One of our dearest friends and for many decades our most trusted veterinarian, who cared for our cows and other animals with ever so much heart and skill, invited us to visit a historic Adirondack camp the other day.
It was stunning.....I won't even try to describe it. If you have ever visited such a place you will know....magic.....
As were the lakes, bays, and back roads she also took us to visit. Such a happy time and such fun to put "faces on the places" we have talked about for years. I never got farther into the 'Dacks than Pine Lake until I was out on my own. My first real Adirondack trip was to camp out in the rough at Tirrell Pond. That was like coming home to something I had never seen before. Deja vu and all. (We were the crazy ones who packed in butter, potatoes, and butternut squash to cook in foil in the coals for a feast. They were heavy but worth it.)
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| Anyone know what these giant birch-like trees might be? |
Another time we went just after dusk on a shockingly cold winter night and heard frozen trees exploding all around us. Something else you could never forget.
This time we went up the other way through Old Forge and Inlet....
And fell in love all over again... this time with a fresh and different aspect of the Adirondacks than where we usually visit. We always tended more to the Speculator, Indian Lake, up to Tupper, side of things for no particular reason.
I also touched heads and exchanged greetings with one of the sweetest kitties I have ever met. Way to go Norman.
Anyhow, thanks Kris, for a day we will remember for a very long time....now to arrange that warbler watch morning......
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9 comments:
Been researchin'. I think they are Black AKA Sweet Birch. Amazing trees, all the way up to the top of the forest canopy and big around as a really fat bear.
What a beautiful exquisite trip you had!
Absolutely beautiful.
Marianne and Ralph: I am so glad I finally got to share Camp Wabun with you. It was fun and I just wish we had more time and more birds! Great photos, Marianne. I'm glad you spotted the Bald Eagle- I totally missed it! We shall do it again, and I am just waiting for some decent weather to do the warbler hunt with you.
Great pictures. They make me miss the 'Dacks. Don't miss the expense--in both time and money--of maintaining my old cabin, but the time spent around the Chain Of Lakes and over by Blue Mountain Lake, Long Lake, Cranberry Lake.... Or just walking the small patch (10,000 acres!) of state woods around that old cabin.
Linda, it was truly amazing. All trips to the Dacks end up being way too short. I love it up there.
Rev. Paul, it was and I am so grateful to our friend for making it possible, as well as feeding us.
Kris, we had a wonderful day that we will always remember. Thank you again. You aren't missing a thing on the warbler front down here. There are certainly warblers around but it is too dark to identify them even when they come close.
Joated, there is nothing like NYS for amazing and varied beauty. Nothing. Too bad about the government and the taxes and the regulations and all. Dagnabbit
Your large old birch are yellow birch, the bark on old trees is very different from that on younger trees. Black birch is a very similar tree but it has a more southern range -- not sure where you were, but black birch is only found on the fringes of the Adirondacks.
"there is nothing like NYS for amazing and varied beauty. Nothing. Too bad about the government and the taxes and the regulations and all." Too bad some folks don't realize there wouldn't be amazing and varied beauty there without the government and the regulations paid for by taxes.
So you, too, have sensed the spell of the Adirondacks! I grew up in rural Michigan and assumed that lakes and forests were about the same across the U.S., but the first time I visited the ADKs, I actually cried tears of joy as if I had found my true home! I'm not sure exactly what factors contribute to its magic, but silence and fragrance and just the sheer endlessness of the wilderness are part of what cast its spell over me. This post of yours covers so many aspects of what I love about these mountains and forests. Thank you for this powerful post.
Jacqueline, my heart lifts every time we drive up through the foothills and first smell the water and the evergreen trees. Our son has found the solace of the mountains as well and has often driven through them when his heart was heavy many times.
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