The Laurentian Chapter of the Adirondack Mountain Club is offering several outings that are open to the public this summer.

Chapter outings are led by member volunteers, and range in difficulty from easy to very strenuous.

These outings are a good way to find new trails and to make new acquaintances. In order to participate in an outing, it is necessary to contact the trip leader before the trip, either by email or telephone. It is preferable to do this two or more days before the outing. Details of the trip, including time, location, and necessary gear, are discussed to ensure that participants are prepared for the outing and know what to expect. Proper preparation is particularly important for the more ambitious outings. This contact also allows ready communication if a trip must be cancelled or postponed due to weather or other eventuality.

Easy hikes are generally one to three and are mostly flat. Fairly easy trips are three to five miles with moderate climb. Those who regularly walk these distances should be able to do these hikes.

The more ambitious outings are rated moderate (5-8 miles, 500-1000 foot elevation change), Strenuous (8-10 miles, 1000-1500 foot elevation gain), and Very Strenuous (over 10 miles, over 1500 foot elevation gain). To consider one of these, you should have recently done a hike that approaches this in level. You should increase your level of hike gradually -- going to a strenuous hike after successfully doing several moderate hikes, for example. This is a good approach when hiking on your own as well as for chapter outings. Other activities, like canoeing or bicycling, also carry ratings that correspond to the level of effort required for that specific activity.

The scheduled Summer 2011 Laurentian Chapter trips are listed below. Laurentian Chapter Chair John Barron says “We hope to see many of you on the trails this summer—whether on one of our trips or when you are out hiking on your own.”

• July 9 (Saturday) - Climb Dial and Nippletop - We will attempt to climb both mountains, depending upon weather, overall being 12 miles round trip. Very strenuous, 2500+ feet climb. An early start needed for this hike - Contact Debbie White, 322-4066, dwhite46r@gmail.com.

• July 16 (Saturday) - Cascade Mt.- One of the easier high peaks with excellent views of the high peaks. Altitude gain just shy of 2,000 ft., 5.8 mi. roundtrip. Strenuous. Contact Brian Baston, 769-3483, brian.b.goode@gmail.com.

• July 17 (Sunday) - Paddle Piercefield Flow - Explore Piercefield Flow on the Raquette River. About 5 miles paddling plus picnic and a swim. Moderate. Contact Tom Ortmeyer, 265-8219, tortmeye@twcny.rr.com.

• July 23 (Saturday) - Nun-da-gao Ridge - Join us for a picturesque hike along this ridge to Weston Mountain and Lost Pond. This is a moderate-to-strenuous hike along a rocky ridge with many panoramic views and attractions along the way. 5-6 miles with an elevation gain of 1,403 feet. Moderate to strenuous. Contact Marianne Hebert, 265-0756, hebertm@potsdam.edu.

• July 30 (Saturday) - Cycling along the Raquette River - Starting at Sunday Rock in South Colton, we will cycle the River Road past the reservoirs. Upon reaching SH 56 at Stark Road, we may continue a couple of miles to Catamount Lodge. Return will be on SH 56. 25 miles, hilly, Moderate to Strenuous. A Raquette River Awareness Week event. Contact John Barron, 613-828-2296, johnbarron@sympatico.ca.

• July 31 (Sunday) - Clear Pond Wild Forest Walk - We will start at the parking area at Clear Pond in Parishville, hiking toward Little Rock Pond, Long Pond, and even to Lilypad Pond if conditions are good and the group willing. Total is over 7 miles with little elevation gain. A moderate hike. We will assemble first in Potsdam. Contact David Trithart, 265-8117, dtrithar@twcny.rr.com.

• August 6 (Saturday) - Sandstone Quarry Historical Walking Tour. Join Prof. Jim Carl on a tour of the former sandstone quarry on the Red Sandstone Trail and a discussion of the geology that formed the sandstone as well as the quarrying and use of the sandstone. Meet at the Red Sandstone Trailhead across from the Hannawa Falls Fire Station at 10 a.m. A Raquette River Awareness Week event. About a one mile walk. Easy. Contact Tom Ortmeyer at 265-8219 for details.

• August 13 (Saturday) - MacIntyre Range from ADK Loj - We will visit all four high peaks in this range this day. We will head into Indian Pass to Scotts Clearing and head up the trail between the Marshall/Iroquois col and take the herd path to Marshall. We will retrace our path back to the col and then bushwhack up to Shepard's Tooth and Iroquois. From Iroquois to Algonquin and Wright, thence back to the car. A long day with lots of ups and a few downs. Around 13 miles with 5,000 feet of elevation and a half-mile or so of thick bushwhacking. Very strenuous. Contact Mike McLean, 262-2564, mpmclean@twcny.rr.com.

• August 14 (Sunday) - Vanderwhacker Mt. - This 3385 ft. summit provides perhaps the finest panorama of the High Peaks from the south. Though closed on three sides, its fire tower will afford views all around. The hike is 5.4 mi. roundtrip with 1650 ft. elevation gain. Moderate to strenuous. Contact Dana Chudzinski, 528-3468, chudski63@yahoo.com.

• August 21 (Sunday) - One-Way Day Hike on the Cranberry Lake 50 Trail - Rick Kovacs of Packbasket Adventures will boat us across Cranberry Lake to Chair Rock Flow, then we walk 15.7 miles out to the Burntbridge Pond/Brandy Brook trailhead on State Route 3. Cost of boat is $75 split 5 ways (max. of 5 persons due to shallow nature of Chair Rock Flow). Boat departs 7:30 a.m. from State Boat Launch Site in Cranberry Lake. Moderate to strenuous. Contact Gene or Carolyn Kaczka, 265-4806, gckaczka@twcny.rr.com.

• August 24 (Wednesday) - Paddle Picnic Little River to the Grasse - We will convene about 4 p.m. and paddle down the Little River to the Grasse, up the Grasse a bit, then back down for a picnic. Easy. Contact Ann & Armond Spencer 379-1383.

• August 27 (Saturday) – Mountain bike on the Dean Road - We will start on the Dean Road and cycle on logging roads to Pleasant Lake, with stretches along the Middle Branch of the Grasse River. 20 miles roundtrip. Mountain bikes and helmets required. Strenuous. Contact Tom Ortmeyer, 265-8219, tortmeye@twcny.rr.com.

• September 3 (Saturday) - Brewster Peninsula Nature Trails - (New Hiker's Series and Kids on the Trail) About 2 miles of trails on this peninsula in Lake Placid. Easy. Kids and families welcome. Blair Madore, 265-0602, madorebf@potsdam.edu.

• September 10 (Saturday) - Azure Mountain Bushwhack and Rock Work - We will bushwhack up the northern side of the mountain through relatively open woods to arrive at the summit and then spend an hour or so doing rock work in the eroded areas on the mountain. Bring nylon pants for the bushwhack and a canvas bag for the rocks. Around 2 miles roundtrip with 900' in elevation gain, a moderate hike. Contact Mike McLean, 262-2564, mpmclean@twcny.rr.com.

• September 10 (Saturday) - Canoe Massawepie Lake - We will explore the shoreline and coves of this beautiful Adirondack lake. Easy to moderate. Contact Ann & Armond Spencer 379-1383.

• September 11 (Sunday) - Tri-County Corner Hike - St. Lawrence, Herkimer, and Hamilton Counties meet at one marked point S of Cat Mt. and W of Lows Lake. The final half-mile of this hike will be a bushwhack to search for the marker. We’ll start from Wanakena along Dead Creek Flow, pass near Cat Mt., and head for Cowhorn Junction. From there, a re-opened trail heads south towards the Lows-Oswegatchie canoe carry at Big Deer Pond. There’s no marked approach to the boundary marker, so the bushwhack will be a little adventure! 1,000’ elevation gain and 17 miles roundtrip, very strenuous. Contact Mark Lowell, 386-3945, markL@stlawu.edu.

• September 17 (Saturday) – Peavine Swamp Trail Hike - This 5-mile trail on the west side of Cranberry Lake (in lovely mixed forest, not swamp) is a segment of the "Cranberry 50" loop. Elevation change is modest. Several loops off of it provide numerous options for hikes; we'll decide on our itinerary at the trailhead. Easy to moderate. Contact Neal Burdick, 386-4648 evenings, nealburdick@gmail.com.

• September 24 (Saturday) - Fall Hike at September Farm (S. Colton) - Visit what was once a farm in the Adirondack foothills; hike about 2 miles, elevation gain of 300’ through an 80 year-old forest now covering what was once farm fields. Learn about woods lore, enjoy towering pines, Wolf Brook and beaver ponds, plus a wildlife surprise. After the hike enjoy chili, drinks, pie and conversation; tour the 19th-century barn and house. Easy hike. Contact Bill or Pat Mueller, 262-1952, b-hutch-m@twcny.rr.com.

• September 25 (Sunday) - Gothics Range - The summit (elev. 4715 ft.) is top of most lists for having the best view in the high peaks. This challenging climb provides many great views. We will be taking the lake road until we hit the trail just past the reservoir. 10 miles RT, assent 4000 ft. Very strenuous. Contact Dana Chudzinski, 528-3468, chudski63@yahoo.com.

The Laurentian Chapter draws members from St. Lawrence County and southeastern Ontario.

The Laurentian Chapter maintains a website at http://www.adklaurentian.org/. The chapter website includes the outings schedule and recent trip reports. It also includes a trail guide for the area, and trail maps for several local areas. In particular, the maps for the Stone Valley and Red Sandstone Trails are available on the chapter web site. These are outstanding local trails along the Raquette River that are cooperative partnerships between Brookfield Renewable Power and the Laurentian Chapter. The Stone Valley partnership also includes the Town of Colton and St. Lawrence County. These areas accommodate both short visits to enjoy the scenery and full day hikes.

Chapter outings regularly include maintenance activities on these trails, as well as other area trails. Maintenance activities can range from side cutting to water bar or bridge building—and include tasks for those with no previous experience. The maintenance of these trails depends largely on volunteer helpers, and a day of trail maintenance can be as enjoyable as a day hiking.