Notes From the Chair By Linda Ranado

Our tower has "taken a beating" as those of you know

who ascended Hadley Mountain over the course of this

past year. The damage is the result of natural wear and

tear and of human impact. Winds and seasonal storms

have led to weakened wooden treads and blown out

windows with rotting frames. The patter of thousands of

footsteps and, unfortunately, the disrespect of a limited

few, have further added to the tower's deterioration. As

a result, during the summer of 2013, a group of

engineers hired by New York State’s Department of

Environmental Conservation (DEC) summited the

mountain to inspect the tower and assess the situation. On

January 27, 2014, our committee met with Ranger Tony Goetke

and Foresters Robert Ripp and Ben Thomas of DEC Region 5. We

discussed findings in the engineer's report, DEC's plans to address

the problems, and our committee's role in the repair process.

Engineers’ Report on Damage We found the engineers' report concurred with committee

members' observations and concerns regarding a number of

structural issues that need to be addressed. These include the

repair or replacement of loosened or missing railings, replacement

of some bolts and stair treads, as well as windows and their

frames. The trap door into the tower, a victim of vandals, needs

to be replaced and a new lock installed. We were informed that

any structural work such as this needs to be done by a private

contractor hired by DEC because of liability issues. Their hope is

to have the work done by summer with the aid of DEC funding

that has been specifically designated for such purposes.

Need Help Carrying Supplies to Summit When asked what the committee's role in this process would be,

we were informed that, because of limited DEC staffing, it would

be appreciated if we could help carrying supplies up the

mountain. This might include items such as lumber for the stair

treads, fencing, a door, and door handles. We were also given the

go-ahead to continue in the upkeep of any non-structural or

cosmetic components. This might include any painting, staining of

the cabin, repairing holes—such as one created in the shed wall by

a hand-thrown boulder—and securing the cabin door.

Re-Routing Plans for Hadley’s Trail We also discussed the status of DEC's Wilcox Lake Unit

Management Plan (UMP), which includes a proposal to

re-route the Hadley Mountain trail. The trail needs

re-routing in spots to curtail further erosion, mud problems,

and ever -widening of the trail by hikers who stray off it.

The re-route will allow these areas to be reclaimed and will

include switchbacks to create a more user-friendly

experience. It’s hoped this plan will be put out for public

comment this calendar year. If approved, re-routing will

occur the following year.

Your Role in Hadley Trail and Tower There is much to be done. Please remember that donations

and volunteers are always welcomed. Also, if anyone

becomes aware of vandalism, or trail and structural

conditions needing attention, let us know.

Phone for Chair Linda Ranado: 518-696-7265

Phone for Forest Ranger Dispatch: 518-897-1300

To contribute to Summit Guide costs, see info box page 7.

Hadley’s 2013 Summer Summit Guide Brittany Thivierage, above at left, answers questions for hikers at summit last summer. The Hadley Mountain Fire Tower Committee, formed 19 years ago, hires one summit guide each summer, many from college programs in environmental studies. Photos of Brittany at work as an educator, and in her living quarters, a cabin just below the summit, show but part of tasks for our guides. They have many jobs during the five working days each week when on duty: Painting, repairing, protecting structures, as well as monitoring the wilderness settings. These call for a dedicated and skilled person. And a friendly teacher for all ages of Hadley visitors—and often their hiking dogs. Rewards of working on a mountain can include great views of starry skies and distant mountain ranges. And sometimes fog and storms, when the little wooden cabin, out of the direct winds, provides a welcomed refuge.

Photos by Linda Ranado.

Page 8

I love the Adirondack seasons, all of them, but I’m especially fond of spring when the world seems to come alive again. The snow and cold, that was delightful for a few months seems to get oppressive and hang on too long, then suddenly the temperature jumps above freezing during the daylight hours. That’s when the maple sap starts running and we know spring is fast approaching. Holes are drilled into the sugar maples and taps are installed to carry the sweet sugary liquid into the buckets. Sap is gathered and hauled to the sugarhouses and boiled into golden maple syrup. Some of my earliest memories of this rite of spring are from Hadley Hill. I remember active sugaring at the Duell’s and Aldrich’s, but most of my visits were to the Madison’s lands on Tower Road. The Madisons and my family, the Gilberts, share the ancestors who started sugaring there before the Civil War. They boiled the sap in a large kettle over an open fire near the road. Eventually a sugarhouse was built near a stream running through the property. When that building became outdated another was erected and stills stands today. Fond memories flood my mind when I pass by on my way to hike Hadley Mountain. The latest Madison, George, continued the tradition of gathering sap with horses until a few years ago. After that he used a skidder to make his way through the woods on the arduous task. Relatives and friends assisted George during the many seasons of gathering, but some of the maples have become weakened and there are no new family members to carry on. For the past two years the sugar

bush has been silent in the spring. During my childhood, George’s father, also named George, worked the sugaring operation. Sometimes on our visits we would find men on snowshoes carrying the heavy buckets of sap to the gathering vat pulled by Belgian horses. Other times the wooden building would be spewing vapor. We walked down the muddy road from the parking area, past fragrant woodpiles and opened the big wooden door. When I stepped inside from the cold March air into the steamy sugarhouse, the smell of the boiling sap and burning wood from the evaporator’s stove seemed to permeate my body and mind. I can still see George's father, my dad, and all the other men who spent time there every spring. Most of all I think of Uncle Bill. On our yearly visits we were always happy to see his pick-up in the parking area—which was often. After my marriage we continued the yearly visits to the familiar Madison sugarhouse. A few times we helped gather the sap from tree to tree. It was fun for a day but heavy work for the daily gatherers. Most of the time I took photographs and now I have an album full of treasured scenes. I loved the smell of the early spring woods that sometimes had snow and other times earthy brown leaves from the fall before covering the forest floor. Leather from the horses’ harnesses squeaked as they plodded along the forest roads. The team pulled when signaled from the reins but stopped on their own to rest when they tired from the heavy load. One big draft horse, I think her name was Audrey, learned to knock the cover off the nearby sap buckets with her nose and help herself to the sweetness inside. George told us that as good as the Madison syrup was, the

Volume 19

Published May 2014

by Hadley Mountain

Madison Sugaring House and Team of Horses ~ Painting by Lynn Benevento

Sugaring on Hadley Mountain A Family Tradition before the Civil War

by Lynn Benevento

Gilberts, who lived just down the road, made the best tasting syrup on Hadley Hill. That early operation had stopped before I can remember so I’ll never be able to prove or disprove that fact. My grandparents’ sugarhouse was overgrown with trees and leaning when I saw it as a child. I climbed Hadley Mountain this spring and smiled with fond memories as I passed the maples and the sugarhouse on Tower Road. But I was also sad to see the silent stands of trees. And the end of an era.

Editor’s note: We print excerpts from Lynn’s book about her Hadley Mountain family connections.

My great-grandfather, Will Madison, was the first fire tower observer (1917) on Hadley Mountain in the Adirondack foothills of upstate New York. He lived in a small log house, near the start of the trail, with his wife, seven children, various relatives and farm hands. After climbing the steep, almost two miles to the tower, he spent lonely days watching the surrounding landscape far below for telltale wisps of smoke. Many nights were passed in the tiny cabin high on the mountain. Occasionally family members or friends would trek up Hadley to visit, but much of the time he was there in solitude, guarding his domain from a devastating blaze. Later he gave the post to his son, Albert, for a while, to aid him in healing from horrific experiences in World War I. The forest can be a wonderful sanctuary from the stresses of the world, and beneficial to the body and spirit. Because of the isolation and the need to carry heavy provisions up the rocky trail, it took a special person to sign on for the job of fire observer. These days thousands of people hike up Hadley to see the magnificent view and to climb the restored tower. Maybe a few think of the solitary observers of long ago. I never met my great-grandfather Madison, but I like to think that he took the fire observer’s job because of his love of the forest and his wish to keep it safe from fires. My mind has images of him alone on the summit of Hadley, keeping a watchful eye on the panorama before him and contemplating life’s mysteries. Maybe in reality he needed some time away from all those kids……. My first introduction to mountain hiking came with the yearly Fourth of July family reunion. After the noon meal, the older female relatives would sit here and there in small groups talking quietly, and the men did likewise or had a friendly game of cards…. Then someone would say, “Hey, let’s climb Hadley.” It usually was hot and muggy and climbing seemed impossible, but we needed to try to relieve our bloated bellies with some exercise. ...Since the reunions were held either at Aunt Janet and Uncle Carl’s house in Stony Creek or Aunt Mert and Uncle Alton’s on Hadley Hill, the trip to the trail wasn’t far. The cars were loaded up, mostly with the younger generation, and the climb was on. In the warm temperatures and humid air, it wouldn’t take long before my face was scarlet and my legs were screaming in protest with every step upward. But then, once we dragged our weary bodies onto the summit rocks, the sight before us made all the pain go away. There to greet us was a somewhat hazy, two hundred and seventy degree vista of mountains and the magnificent Sacandaga Reservoir gleaming in the distance. Even though the view was spectacular from the rocks, the tower held the highest point on the mountain, and a view to the north, so we took turns climbing the wooden steps. The height was frightening. I kept a tight grip on the railing and hoped each step hadn’t seen too many winters and would hold the weight of at least one more person. But I always climbed it….After some time ... we scrambled back down to join the rest of the relatives for leftovers. There was a warm feeling of accomplishment, and it was always a joy being with family….

Congratulations to Lynn Benevento! Her first book “High Places” is about her Adirondack Adventures

And is illustrated by her paintings

Page 2

Continued from page one

Contributions Are Needed for our Summer Summit Guide

program, structure repairs,

interpretive maps and materials.

All sums are very welcomed. Send donations to:

Hadley Fire Tower

c/o Joe Busch, Treasurer

Post Office Box 4501

Queensbury, New York 12804

Make checks to

'Cornell Cooperative Extension of

Saratoga County,' with a note

'for the Hadley Tower Project.'

Thanks from Hadley Mountain

Fire Tower Committee

Linda Ranado, Chair, Hadley

Tony Goetke, DEC Forest Ranger

Joseph Busch, Treasurer, Queensbury

Linda Champagne, Newsletter Editor, Niskayuna

David Cox, Corinth

Roy Fordham, Hadley

Jack Freeman, Glens Falls

Steve Mackey, Queensbury

Dave Roberts, Corinth

Jen Shepherd, Corinth

Elaine Winslow, Lake Luzerne All financial records are available upon request

Thanks! To Our Major Corporate Sponsor

Stewart’S Shops

Trail Maintenance and Clean-Up Day for 2014

will be led by Dave Cox

on Saturday, May 10th

A Report on Trail Maintenance Day, June 2013 Hadley Mountain Committee member Steve Mackey led the work day on Hadley’s trail last year. Our

Hadley Committee thanks those who pitched in to make the day such a success. Participants: Tony

Goetke, Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Forest Ranger; Brittany Thivierage,

summer steward; Dave Cox, Hadley Committee; volunteers Nick Ringelberg, Denise McQuade and

Robert Goodwin.

From a brief report of Steve Mackey: On the lower part of the mountain trail were well constructed

old water bars that needed a little tender, loving care. On the upper part of the mountain we built

some new water bars. They were working well when we left, but as I hiked the mountain later in

summer, some of rocks at that site had shifted and needed repair. Part of the current Hadley trail is

on bare bedrock, which when dry has good traction but when wet is a problem for hikers. DEC’s

Unit Management Plan proposes future Hadley trail re-routing with switch-backs for a safer

grade, and reducing erosion.

Guided wildflower hike is being

The wildflower hike up Hadley Mountain will be led

by Elaine Winslow. We meet at Lynn Benevento Art Gallery, 4 Bridge Street, Lake Luzerne at 10:30. From there we drive to trail head on Hadley Mountain. Pre-registration is required. Call Elaine to register: 518-696-5744 If plans need to change, she will contact you.

Tiny Yellow Violets next to old tree trunk on

Hadley Trail

Anyone interested in helping on trail work this

year should contact Linda Ranado: lranado@hotmail.com or Ph. 518-696-7265

or Dave Cox prior to May 10th to insure Department of Environmental

Conservation liability forms are filled out for all participants doing trail work.

Details of time and meeting for the work crew

will be clarified upon emailing or calling.

See colored box below to

sign up to help this year

Page 7

Each year as a thank you, we put names of those donating $30 or more in a hat and pull a name. Winner gets a $75 gift certificate to the Lynn Benevento Gallery

for a print of their choice.

offered free Saturday, May 17th

H erb Hudnut, a retired doctor who lives in Glens Falls, won our Committee’s

annual drawing to select a print by local nature artist Lynn Benevento. The

Hudnut family for generations has had Adirondack Mountain associations and he has a long

connection to Hadley Mountain. His favorite time to climb Hadley is in late July, when the wild

blueberries at the summit are at their prime. His interest in Hadley has also included helping

out with annual spring volunteer work crews. Climbing up Hadley’s fire tower at the summit

reminds him of the climbs in his youth to the top of Crane and Gore mountains when New

York state forest observers were on duty. These men often shared stories about their role in

looking for smoke in the surrounding lands, calculating the location, and reporting forest fires.

Herb fondly remembers their stories about living during fire season at the summit where a

small cabin provided their seasonal home and shelter. Herb served many terms as a Trustee of the “Association

for the Protection of the Adirondacks,” an organization started in the late 1800s. For more than a century the

Association waged many successful preservation campaigns and participated in legal cases to insure the State’s

constitutional integrity and protection of the six-million-acre Adirondack Forest Preserve and Park. Hadley

Mountain Fire Tower and part of lands surrounding the tower, mountain and trail, are included in such public

and private lands under state Constitutional protection and oversight by New York State Department of

Environmental Conservation. Herb continues volunteer preservation work with similar issues as a member of a

new organization, “Protect the Adirondacks.” He also is a longtime member of the Adirondack Mountain Club

(ADK). Among his favorite activities are hiking, fly-fishing and cross-country skiing. Herb Hudnut summarizes

his feelings: “The Adirondacks are a great treasure for all of us. It is important to protect the wild places and save

wilderness areas on planet Earth. Hadley Mountain Fire Tower Committee and many volunteers have done a

great job of restoring an historic fire tower, maintaining the trail and protecting the woods. It encourages

motivated hikers from many walks of life to enjoy the mountain experience and benefit from it. The Committee is

very deserving of our support.”

Where are the Monarch Butterflies? (continued from page three) Monarch populations have varied for years, but the overall trend is discouraging. Last fall was particularly disturbing. I never found a single caterpillar. We had no caterpillars in my fourth grade classroom. I only saw 2-3 Monarch butterflies fluttering through the autumn skies. After last fall’s observations (or lack of), it is no surprise to read that this winter’s Monarch population in Mexico is the lowest recorded to date. Many factors contribute to the decline of Monarchs. The widespread use of herbicide tolerant corn and soybean varieties in North America has resulted in a tremendous decrease in the crucial supply of milkweed for Monarchs. Grasslands have been converted to croplands for production of ethanol. Poor weather has also played a big role in this problem. The bottom line is that lack of food and habitat in summer and winter homes and along migratory routes have combined with wretched weather patterns to drastically reduce Monarch populations. There are things we can do to support Monarchs in the Adirondacks. Plant milkweed and other flowers that support butterflies. Don’t cut down milkweed and other helpful plants, and encourage local municipalities to minimize the cutting of milkweed. Tell others about this issue. Check online for more information from Monarch Watch, AdkAction, Journey North. Your actions can be part of the solution!

Never believe that a few caring people can't change the world. For, indeed, that's all who ever have. Margaret Mead

Historic Fire Towers May be Restored Unit Management Plans (UMP) submitted by New York

State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) for

final review by the state’s Adirondack Park Agency include

stabilizing and restoring historic structures on two

Adirondack Mountain locations. A UMP was developed for

each of the historic areas. As fire towers are still considered

nonconforming structures in “Wilderness” and “Canoe Areas” in the Adirondack Park State Land Master Plan—and

why DEC originally called for their removal—an acre of

land where the towers are located is now classified as

“Historic” on the summit of each mountain. At left, the Fire

Tower on St. Regis Mountain, Town of Santa Clara in

Franklin County, was built in 1918. At right, the 1919 tower

on Hurricane Mt. in the Town of Elizabethtown, Essex

County. Both are being officially recognized as valuable recreational destinations for people of all ages. Our Hadley

Fire Tower attracts thousands of hikers and students yearly,

and year-around, for wilderness education and the pleasures

of outdoor recreation. Pictures of these towers are from Paul

Laskey’s book, “Fire Observation Towers of New York State,” published in 2003. Laskey stands at tower base in photo

on right.

Hurricane Mountain Fire Observation Tower

St. Regis Mountain Fire Observation Tower

Page 6

The Oven Bird by Robert Frost

There is a singer everyone has heard, Loud, a mid-summer and a mid-wood bird, Who makes the solid tree trunks sound again. He says that leaves are old and that for flowers Mid-summer is to spring as one to ten. He says the early petal-fall is past When pear and cherry bloom went down in showers On sunny days a moment overcast; And comes that other fall we name the fall. He says the highway dust is over all. The bird would cease and be as other birds But that he knows in singing not to sing. The question that he frames in all but words Is what to make of a diminished thing.

From a set of plates by famed bird artist Louis Agassi Feurtes, printed in 1925 at Albany by the New York State Museum, containing “all of the birds known to breed within or to visit the State of New York.” Included was an adult and juvenal Oven-bird, shown above.

The Oven-bird By Elaine Winslow When I hike up Hadley Mountain in

the spring, I often hear a variety of

songbirds. Note that I used the word

“hear.” While I may catch a glimpse

of some, my primary way of noting

them is by ear. One of my favorite bird songs is that of the

ovenbird. Being a teacher, it is amusing to hear it belt out

something that sounds rather like “tea-cher, tea-cher, tea-

cher” to many ears. The song is quite emphatic, getting louder

as the song progresses. Males will sing from high in trees as

they proclaim their territories, and unlike many birds, they

will continue to sing even in the heat of the day. I have also

been intrigued by the idea that it gets its name from the shape

of its nest. While I have never seen one in person, it is

described as resembling an outdoor oven. Active on the forest

floor, the female ovenbird weaves a domed nest with a side

door. Then she camouflages it by dropping leaves and twigs

on top of it.

If you do catch a glimpse of an ovenbird, you’ll note that this

warbler has an olive-brown back and a white breast that is

covered in dark spots…the perfect camouflage for life on the

forest floor. The crown of its head has a central orange-brown

stripe bordered by a black stripe on each side.

To learn more about birds and hear their calls and songs,

check out Cornell’s Lab of Ornithology website:

http://www.allaboutbirds.org

Where are the Monarch Butterflies? By Elaine Winslow

Like many hikers, I am amazed by the beautiful quilts of color that I observe from Hadley Mountain and other summits in the fall, but I am also delighted when I spot a beautiful orange-colored monarch butterfly winging its way south along a mountain peak. Monarchs that hatch from their bejeweled chrysalises in late summer and fall make a migration of thousands of miles to Mexico. Around November first, they will gather in a mountainous area south of Mexico City to cluster in fir trees for several months before they depart for the north again. In the spring, these butterflies will begin the northbound trip and will soon mate and die. The next generation will do the same….flying north, mating, and dying. This process repeats over the spring and summer months, until a new generation reverses direction and makes the long southbound trip to Mexico the following fall. For about 20 years I have closely observed fall migration of monarchs in the Adirondacks. With friends, family, and with my fourth graders, I have gathered plump monarch caterpillars. We have fed them their one and only staple, milkweed leaves and watched with fascination their last molt as they wriggle out of their striped skins and transform into a stunning jade chrysalis with gold accents. A couple of weeks later we are in awe again as the butterfly emerges from its confines and its shriveled wings soon expand into the familiar stained glass design created by minute overlapping scales. Over these many years, I have “tagged” newly hatched monarchs and also monarchs that I captured with a net while they gathered nectar from goldenrod, asters, and other late season flowers. The tags are ordered from MonarchWatch.org. Monarch Watch is a long-term study of monarchs carried out by the University of Kansas. Citizen scientists throughout Canada and the United States place a small sticker on each monarch that they release. The sticker has a unique ID number and contact information for the University of Kansas program. Each volunteer records data about the monarchs that they tag and send the data to Monarch Watch. Tagged monarchs may be captured and released again along the migratory route, recovered dead along the migratory route, or spotted in their winter habitat in Mexico. All of these sightings and documentation help Monarch Watch learn more about the butterfly migration and its population. (cont’d on page six)

Photo by Elaine Winslow of Monarch Butterflies

May 17th

Flower

Hike

Hadley

Mt.

Free

See p. 7

Page 3

The Great Dam on the Sacandaga River at Conklingville, N.Y. During Construction Aug. 1, 1929 Photo by J.S. Wooley, Ballston Spa N. Y. From a Post Card found in the Collection of Alvin and Gertrude Champagne, who spent their 1928 honeymoon at the site, as he worked in the powerhouse.

It was a beautiful fall morning as I headed to Hadley Mountain trailhead to meet my hiking group. I was already dressed in full

Halloween costume. An Albany meet-up group, Hiking Mates, was also

going up Hadley this day. It would be fun to meet them. At the Hadley

parking lot our six hikers were ready; everyone had arrived in costume.

We had a Disney princess, Mayumi; a mobster, Susan; a goblin, John; a

pink lady, Beth; an 80’s fan, Alyssa; and Snow White, me. When Albany Hiking Mates arrived, we introduced ourselves, explaining our costumes. One took our group photo which we share here.

Hadley Mountain is rated a moderate hike; it’s work right from the start. We signed in at the trailhead and began

the immediate ascent. Soon, our masks and layers of costumes caused us to stop to cool down. We’d continue on, take more breaks, as the hike progressed. It was a bit clouded, but still nice. We stopped just shy of the summit to

take a candy break and chat with a couple of hikers on their way down. They had passed us going up and were

already coming back down. They seemed more trail running than hiking. At the summit I passed around a book about fire towers with Hadley Mountain history. After lunch I told a ghost story that I made-up about the tower

being haunted by a previous observer who hated Halloween. We passed out candy to other hikers as I told the story.

It was a bit windy so I kept the story brief. I headed to the top of the tower, my tradition on every visit. The others headed to the cabin. In no time I too was down at the cabin.

At the cabin we spent time taking photos. It was nicer out of the wind. When I am up on Hadley I reminisce about my very first visit in 2011. I was hooked right from the start. Hadley was my first real hike and fire

tower. The new summit steward for that season had just started. His name was Ross and he spent the majority of that

morning, along with his friend Steve, the previous steward, telling me hiking stories and answering my questions. I went back to Hadley every Sunday after that, delivering lunch and water, spending hours watching hikers come and

go as I enjoyed the summer sun.

Now, two years later, I am leading hiking groups to the summit of a mountain that has captured my heart. And will

always be a favorite. A few of our Halloween hikers were first timers, and it thrilled me to not only bring them to the

summit but share some history of the mountain, seeing them enjoy the hike as much as I do. One first timer in

particular was ten-year-old Alyssa. This was not only her first hike, but her first fire tower as well. She’s been asking when the next hike will be! She did ‘so awesome.’

After some group photos, it was time to head down. The going was a bit slow as there were plenty of leaves under

foot, making it slippery. Everyone brought candy to the summit. We had lots leftover and decided to give it away. The trail was very busy. Hikers still coming up were commenting on the costumes. They thought we were trick-or-

treating.

Halfway down we encountered a huge group of boy scouts on their way up, excited to be getting candy as they passed by us. People were still coming up as I signed us out and we headed back to our cars.

Everyone in our group had a great day and fun with the Halloween theme. I’ve decided to lead this outing every

year, complete with the candy-pass. The trail was so busy that the parking area was full and cars were lined-up on both sides of Tower Road. I hoped all enjoyed the day as much as I did.

Page 4

Hadley Mountain’s First Official Hallowe’en Climb By Jen Shepherd

“The Sentinel” painting by Lynn Benevento, from an airplane perspective, with Hadley Fire Tower and Sacandaga Lake in full view.

The Great Dam on the Sacandaga River at Conklingville, N.Y. During Construction Aug. 1, 1929 Photo by J.S. Wooley, Ballston Spa N. Y. From a Post Card found in the Collection of Alvin and Gertrude Champagne, who spent their 1928 honeymoon at the site, as he worked in the powerhouse.

Sacandaga Lake viewed today from the

summit of Hadley Mt. was not what our first Fire Tower Observer, Will Madison, saw in

1917. Through his field glasses he could have seen the Sacandaga River running through

farmlands and small settlements. By 1932, to control spring flooding as far downstream as

Albany, and for other goals, the large earthen Conklingville Dam, under construction at left,

had changed the look and shape of the land

forever. The photo below, taken recently by a former Chair of Hadley Committee, Roy Fordham, is from the same overlook as the 1929 photo. The auto road on top of the dam permits views of the Sacandaga Reservoir or Lake. The dam itself cannot be seen from Hadley Mt. summit as another landform blocks it. Water backed-up by the dam formed a 29-mile lake and 125 miles of shoreline. Our landscapes change over decades, over centuries, over millions of years. In the 1929 photo are early homes, a railroad bridge, at right, over the river. Many, like the bridge, are long gone, long forgotten.

It was a beautiful fall morning as I headed to Hadley Mountain trailhead to meet my hiking group. I was already dressed in full

Halloween costume. An Albany meet-up group, Hiking Mates, was also

going up Hadley this day. It would be fun to meet them. At the Hadley

parking lot our six hikers were ready; everyone had arrived in costume.

We had a Disney princess, Mayumi; a mobster, Susan; a goblin, John; a

pink lady, Beth; an 80’s fan, Alyssa; and Snow White, me. When Albany Hiking Mates arrived, we introduced ourselves, explaining our costumes. One took our group photo which we share here.

Hadley Mountain is rated a moderate hike; it’s work right from the start. We signed in at the trailhead and began

the immediate ascent. Soon, our masks and layers of costumes caused us to stop to cool down. We’d continue on, take more breaks, as the hike progressed. It was a bit clouded, but still nice. We stopped just shy of the summit to

take a candy break and chat with a couple of hikers on their way down. They had passed us going up and were

already coming back down. They seemed more trail running than hiking. At the summit I passed around a book about fire towers with Hadley Mountain history. After lunch I told a ghost story that I made-up about the tower

being haunted by a previous observer who hated Halloween. We passed out candy to other hikers as I told the story.

It was a bit windy so I kept the story brief. I headed to the top of the tower, my tradition on every visit. The others headed to the cabin. In no time I too was down at the cabin.

At the cabin we spent time taking photos. It was nicer out of the wind. When I am up on Hadley I reminisce about my very first visit in 2011. I was hooked right from the start. Hadley was my first real hike and fire

tower. The new summit steward for that season had just started. His name was Ross and he spent the majority of that

morning, along with his friend Steve, the previous steward, telling me hiking stories and answering my questions. I went back to Hadley every Sunday after that, delivering lunch and water, spending hours watching hikers come and

go as I enjoyed the summer sun.

Now, two years later, I am leading hiking groups to the summit of a mountain that has captured my heart. And will

always be a favorite. A few of our Halloween hikers were first timers, and it thrilled me to not only bring them to the

summit but share some history of the mountain, seeing them enjoy the hike as much as I do. One first timer in

particular was ten-year-old Alyssa. This was not only her first hike, but her first fire tower as well. She’s been asking when the next hike will be! She did ‘so awesome.’

After some group photos, it was time to head down. The going was a bit slow as there were plenty of leaves under

foot, making it slippery. Everyone brought candy to the summit. We had lots leftover and decided to give it away. The trail was very busy. Hikers still coming up were commenting on the costumes. They thought we were trick-or-

treating.

Halfway down we encountered a huge group of boy scouts on their way up, excited to be getting candy as they passed by us. People were still coming up as I signed us out and we headed back to our cars.

Everyone in our group had a great day and fun with the Halloween theme. I’ve decided to lead this outing every

year, complete with the candy-pass. The trail was so busy that the parking area was full and cars were lined-up on both sides of Tower Road. I hoped all enjoyed the day as much as I did.

“The Sentinel” painting by Lynn Benevento, from an airplane perspective, with Hadley Fire Tower and Sacandaga Lake in full view.

Page 5