A cursory look through the schedule shows

• Numerous concurrent Saturday outings
• Multiple simultaneous Sunday outings
• Walking Wednesdays
• Tuesday Evening Hikes
• Wednesday Evening Paddles
• Other weekday activities
• Weekend trips
• Backpacking trips
• Trail Maintenance
• Trail Building
• Kayak/Canoe outings
• Biking
• Educational (Kayak Demo, Trail Construction and Maintenance Workshop, Map and Compass, GPS, …)
• Co-Sponsoring the 2008 NCTA Conference
• Maine weeklong outing
• Canada multi-day canoe camping

I see outings that will allow me to leisurely try to catch a glimpse of the wild flora and fauna, as well as, trips where that only thing I am trying to catch is my wildly huffing and puffing breath. And I like both types of activities and the range of activities in between. Although I do a lot more hiking, I do enjoy kayaking, canoeing and other activities, too. Okay, so I’m not very picky. I like being outdoors.

I have been out on many pleasant, gorgeous, sunny days as well as in very lousy, soaking, cold, cloud-socked weather. Of course, I prefer perfect weather. However, the lousy weather hikes just make me appreciate the wonderful weather hikes so much more. Call me a glutton for punishment, but, yes, I still go on a hike even if the weather forecast is miserable. Weather changes and forecasts are not always right. ☺

Just being in the outdoors can do wonders for your health. It has for mine. Our Chapter’s variety of activities makes it so much easier to be outdoors, as close as some of our backyards and as far as another state or another country. Your choice! Partake on the feast of outings spread before you. I urge you to take advantage of this great service that our Chapter provides for our membership. Come and meet up with old friends and make new ones.

As an ADK Onondaga Chapter member this is your big opportunity to see what the North Country Trail is all about. Allow your Onondaga Chapter hike leaders to show you our nearby and exciting new trail sections and have walks to local historic attractions. How about just relaxing and see Cazenovia with your new or old chapter friends?

Remember this is a seven state (New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin Minnesota and North Dakota), 4600 mile hiking trail you are experiencing; twice as long as the Appalachian Trail. No wonder the Conference theme is, “In Our Ancestors’ Footsteps”.

Act now. Select from the Aug. 7-11 Conference everyday hikes in the enclosed Chapter Outings schedule. Register from May 19 to July 21 by using the website; HTTP://www.northcountrytrail.org or the NCTA Northstar magazine. These will also answer your questions in detail.

Registration fits your pocketbook. You may sign up for the whole event ($30.00) or select per day rate ($15.00). You may feast at the Saturday night banquet ($30.00) which includes music by Dan Bergren and Peggy Lynn and bid in a live auction. The other daily meal rates are $4.50 or breakfast, $6.50 for lunch and $9.00 for dinner. There is a program on the Erie Canal and the NCTA’s trail building workshop at the De Ruyter State Forest. You may also attend to NCTA annual meeting.

The 2008 North Country Trail Conference is hosted by your ADK Onondaga Chapter, the Finger Lakes Trail Conference and the Central NY Chapter NCTA. Protect your choices. Register early. Still have a question? Call 687-3589.

• Individual Email (Choose if you want to receive each group message (and special notice) individually and immediately, as it is posted.)
• Daily Digest (Choose if you want to see all messages but limit the amount of email you receive. We'll compile an email of up to 25 messages and send daily (special notices also).)
• Special Notices (Receive only important email notices from the group moderator. These notices are rarely sent out to the group.)
• Web Only (Don't receive delivery of group emails/messages. Read messages only on the group's website.)

Al kept tabs on the membership numbers/roster and assisted by his wife, Helen, fielded the several phone calls and requests that came in every week. He mailed out newsletters, trip schedules and patches to new members and schedules to members who misplaced their copies.

Al has been an ADK member since 1964. During that time served as Chapter Chair, on the ADK Board of Governors (now called Directors), ADK Vice President, Chair of the 1995 ADK Annual Meeting Weekend, FLTC Board Member, trail steward, NCTT Committee. His institutional knowledge has been of great assistance to the Executive Committee and he was given an award by the chapter for his active longevity on the Ex. Com. 5 years ago.

Al has been a great hiking buddy for so many years and a great friend to us during all of that time. His concern for other people, whether it be friends or strangers, is surpassed by no one.

While on a hike in 1993, Al mentioned to me that he had 10 peaks to climb in order to complete the 113 peaks above 4000 feet in the northeast United States. Many of the peaks had been done with the late Bob Drexler, but Bob was now living in North Carolina. I told Al that if he could set up a couple of trips, I would be happy to accompany him on the 10 remaining, all of which were in Maine. In 1994 we started out on a Chapter hike to Mt. Ellen in Vermont. Al had previously climbed this peak but I had not. The two of us then went on to Maine and climbed Old Spec, North Brother Mt., Mt. Abraham, Sugarloaf Mt., and North Crocker and South Crocker Mts. Al bombed up all the mountains but the last two like he was in his 30s. The Crockers were a different story, long and steep between the two peaks. Going up from the road Al maintained a pace I found hard to follow. On the way back I got ahead of Al climbing from the col back over North Crocker. I ate my lunch upon reaching the summit, but after a half-hour Al had still not showed up. Going back down towards the col I luckily came upon Al 50 feet or so below the summit. It was the first time on this trip that anyone would ever suspect that Al was 13 years older than me. The first two campgrounds in which Al reserved sites for this trip were not so good, but the last was a beauty; well laid-out sites, a laundry, game room, the works; and best of all, heated toilet and shower facilities. To climb North Brother we stayed at a campground in Baxter State Park. It was 17 miles from the entrance station to the campground over an extremely rough road, and it took us one and one half hours to drive it. His little Honda Civic station wagon bottomed out and bumped over rocks in many places. You seldom hear a cuss word from Al, but I think he wished he had learned a few from his Navy service for use on that road.

The following year Al and I returned to Maine and climbed the remaining four mountains: West Mt., Avery Peak, Saddleback, and The Horn. We climbed the Wardens Trail to the col between West and Avery. The trail was very steep. Every time we came to a flat spot I would think the slope must be easing off; but no, upon looking up all I would see was the bottoms of Al’s boots and his rear-end 10 feet above me. We finally made it to the two summits but it sure was a tough climb on a very hot day. Al picked a pair of beauties for his final two peaks. We climbed Saddleback up the ski slopes; one double-diamond trail near the summit required the use of hands to make it, but the views were great and the day cool. The hike down into the col and up The Horn was at or above timberline; a great way to finish, and Al enjoyed it tremendously. We wanted to bring Champaign to celebrate but we waited to long to buy it. Being Sunday, the State liquor stores were closed and we had to settle for a bottle of cooking sherry bought in a supermarket – Al was very happy to share it with others we met on the peak. Completing this “113” challenge was quite a feat for Al considering that he was 77 when he finally stood on The Horn.

Al was not finished with the 4000 footers just because he finished the “113”. We made trips to the White Mts. In 1997 and 1998 where Al repeated several peaks over 4000 feet and two over 5000. It was on the latter trip that Al had bad knee pain while descending the Falling Waters Trail off Franconia Ridge, an affliction that was to lay him low several years later. On January 14, 1998, in celebration of his 80th birthday, Al, accompanied by Jim Blaisel, Dick Lightcap and myself, climbed Phelps Mt. The original plan was to climb Algonquin, but upon starting out we observed a windblown cloud cap covering the summit, so we changed destinations to Phelps. It was a very cold day, and the hike required crampons for a good deal of the way, but Al seemed more than equal to his younger companions. The kitchen-crew at ADK-LOJ had baked a cake so we had a very fine birthday party following our return from the climb. I believe the last 4000 footer that Al climbed was Cascade Mt. on the occasion of my 70th birthday in January 2001.

I could go on-and-on with stories of hikes and snowshoe trips we have taken over the years but I’ll stop here before this becomes too boring. My friendship with Al and all that time spent in the mountains has been a bright light in my life. Whenever something good happens Al is prone to say, “it’s more dumb luck than good management”. My experience however, is that Al’s trips were pleasurable because of his good management that forced “good” luck to follow.

A couple of people who are working towards their 46er were asking if there was a list of people that are interested in hiking the High Peaks. There is no official list. I’m volunteering to start one for our Chapter.

This list could be used for finding out if anybody else is interested in hiking some awful peak (Blake comes to mind) that has to be hiked because it is in the checklist. Or, just see if anybody is interested in accompanying you in your quest for another peak or a series of peaks. Or you were just enthralled by the views in a peak, say Gothics, and you want to share the views with other people and help them on their Peaks quest. (I’ve been up Gothics twice, both times had a 360 degree view of the clouds. Sigh. Maybe I’ll have better luck next time. ) Or you’re free some upcoming weekend and wanted to know if anybody else is interested in hiking a peak or more.

If you’re interested to be a part of this list (probably an email list or a Yahoo group), contact me at MargieOng@gmail.com.