Central
& Western NY Outdoors
November 2004
~~~ IN THIS ISSUE ~~~
Some Bear Facts by Irene Bozogan
Are You Ready for Adventure? by Janice Flint
Basic First Aid Prep for Shorter Hikes
Get to Know Genesee County Park
Spirit Wolf: A Magical Adirondack Christmas Tale
Nature Interrupts North Genesee River Trail
The black bear has become a fairly
common sight to folks who like to spend time in the great outdoors. Black
bears star in many a campfire tale: "Remember the time that bear came
right up to our campsite in broad daylight? We shooed him away, but he was
right back there in an hour or so. He grabbed our food bag and ran off
with it. As he ran, the food fell out leaving a trail like Hansel and
Gretel. He had our food for the entire week."
The
black bear inhabits the extensive forests that surround us. He has a very
keen sense of smell and surprising dexterity with his paws. He is
primarily a vegetarian, so it's a good idea to set up your camp far away
from stands of nut trees, blueberry bushes, and raspberry patches. About
10% of his diet consists of insects and rodents.
Unfortunately,
many campers are turning the black bear into a nuisance. By giving the
bears opportunity to smell, find, and eat human food, these campers are
conditioning the bears to seek it out. The bears smell that "good
home cookin" at the campground and drop by to see what's on the menu.
They become frequent visitors to dumpsters and forage around campsites.
How
can a camper minimize the chances of a bear encounter?
* Investigate the campsite you are thinking of using. Pick a site that
shows no signs of recent bear activity. Big teeth marks in a Hershey Bar
wrapper may indicate that someone out there likes s'mores too!
* Thoroughly clean up after yourself! Crumbs, dirty dishes, and empty
bottles beckon a bear to your site.
* Never eat in your tent. Those nacho crumbs will bring a night visitor.
* Put all your food and cooking utensils in a bear bag. Hang the bag in a
tree far away from your tent. I heard a story about some campers who hung
a bear bag above their tent. That night as they slept, a bear discovered
their hanging bag. Thinking that the tent was a rock to
climb, he ran toward the tent to propel himself upwards towards the food.
Imagine the shock and pain of the sleeping campers as the bear came
crashing into their tent!
* Mmmm...peppermint! Put all toothpaste and cosmetics in the bear bag.
A new product
called a Bear Keg is made of tough, claw-proof, tooth-proof plastic and
built so that a bear can't get a good hold on it. It can be locked to a
tree or hung like a bear bag. If a bear does get it, he ends up swatting
it around and eventually gives up in frustration. Bear Kegs are mandatory
equipment in many western national forests, and they will become mandatory
in the Adirondacks in 2005.
Looking for a unique holiday present
for the wilderness camper in your life? Get him/her a Bear Keg. It will
keep his/her tummy full. More importantly, it will protect the bears from
unhealthy human contact.
Additional Info:
Bear Keg by Counter Assault
http://www.evergreenoutfitters.com/bearkeg.php
Bear Keg Carrierhttp://www.evergreen-outfitters.com/bearkegcarrier.php
Bear Aware by Bill Schneider
http://www.evergreen-outfitters.com/bearaware.php
This was the question posed to me by Pack, Paddle, Ski this summer. In need of someone to help lead a
weeklong teen trip in the Adirondacks, PPS came to me. Game for most anything, I jumped in with both feet. Little did I know that this trip would turn out to be one of the most exciting weeks of my life!
The group consisted of Rick French, our fearless leader, six teenagers, and me. Each day we faced new challenges and the opportunity to experience a unique part of nature. Here are a few memories:
-
Working as a team to belay each other down the face of Chimney Mtn.- and climb back up!
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Shouting instructions across the roar of white water on the Hudson as we canoed down it.
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Discovering ice-filled caves and exploring their cavernous depths.
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Teaching teens how to build safe campfires.
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Waking up to Rick’s (slightly off-key) singing every morning.
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Counting the stars in the night sky.
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Watching from a canoe in the middle of 13th Lake as osprey catch fish.
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Feeling the sun’s rays warm my skin in the wee hours of the morning.
Though I had plenty of opportunities to teach the children, I found myself being the recipient of
many lessons. I had forgotten how much kids enjoy being alive. The teens laughed at the silliest
things - for hours! It was so refreshing. They explored beyond the beaten path, tried to swing from trees, and invented more than one creative device at camp. And the wonderful thing was, they did all this together! Stunned, I watched them develop trust in themselves and in one another as they lived together for a week.
I have two hopes that stem from this week. One is to have more opportunities similar to this in which I can be an instrument of change in young people’s lives. The second is that we would repeatedly apply the lessons we learned - about trust, laughter, community - in our daily lives. All too often we lose perspective in the midst of our busy lives and demanding schedules. May we not lose sight of the joy of life.
If you or someone you know may be interested in Teen Trips like this one please contact Pack Paddle Ski for more information.
See the mountain in live-action:
http://www.fs.fed.us/gpnf/volcanocams/msh/
The Observatory and VolcanoCam are located at an elevation of approximately 4500 feet, about five miles from the volcano.
As promised in last months newsletter, below is a list of items to include when you embark on a day trip. Remember that a first aid kit is only as good as the knowledge of the person using it. If you find yourself spending more and more time outdoors, be wise and expand your knowledge of first aid care.
The most important tool you have is your brain. Plan your trip with an eye on the
weather - be prepared for storms, heat, and cold. Know your traveling companions and any special health needs they may have. Finally, in the event of a medical emergency, be resourceful. For instance, bandanas and other clothing can work as splints or wound management. Socks can be added to shoulder straps to prevent blisters. Use low-lying trees or rocks to provide shelter during a storm.
Basic First Aid Essentials (pack in waterproof bags or box)
Band-Aids
Antibiotic Ointment
Sterile gauze pads
Adhesive tape or duct tape
Latex gloves
Moleskin or another blister covering
Non-aspirin pain reliever
Elastic bandage for sprains
Needle or tweezers for splinters or blisters
Matches - in a waterproof container
First Aid Book
Bug Repellant
Sunscreen
Swiss Army Knife or something similar
Raingear
Compiled from Backcountry First Aid and Extended Care by Buck Tilton and
Backpacking: A Rugged Mountain Press Woman's Guide by Adrienne Hall
Listen up if you live in Chenango County – a new hiking club has formed calling itself the FLT Bullthistle Hikers. (Chenango means ‘land of the
bull thistle’)
The club will meet the first Tuesday of every month at 7 PM at the Norwich Family YMCA’s community room. The club plans to assist the Finger Lakes Trail with maintenance, develop more loop trails, assist FLT end-to-end hikers, and go hiking. The initial meeting drew 35 interested folks – additional members are welcome.
For more information contact Ed Sidote (607-334-3872 ejsidote@ghsfcu.net) or Marie Inglee (607-334-2433 lightgirl54@yahoo.com).
Genesee County Park, located south of Batavia, is the oldest county forest in NY State. It’s a beautiful park, offering a variety of trails for year-round fun hiking, biking, skiing and
snowshoeing.
Exploration Hikes: Join others to journey through the park in search of natural wonders on the 2nd Monday of each month. Each hike visits a different area of the park. 8 – 9:30 AM, FREE, call (585) 343-3040 for meeting location.
Volunteer: Better still, join others to help complete various projects throughout the park on the 3rd Tuesday of each month from 10 AM to noon. Call (585) 343-3040 for details.
“Whenever we go to the mountains,” John Muir wrote, “we find more than we seek.”
Spirit Wolf, a new novel by Naples, NY, writer Mark W. Holdren, explores the connection between the lure of wild, unspoiled places and nature’s ability to strengthen and heal the human body and soul.
Anne LaBastille, author of the Woodswoman Trilogy, calls Spirit Wolf “Heartwarming. . .thought-provoking, with wonderfully crafted characters.”
Renown Adirondack guide Wayne Failing says Spirit Wolf is “a message for all ages. . .full of hope.”
The setting is vivid: a legendary Adirondack lodge in the heart of a trackless wilderness. The haunting call of a phantom wolf leads a nine-year-old blind boy on a mystic mountain journey. Spirit Wolf reaches a thundering climax Christmas day when the call of the wild embraces the young voyager with its irresistible magic.
“John Muir believed that wildness was godful,” Holdren says. “Spirit Wolf is about the energy we feel when we sit by a mountain stream or watch the sun rise over a wilderness lake – an energy that is surely connecting us to something greater than ourselves.”
Order Spirit Wolf at www.spiritwolf.info
Just $13.95 - free shipping and handling. Spirit Wolf may also be ordered through your neighborhood bookseller.
Pack up your woolies and your sleeping bag and head to a mountain top to camp out around mid-November. You’ll be rewarded with a spectacle of shooting stars as the Leonid meteor shower passes overhead.
According to the fluximator at http://leonid.arc.nasa.gov/estimator.html the height of the meteor shower for Central & Western New York will be November 16th, 17th, and 18th with 11 meteors per hour flashing across our sky.
What are the Leonids?
Every year in mid-November, Earth passes close to an area of the debris trails left from the passing of periodic comet Tempel-Tuttle. The trail is littered with very small sand grain sized pebbles and dust that have been eroded off the comet by the solar wind and radiation. As Earth collides with this trail of dust every year, we usually can observe a meteor shower with up to 30 meteors visible per hour under clear dark skies.
Comet Tempel-Tuttle orbits the sun once every 33 years. When the comet is close to the sun, it comes close to Earth's orbit replenishing the vicinity with fresh meteoric debris. It is just after this comet passes close to Earth's orbit, as it did in 1999, that we have a higher probability of a meteor storm. Fortunately, the comet crosses Earth's path when the Earth is on the other side of the sun so there is no chance of the comet slamming into Earth.
As pieces of this cometary debris enter Earth's atmosphere at an extremely high rate of speed, some 71 km per second, they cause the atmosphere to glow along their path leaving a visible ionized meteor trail. As Leonid meteors appear to emanate from, or point back to, the constellation Leo, it is known as the annual Leonid Meteor Shower.
On November 16th, Earth could collide with remnants of the trail that are from Tempel-Tuttle's passing. Peak activity for this encounter if it does materialize is predicted to occur just before sunrise.
To determine if a meteor is a Leonid meteor, draw a line from the head of the meteor back past where the tail has started and keep going back in a straight line. If the line crosses the constellation Leo, chances are that it was a Leonid meteor.
Join Rick on a trip to Costa Rica for a nature tour of the cloud forest and seashore next February. Participants can go for 10 days (Feb. 18 – 27) or 13 days (Feb. 18 - March 2). Cost for 10 days is $1,899, plus air. Cost for 13 days is $2,299 plus air. Read all the details
at: www.sawtellenaturetours.com/costarica_05.htm
Steege Hill is a preserve of the Finger Lakes Land Trust that offers spectacular views of the Chemung River, beautiful scenery, and abundant wildlife. Join Bob Corneau and Betsy Darlington to explore the trails in this preserve on Sunday, November 21 at 1:30 PM. The walk goes rain or shine. Bring a snack and water & wear sturdy shoes. Call (607) 275-9487 for details. www.fllt.org Directions: From Route 86 (formerly Route 17) take exit 49. Go south on Olcott Road. Turn right on Route 64, then right on Route 352. Take the next left onto South Corning Road. Cross the bridge and go left on Steege Hill Road about 1 mile. The parking lot is on the left. To see what Steege Hill looks like and download a map, go to http://www.fllt.org/preserves/steegehill_1/ |
Pop the popcorn and pull up your La-Z-Boy chair. If you missed this epic tale of survival at your local theater you can catch it in your own living room. Watch the listings for your local PBS station (WXXI in Rochester) for November 19th. With the tagline: “The closer you are to death. The more you realize you are alive,” this enthralling mountain-survival movie was one of the top 10 grossing nonfiction movies of all time. It’s the true story of two climbers and their perilous journey up the west face of Siula Grande in the Peruvian Andes in 1985. Chilling!
Torrential rains this fall washed out a 30-foot section of the North Genesee River Trail and sent it crashing into the Genesee River about 1 to 1.5 miles south of Thomas Avenue in Irondequoit. The City of Rochester barricaded the washed-out area so a loop is no longer possible via trail as described in the second edition of “Take Your Bike – Family Rides in the Rochester Area” (Trail #9).
This interrupted segment of the trail was an old rail bed (part of the Hojack line) that ran parallel to Seneca Park Zoo, north to Thomas Avenue. It was an unimproved segment of trail that was on the city’s list for upgrading. Now, with nature’s assistance, it may be a long while before we see any activity to bridge the gap.
To download a pdf file of the map- North Genesee River Trail.pdf
Source: Greater Rochester Track Club and David Lentz
Several sections of the Finger Lakes Trail in the western part of NYS are in desperate need of caretakers. They’re forested areas that are easy to maintain – not fields requiring constant mowing. Please give Mary Domanski a call (716-675-9642) if you live in the western part of the state and could spare some time and energy to help maintain a small segment of the Finger Lakes Trail.
Where to Canoe & Kayak Near Home slide show
William B. Hoyt II, Mt. Morris Dam Visitor Center
Visitor Center Road, Mt. Morris, 14510
(585) 658-4790
Slide the bow of your canoe or kayak (or a rented one) over the grass-lined shore and glide onto the cold, still water. Across the pond is a forest showing tinges of green as leaf buds unfurl with the coming of spring. Stroke, stroke, stroke. Your paddle slices into the water as you head for a point, wondering what lies around the bend. Peace and tranquility embrace your shoulders as you follow the shoreline and explore hidden alcoves. Memories of daily stress fade from consciousness.Water is plentiful around us and provides recreational opportunities for the entire family. Paddle down a gentle stream, to watch for muskrats, beavers and river otters playing in the water. Round a bend and startle a group of deer standing in the waterway. Great blue herons and even eagles are common streamside residents. They fly ahead of your boat, land until you catch up, then fly ahead again, playing a game of paddler's tag. Or, look down to spot fish darting below your boat, weaving in and out of seaweed waving in the slow current.
Circumnavigate an island or paddle through an aqueduct on the Old Erie Canal. With over 620 miles of flat-water streams and rivers and 55 small ponds and lakes you can spend many delightful hours dipping your paddle in Central and Western New York State.
Rich & Sue Freeman, authors of ten local guidebooks, want you to "Take a Paddle." They'll share slides taken while researching their newest guidebooks and show the most scenic, unique and just plain fun places you can flat-water paddle in a canoe or kayak. They'll also autograph any of their guidebooks, including the two newest "Take a Paddle - Finger Lakes New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks" and "Take a Paddle - Western New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks." www.footprintpress.com
November 10, Wednesday, 7 PM, FREE
Where to Canoe & Kayak Near Home slide show & book signing
Barnes & Noble Booksellers, 3349 Monroe Avenue, Rochester, NY 14618
(585) 586-6020
Rich & Sue Freeman, authors of 10 local outdoor recreation guidebooks, want you to "Take a Paddle." They'll share slides taken while researching their newest guidebooks and show the most scenic, unique and just plain fun places you can flat-water paddle in a canoe or kayak. Their new guidebooks are “Take A Paddle – Finger Lakes New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks” and “Take A Paddle – Western New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks.” www.footprintpress.com
November 13, Saturday, 11 AM - 4 PM PM, FREE
Rochester Children’s Book Festival
Monroe Community College
Brighton Campus
Bring the kids for a day of literary fun. There will be a Read-To-Me Corner, Activity Centers and Festival-To-Go events, as well as a gaggle of local children’s book authors available to autograph and personalize their books. Bring your holiday gift list & stock up with gifts that are educational and fun. Rich & Sue Freeman, authors of 10 guidebooks to outdoors family fun will be there.
For details visit www.drbuzzactivityarcade.com/2004BkFest.html
November 15, Monday, 7 PM, FREE
African Safari & Climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro slide show
By local guidebook authors Rich & Sue Freeman
Victor Free Library, 15 West Main Street , Victor, New York 14564
(585) 924-2637Experience the grandeur of Africa - its wild animals, native peoples, and a challenging climb up the highest mountain in Africa. Situated on the equator, Mt. Kilimanjaro's 19,234-foot peak is capped with glaciers. Its slopes contain every ecological zone found on earth. www.footprintpress.com
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