Adirondacks COVID Style

 Thursday started out with Gail swimming in Mirror Lake in the fog again, but it was so thick I didn't see her coming back until it was too late to get a good picture.

We headed back to Follensby Clear Pond from there for more paddling, together this time, and no more swimming for Gail.  We passed under Rt. 30 a couple times to explore the several sections of Fish Creek Ponds and then into Lower Saranac Lake via Fish Creek Bay.  We finished at the Saranac Inn where we stashed our bike for a short ride back to the car.  Once again we had perfect conditions in regards to wind and motor boat traffic, and the scenery didn't suck.  Above Gail in the first picture is St. Regis Mountain which has a fire tower.

Always good to have a couple extra hooded sweatshirts to shield the sun.  I forgot mine this trip but had the hat.

Somewhere along the way I stopped to get out and stretch and happened to see the results of a phenomenon I'd heard about but never saw.  The duff in the Adirondacks can build up to be more than a foot deep and when people make a fire on top it will burn.  Pouring water on it usually doesn't do much good because the fire is deep down.  This one looks pretty bad, but I've read about them being more than an acre in size.  They kill all the vegetation growing above the fire, so be careful!

 

 

Reluctant to let a beautiful day in the Adirondacks go by without a hike, after the paddle and more ice cream, I walked up a hill near our Airbnb that I thought was Heaven Hill above John Brown's farm.  It was actually Jersey Hill, at least that's what I'm calling it since I walked up Jersey Hill Rd. to get to it.  Some  maps call it Birch Hill Rd.  Whatever you call the road, the trails in the woods are fantastic ski trails, not bad walking, but no views with leaves on the trees.  I did follow them enough to end up in Cornell's sugarbush.

Wanting another look at the high peaks, I also went back up Seymour Cobble.  Couldn't resist looking at where we'd been and a few more places I plan to get to.