To keep up to date with its expanding network of hiking trails in the Champlain Valley, Champlain Area Trails (CATS) has published a new, updated paper trail map for 2017-18, including new trails that have been added to the network and updated information on existing trails.
A new feature on the trail map is the inclusion of icons to identify trails especially good for cross-country skiing and biking or that feature scenic views. It also notes those trails that are wheelchair accessible.
On Thursday, August 24, 2017 at the Schuylerville Town Hall, 12 Spring Street, The American Revolution Round Table of the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys will host a talk with archaeologist David Starbuck on 18th Century Military archaeology in the Upper Hudson and Champlain Valleys. The presentation will begin at 7 pm.
The waterway that runs between Albany and Canada contains the richest cluster of 18th-century military sites in the US. Fort William Henry and Fort Ticonderoga experienced fierce conflict during the French and Indian War, and the Saratoga Battlefield is forever linked to the American Revolution. While military historians have told and retold stories of the area’s battles and generals, archaeologist David Starbuck turns to the daily lives of soldiers, officers, and camp followers by examining the many objects and artifacts they left behind. » Continue Reading.
Three new route options and four new farm stops have been added to the second annual Bike the Barns, a one-day recreational bicycle tour that takes riders through the agricultural landscapes of the Adirondack region, on Sunday, October 1st.
This year’s event, which is hosted by the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA), will start and finish at the historic Whallonsburg Grange Hall in the heart of the Champlain Valley. » Continue Reading.
A research project examining wildlife friendly farming in the Champlain Valley is currently underway by Alex Caskey, graduate student at Tufts University. Caskey is a summer intern in a project sponsored by Champlain Area Trails (CATS), the Eddy Foundation and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS).
Caskey is currently conducting interviews with local farmers about their interactions, positive and negative, with local wildlife. The results of his inquiry will create a baseline of current practices in wildlife friendly farming for future investigation and recommendations for wildlife friendly practices in agriculture. » Continue Reading.
The Champlain Valley sometimes seems like a forgotten part of the Adirondack Park. Instead of big mountains and valleys, it offers rolling vistas of farms, fields, and forests stretching to the shores of Lake Champlain. There’s no denying the beauty of the bucolic scenery, but outdoor recreationists such as hikers, paddlers, and backcountry skiers tend to gravitate toward other parts of the Park.
Yet the Champlain Valley’s many quiet, country roads are ideal for cycling, so it’s no surprise that the Adirondack North Country Association (ANCA) chose the region for a new annual event called Bike the Barns. » Continue Reading.
Against the backdrop of the Champlain Valley, the fourth Grand Hike to the Essex Inn will be held on May 13. Hosted by Champlain Area Trails (CATS), the 12-mile “Town-to-Town” hike travels CATS hiking trails and scenic back roads from Wadhams to Essex.
After parking at the Essex Inn, hikers ride free shuttle buses to Wadhams to begin the full hike back to Essex. Shuttle buses start to run at 11 am, with check-in across from the Dogwood Bakery in Wadhams from 11 am to 12:15 pm. » Continue Reading.
This summer, a treasure hunt of sorts awaits visitors to some of the region’s museums, natural areas and cultural attractions. The Champlain Valley National Heritage Partnership (CVNHP) created a passport stamp program that directs people to places that exemplify the area’s rich, varied and unique natural and cultural heritage. People that visit all 11 participating locations will get a limited-edition “Find Your Park” challenge coin. » Continue Reading.
Champlain Area Trails (CATS) is hosting its second Grand Hike to highlight walking on trails and scenic backroads from hamlet to hamlet in New York’s Champlain Valley on Saturday, May 9th. “One of our goals is to provide residents and visitors with trails that connect our communities,” CATS Board Chair Katherine Preston said in an announcement to the press.
“This hike promotes that idea, builds for stronger economic vitality, and provides a fun outdoor springtime activity for all.” Last year over 200 people came out for the hike and block party. » Continue Reading.
Champlain Area Trails (CATS) will host a full day celebration of community-connecting activities at the inaugural Grand Hike on Saturday, May 3, 2014. The Grand Hike is an “Inn to Inn” walk in the spirit of self-guided inn to inn walks made popular in Europe. Hikers will depart at 9 a.m. from the Westport Hotel in Westport, N.Y., traversing along a mix of Champlain Area Trails and scenic back roads to the finish at the Essex Inn in Essex, N.Y.The complete journey totals 14 miles, but participants will be able to select from several shorter distances. The hike is divided into 5 segments, with 4 “oases” along the trail from which hikers can start or finish. Each oasis will provide port-o-potties, water, snacks, maps and complimentary shuttles to and from the Westport Hotel, Essex Inn and the Essex Ferry dock. » Continue Reading.
The Friends of Poke-O-Moonshine have been working since 1997 to restore the fire tower and trails on that mountain. The group is a coalition of Adirondack Architectural Heritage, the town of Chesterfield, Champlain Area Trails (CATS), the Mountaineer, local summer camps and businesses, several Adirondack Mountain Club chapters, and hundreds of individuals who know and love the mountain.
The fire tower was fully restored as an interpretive site in 2005. Educational displays showcase fire-tower and local history and the land uses within the viewshed of the mountain. Since 2002, the Friends have employed tower stewards for the summer hiking season.
We have redeveloped the Ranger Trail as an interpretive trail with eleven numbered stops keyed to a brochure on the human and natural history of “Poke-O.” We also worked with the Adirondack Nature Conservancy to guarantee access to a second trail, the Observers’ Trail, which was the original vehicle route to the fire observer’s cabin below the summit. » Continue Reading.
February 2nd is going to be more than just the Broncos trying to best the Seahawks in the XLVIII Super Bowl, when the Champlain Valley Film Society (CVFS) brings Captain Richard Phillips to introduce the 2014 Oscar nominated film named in his honor, based on the harrowing experience of his capture and attempted ransom at the hands of Somali pirates.
It is easy for my family to get caught up in the animated version of pirates or the swash-buckling Johnny Depp characterization without realizing that real pirates do exist and there is nothing romantic and comedic about it. I remember reading the news stories when Phillips sacrificed himself to save his crew in the 2009 hijacking. Now is an opportunity to meet a true survivor. » Continue Reading.
Acting on its vision of people hiking on trails between local communities, Champlain Area Trails (CATS) is hosting a hamlet-to-hamlet hike this Sunday, October 13 between Wadhams and Essex.
“CATS’ goal is to have hiking trails that link our communities so people can enjoy the Champlain Valley’s amazing landscape and patronize businesses in our hamlets,” said Chris Maron, CATS executive director in a statement sent to the press. “To recognize our progress and have a fun Columbus weekend activity, we’re hosting this hike that will start at Dogwood Bakery and end at Lake Champlain Yoga & Wellness on Main Street in Essex where refreshments will be available.” » Continue Reading.
The 15th annual Solomon Northup Day: A Celebration of Freedom will be held on Saturday, July 20th from noon to 4 pm at Filene Hall, at Skidmore College, in Saratoga Springs.
Solomon Northup Day was founded in 1999 by Saratogian Renee Moore to honor and to bring awareness to the life of Solomon Northup, a local free-born Black man who was kidnapped into slavery in 1841.
Northup was born a free man in what is today Minerva, Essex County, in July 1808. He was a literate man who worked on the Champlain Canal. While working as a cabbie and violinist in Saratoga Springs, he was abducted, held in a slave pen in Washington, DC, and sold into slavery in Louisiana for 12 years before regaining his freedom. » Continue Reading.
The Champlain Valley Film Society is going to spend its 10th anniversary this Saturday, April 27 with an Oscar-nominated film. After screening almost 170 films since its inception in 2003, The Film Society is thanking audience members with a free showing of Daniel Day-Lewis’s Oscar winning performance in Lincoln.
Founded by Larry Barns, Thurston Clarke, Bill James and David Reuther, the Champlain Valley Film Society has grown from an infrequent outdoor movie experience to a nonprofit, monthly art house cinema from fall to spring.
The four men found that the closest theatre experience was the Plattsburgh area, which wasn’t always showing films they wished to see. Burlington was too far so they joined forces to bring current, classic, foreign and independent films to the Champlain Valley. » Continue Reading.
My family puts a lot of time into children’s Halloween costumes. It seems that my kids start planning the next year’s theme the moment they take off the previous year’s getup. They continue to use those costumes in an ever growing and more sophisticated dress-up bin. Though most scary Halloween events may not be for the very young, we look for opportunities that entertain a wide variety of ages where we can showcase the new costumes.
In the Champlain Valley, the Lakeside School at Black Kettle Farm in Essex has a wonderful treat planned. Award winning author and illustrator Steven Kellogg will be onsite from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm on October 20th. Adults and children alike will enjoy Kellogg’s storytelling as he draws on an oversized drawing pad, quickly sketching one of his stories through a series of vignettes. » Continue Reading.
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