Our July ADK excursion

Every year my Mom blesses me and my children with time honored tradition she calls “Grammy Camp”  This is usually a 3-4 day weekend where she loads up all three of my children and a car full of camping gear and takes them off to a special camping spot.  The weekend is spent with her best friend of 31 years, Barb, and three of Barb’s grandkids, Davis, WIlliam and Mia.  Grammy Camp has its own rules, traditions and format, and is something my kids look forward to all year.

Steve and look forward to it too because it usually means a weekend of camping or backpacking by ourselves each summer.  This past year, we camped at the Taylor Pond DEC campground in the ADK’s.  We also have a Grammy Camp tradition that Mom might not know about.  That is, when we meet people in our travels and explain that our kids are away for a weekend of camping with two grandmas and other kids, we have to help them pick their eyeballs back up and put them into their heads.  People simply cannot fathom that two slightly older than average women would take SIX CHILDREN camping for FOUR DAYS. (Without men, I might add.)

When we went to NY in July, we had already found our property on a website and made arrangements to see it and get some more information.  We spent the first morning after arrival looking around and talking with the real-estate agent.  Prior to this, we had thought about property in the UP of Michigan along Lake Superior, or possibly even West Virginia.  I personally was pushing for the ADK’s and I knew I wanted to be inside the “blue line” of the park boundary.  Previously we had only been familiar with the immediate Lake Placid area.  We knew we definitely wanted to be in the High Peaks region.   We were really happy with what we saw and spent a lot of the weekend mulling over becoming a part of the local scene.  We had some fun discoveries, too. I discovered that the local dairy/gas station has wonderful cheese, that Ausable Forks and Jay are practically indistinguishable, and that taking the back roads is even more fun than the main roads!  It is very interesting how differently you observe a place when you have prospects there. 

We also had only just the day before we left purchased kayaks for the first time and took them out on Mirror Lake and Taylor Pond.  I decided immediately that I like kayaking, at least on flatwater.  I don’t think river running would be my thing.  i like the beauty, calmness and exploration that a pond or lake brings. 

Here is Steve ahead of me in his kayak when we got out on to Taylor Pond at dusk.  The put-in was right at the edge of our campsite. 

This beaver lodge was very near to the campground ont he same side of the lake, but it wasn’t visible till you got out on the water.  It was quiet and peaceful, and I just thought it was so beautiful and exquisitely humble. 

On the second full day we were there we hiked Algonquin…our first 46er.  Of course, we will have to do it again with the kids at a later date.  I was not in a good mood as we hiked up, I have to admit.  It was extemely humid and the air was so thick I felt like I was suffocating.  The heat was oppressive.  All this and we knew that at the top we almost certainly would only get a so-so view.  And we were right, but it was still worth it all.  On the way back down, Steve took the turn off to Wright Peak, where he was completely alone at the summit, and suddenly all the clouds cleared away.  I was tired, and stayed behind to hike in to the Loj with a friend I had made on the trail.  How typical!  He is a peak-bagger, and I am a trail socialite. 

This is looking down from Wright peak at Heart Lake, the same one that is pictured in my Winter header photo at the top of the blog page. 

Here is a lovely look at the summit of Wright.  The Algonquin pictures just didn’t come out great due to the overcast sky. It actually briefly hailed while we were on it. 

A parting shot (on the way up Algonquin).  It is obvious why we desire to carve out a little piece of this place for ourselves, yes?

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