for pictures of the grouse hole, fisher tracks, bear claw marks, and we hikers.

• Summary of December's project: On Saturday, December 12, a handful of volunteers went out in fresh-fallen snow and marked the Wildway Overlook Trail with trail signs as they snowshoed to the summit. It was a beautiful morning and the view was fabulous with the dark blue Lake Champlain practically jumping out of the white, snowy landscape.
• SUMMARY of November's project: Thirteen people worked on a cloudy Saturday morning to open up the new "Wildway Overlook Trail." It leads to an overlook featuring a fabulous view of the forests that go through farmland and connect Split Rock Wild Forest to the Jay Range of the Adirondacks.

  The trail goes up the west side of South Boquet Mountain from Brookfield Road in Essex. It provides a relatively easy hike to a great view as it follows an old logging road on a fairly gradual incline to the summit. The trail provides a lesson on how not to manage a forest because the forest on the west slope was severely cut over before being purchased and "rescued" by the Eddy Foundation. However the woods on the summit are intact and are a good example of the "dry calcareous oak-hickory-hornbeam forest community" which botanist Jerry Jenkins says has the most variety of plants found in any natural community found in the Adirondacks. This forest has a grassy understory and more widely spaced trees that resemble a midwestern "oak-hickory savanna community."

• SUMMARY of the October project: We tied in with the 350.org event that took place around the world to increase awareness of global warming. The eyes of the world were on us as about 15 intrepid CATS volunteers met on a rainy Saturday afternoon at the corner of Lakeshore and Angier Hill Roads in Essex.

  We split into four groups and picked up the litter scattered along roads going between Coon Mountain, Whallonsburg, and the Split Rock Wild Forest Trailhead. All these roads are connectors to the hiking trails that showcase the Champlain Valley’s forests, fields and wetlands. For those into statistics, Busch appears to be the most popular beer can people throw out of their cars or trucks, although we didn't make an exact count.

  To meet the request from 350.org for photos of people’s activities, we made the number “350” out of returnable cans and bottles and took some photos. Then we went to Dogwood Bakery where instead of eating 350 cookies, we had some warm soup and tasty bread. You can see our pictures along with 22,000 others from the October 24th event by going to www.350.org. The website is quite impressive, informative, and entertaining.

• The third Saturday of each month CATS members usually get together for a hike or trail project. Check back soon for details.

We're currently adding new events to the Champlain Area Trails (CATS) online service,  we'll finish updating soon. Thank you for your patience.
- Team CATS