Hudson River Gorge, NY: 7/10/10

After my zip line experience this summer, I can cross another bullet off my outdoor sports to-do list: whitewater rafting.

rafting on the Indian River

In the Central Adirondacks, there are several rafting outfitters that take advantage of scheduled dam releases from Indian Lake to run river trips from April to October: a six-month season. North Creek Rafting Company (NCRC), a very short walk from Main Street, outfitted us with equipment, gave our group a quick orientation, drove us to the put-in site, and within a minute or two, we were careening through our first series of Class 3 rapids.

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Split Rock Quarry, NY

Whenever I visit my mother in the western suburbs of Syracuse, I mountain bike a couple hours a day in an extensive network of trails that was originally part of the limestone Split Rock quarry, which had been in existence since the early 1800s. The only thing left is a large stone crusher that went into operation in 1903.

The Split Rock Quarry stone crusher.
The Stone Crusher

To transport the crushed limestone from the quarry to a soda ash plant in a neighboring village, a 3.25-mile elevated tramway, somewhat similar to a modern ski lift and considered an “engineering marvel” back then, was built. According to the Town of Onondaga Historical Society, loaded buckets coming down full to the plant helped carry the empty buckets back.

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Lake Minnewaska, NY: 6/27/10

Since moving to the NYC area in 1997, I’ve made several dozen trips to Lake Minnewaska NY near New Paltz, and it never disappoints.

Awosting Falls

Directly south of the Catskills, but a completely different kettle of fish topographically, it’s the outdoor equivalent of a high-end department store with mountain biking, hiking, climbing, swimming, berry picking, and gazing at wild flowers, incredible rock formations, and stunning vistas.

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