Jay Mountain NY Ramble

Having been fortunate to bag my 46 High Peaks some years ago, my Adirondack goals are a different these days. While I’d love to return to Haystack, Marcy, and the Great Range, I’m also looking for peaks that I haven’t ascended before — whether or not they’re 4000+ feet high. And I’m looking for new approaches to peaks I’ve already hiked in the past.

Last weekend, I returned for a more laid-back type of weekend. For my Saturday tempo run at Mount van Hoevenberg, the weather was perfect. Late Saturday afternoon, Executive Disorder tore up the Ausable Brewing Company with a great set. The pièce de resistance was a Jay Mountain hike on Sunday.

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Valcour Island: Battle of the Waves

Valcour Island sits off the western shore of Lake Champlain, just south of Plattsburgh. It’s another of those spots in upstate New York where what you see today doesn’t even start to tell the story of the place’s history.

Valcour Island

Valcour Island was the site of a naval battle during the Revolutionary War in which Benedict Arnold contested dominance of Lake Champlain just enough to prevent the British from pushing south in 1776.

There is only a half mile of water between Valcour and the shore. Though it always beckoned to me, sitting out there, right across from a big concrete boat ramp in Peru NY, I always felt better staying close to shore when paddling with my sons.

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Paradox Lake Camping

New York has many special regions, but my favorite as an avid skier and hiker is the Adirondacks. Recently on a week of “funemployment” before starting my new job, I chose Paradox Lake for a few days of camping, kayaking and hiking.

Paradox Lake

I met up with John on a Monday morning and we trekked up the Thruway to the town Paradox; a rural town in the eastern foothills of the mountains that is home to beautiful Paradox Lake and a well-maintained campsite, complete with a beach. We set up camp quickly in anticipation of a rainstorm that never arrived, and took the kayaks out for happy hour on Birch Island; a small island just a two hundred yards from the shore.

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