690. Animals in the Adirondacks(31)
A pleasant woodland hike in the southern portion of the Adirondacks near the Tongue that juts out into Lake George

What a nice collaboration this turned out to be! A couple of years ago, we had mentioned to “knits” of NY how much we enjoyed hiking in the Adirondacks, but that in all that vast land open for planting, there just didn’t seem to be enough boxes! She said that perhaps she could help us remedy that situation by carving a bunch of stamps for us to plant to encourage others to get up to this beautiful part of the country, fall in love with hiking there and plant some more boxes there, too! At first, we thought of planting on some of the many peaks, but since so few letterboxers seem to climb them (in fact, we have quite a few boxes planted up there years ago that have still never been found!), we decided that that might be a waste of her wonderful carving talent, which could hopefully get better exposure by more boxes on a single trail. And we really would like as many people as possible to see these animal carvings of hers, since they are among the finest we’ve ever seen - and, believe us, we’ve seen a lot!

Anyway, we considered several different trails for planting, but ended up picking the Northwest BayTrail because of its easy access, easy rating and location supposedly “along the shoreline of Lake George”, which we thought might make for some pretty lake views, but actually gives hardly any sight of water at all! It’s still a pleasant walk in the woods, though, and especially well-suited for rainy days that wouldn’t have views from mountain tops anyway, like the rainy day we had for planting, or for those who don’t feel like doing a major climb. It’s about a 3-mile in-and-out round-trip hike, so it can be shortened at any point for those who might run into bad weather, fast-approaching darkness or just general tiredness. All the stamps, except for the one with the logbook in a round lock-n-lock container, are in 2-inch black duct tape covered pouches, created for us by RIclimber, (another nice part of the collaboration!) attached “upside down” (zipper opening of the pouch is on the bottom) to trees by small nails at approximately eye level in a manner he has successfully used to keep pouches high and dry and out of the snow on various occasions. We planted the odd numbered pouches are on the left side of the trail and even numbered pouches on the right, so it should be easy to keep track of where you are in the series, which heads back after number 14, with pouches planted about every tenth of a mile or so and usually about 15 steps or so off trail. All we ask is that you “cover your tracks”: look around for other hikers in the woods before going off trail to retrieve pouches, remove them carefully off the small nails so that they can be put back without enlarging the holes, and create decoy tracks if boxing in the snow. (Most of the area is pine-needle covered so should not create much a “boxing track” with careful use in the rest of the year!)

Now to find the starting point for this hike: take exit 24 east off the Northway I-87 about 4-5 miles to route 9N just north of the village of Bolton Landing. Turn left (north) on 9N a few more miles to go around to the top of Northwest Bay. About 1/3 mile north of the boat launch, on the east side of 9N is a row of parking for maybe 10 cars located between the highway and an old flooded rock quarry, in front of a row of rocks and cattails. There is additional parking on the east side of 9N in a grassy lot a couple hundred feet north of the quarry. The trailhead is on the east side of 9N, just a couple hundred feet south of the abandoned quarry area, by a large brown sign for Clay Meadow Entrance to the Tongue Mountain Range near the end of the guardrail.



And now for the animals themselves: (haven’t had time yet to review these clues as typed by Pete, but hope to do that soon!)

1 Amphibian Red-Spotted Newt (Notophthalmus viridescens)
Walk down the trail and shortly see the trail register on tour left. From the register 31 steps will bring you to a conjoined 2-tree on your left. An additional 31 steps will bring you to a mossy log laying perpendicular to the trail on your left. 15 steps off trail rightish of the log leads you to a large pine tree adjacent to a shallow gully. Behind the pine tree about 4-5 feet up the trunk you will find a Newt hiding in a pouch.

2 Amphibian American Bullfrog (Lithobates catesbeiana)
Continue on the trail to a sawed off tree trunk featuring a spidery rootball at its left end. Continue 31 steps more then go about 15 steps off trail to your right and look behind a large pine tree. You will find a small beech tree next to the pine and a pouch nailed to the pine.

3 Reptile Painted Turtle (Chrysemys picta)
Continue on the trail to bottom of downhill. Pass a 4foot stump on the right and then a cut log on left to a second cut log on the left. Follow the cut log off trail left about 15 steps to a large pine. Look behind that tree.

4 Reptile Common Garter Snake (Thamnophis sirtalis)
Continue on the trail and cross a boardwalk with a beaver dam paralleling it on your left. Follow the trail up a root section to her where it levels out by a spidery, spiky root ball on the right. Then go 15 steps along left side of trunk to a pine in front of a tall snag. Look behind pine.

5 Bird Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus)
Continue on the trail over a muddy area on logs to a junction with red blaze trail. For the birds stay right with the blue blazes, dip down, cross wood bridge, curve right and left across a blowdown. Go up a small rise, through cut logs, past huge pine on left anf then see a left trailside birch. Go a scant 21 steps just passing mossy logs on both sides of trail to look behind a knobby oak oak located 15 steps off trail to your left with a mossy ledge behind.

6 Bird Bat (Myotis lucifugus)
Continue on the trail passing a larger ledge on your left, crossing 11 stepstones with a marsh/swamp off to the right, to a small stump in the middle of the trail. Pass by a larger broken stump on the right. Proceed to 2 trunk birch on right with blue blaze, 31 steps to large maple, and go off trail 15 steps right to a hemlock tree near the edge of the stump.

7 Bird Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis)
Continue on the trail to cross a row of 5 stepstones and then another row of 7 stepstones and then a pebbly drainage gully. Next a row of very low mossy stones begins bordering the trail along its right. Go 31 steps up the trail and then 15 steps diagonally left to look behind large pine. (This is less than 10 steps from a large, 12 foot, rotten snag on left sid eof trail, which is less than 10 steps from an even taller rot snag T R in case you don’t see the row of stones.)

8 Bird American Robin (Turdus migratorius)
Continue on the trail to hop across a very small stream. Just before big old maple immediately trail left (just before cut through log), go diagonally 15 steps off trail right to behind another large maple with smaller partner.

9 Bird Common Loon (Gavia immer)
Continue on the trail and take your time on the next uphill stretch to reach a nice rectangular sit rock just before trail tops out. Sit facing the trail and look 15 steps diagonally left downhill for a white pine. Go to the back of the pine, not the hemlock.

10 Bird Canada Goose (Branta canadensis)
Continue on the trail over top of rise and gradually gently downhill to cross a bridge. Uphill to another rise. Before descending through another set of mossy cut logs, go to large pine right 15 steps off trail. (Just after a long mossy diagonal log right)

11 Bird Wood Duck (Aix sponsa)
Continue along pine needled path through more cut logs. From the logs with the spooky diseased beech on right (healthy blue blazed oak left), go 31 steps forward on trail and 15 steps left off trail to check a tree leaning slightly right.

12 Bird Black-Backed Woodpecker (Picoides arcticus)
Continue on the trail to find another mossy cut log set. Go a scant 15 steps off trail to right to back of a pine (Just before next set of cut logs with mossy stump right)

13 Bird Great Blue Heron (Ardea herodias)
Continue on the trail to large standing split open pine onright showing its innards and then 31 steps more to go 15 steps left off trail to behind a pine.

14 Bird Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)
Continue on the trail down to a flat with a bit of water showing visible. 31 steps along trail from large, mossy root, white birch seek a 2 hemlock onthe right. Proceed 15 steps off trail to back of mossy birch.

15 Bug Black-Legged Tick (Ixodes scapularis)
Turn back on the trail and start your return trip to trailhead. Go up short slick rock section to rock step, and continue 15 steps diagonally off trail left to formerly 2-tree hemlock with one piece now broken off. Look just behind and left of tree.

16 Bug Great Blue Skimmer Dragonfly (Libellula vibrans)
Continue on the trail passing split open pine on left and double w-root fallen tree right. From near the top of its rootball atop rocks (still on the tree) to large hemlock with small partner right. Go 15 steps right to behind tree (that is also 15 steps up from top of rootball itself).

17 Bug Field Cricket (Gryllus pennsylvanicus)
Continue on the trail back to 2 sets of mossy cut logs to artistically stilt birch left with small hemlock growing atop. Go 31 steps further and then 15 steps left off trail to behind hemlock with adjacent tombstone shaped rock.

18 Bug Nine-Spotted Ladybug (Coccinella novemnotata)
Continue on the trail to pass back through couple set of long cut logs to a 3-4 foot shorter cut log on right with white fungus splotch on its end followed by a similar chunk on left of trail. Continue 31 steps further and then 15 steps off trail right to behind larger of a hemlock pair located behind a short flat tilted rock.

19 Bug Mosquito (Culiseta longiareolata)
Continue on the trail to tree on left with large low “belly burl” and several smaller bumps. Go 31 paces to another bumpy mossy tree on left. Backtrack off trail on this lower level (almost parallel to upper trail) just over 15 steps to a slightly leaning tree

20 Bug Monarch Butterfly (Danaus plexippus)
Continue on the trail to cross bridge, go up to top of rise and then 31 steps further. Go a scant 15 steps diagonally to low on back of spiney pine right

21 Bug Honey Bee (Apis mellifera)
Continue on the trail to pass sitting rock, go downhill (steepest part of descent) few rock steps, skirt left around blowdown and through cut log to old maple with slanted incision visible from this side. 31 steps further go 15 steps diagonally left to behind large pine.

22 Mammal Moose (Alces alces)
Continue on the trail to rock leap the tiny stream and go 31 steps downhill (with stream left, ledge left). Then go 15 steps right along bottom of the mossy green ledge and look under the rightmost bundle of root fingers, tucked under a flat rock.

23 Mammal Black Bear (Ursa americana)
Continue on the trail to cross stoney drainage. Go 31 steps further to 2 foot rot stump left and then 15 steps to back of tree on left with large 2-hole tree cave at base.

24 Mammal Racoon (Procyon lotor)
Continue on the trail to cross over 7 stepstones and then a row of 5 stepstones and finally 3 stepstones. Pass large ledge right and then 31 paces more passing large splintered stump left and 1 foot small stump in middle of trail. Cut stump extension right. Go 15 steps diagonally right to birch with splayed toes in front of mossy end of ledge.

25 Mammal Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)
Continue on the trail to cross 11 stepstones and back to huge pine right. Go through cut logs downhill to leveling of trail and left 15 huge steps to the birch of the birch+hemlock duo.

26 Mammal Eastern Coyote (Canis latrans)
Continue on the trail and curve left and right around blowdown, cross bridge, and uphill back ro red blaze junction. Go 15 steps right to very large white pine left of large curvy snag.

27 Mammal Eastern Cottontail Rabbit (Sylvilagus floridanus)
Continue on the blue blazed trail trail back toward your car and cross muddy area until you see the bridge. From birch growing out of fallen double cut log on right, go blue blazed tree on right. Then take 15 steps left passing thin 2foot stump to back of pine

28 Mammal Striped Skunk (Mephitis mephitis)
Continue on the trail to cross hand rail bridge boardwalk to cut log right and stump left. 31 paces to behind large spikey pine on right.

29 Mammal White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
Continue on the trail to top of rise passing under tree balanced across the trail above. Go to blue blazed 3-tree on left and then 15 steps off trail left to back.

30 Mammal American Beaver (Castor canadensis)
Continue on the trail to spot where trail levels. Go 31 steps along trail then right 15 steps up piney bank to back of pine (Just before conjoined tree on right of trail).

31 Mammal Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)
Continue on the trail until directly across from trail register. Go 15 steps left toward stoney gully. From the trail pouch will be on front left side of oak hopefully hidden behind young pines.

Hope you enjoyed this hike!

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