Tramp & Trail

Write-up: Mary Pat Connors
Leader: Roger Felske
Co-Leader: Mary Pat Connors

On Sunday morning, a group of 10 Tramps met at McDonalds in Saranac Lake.

Our group from the kayak the day before, was slightly changed. We added two who had climbed St. Regis instead of kayaking, and lost one who decided to climb some High Peaks. We didn’t think anyone would come up from Mapledale just for this hike but since it was on the schedule, we did wait. Luckily we were ready to leave just as a busload of travelers arrived. It was chaotic!

We had another wonderfully clear day for our hike up Baker Mountain aka Mount Baker. This 2,452-foot mountain is located just outside of Saranac Lake Village.

The trailhead begins just across from the north end of Moody Pond. It is a short .9-mile trail but is steep with an elevation gain of over 900 feet. The summit has little view, but just below the summit, there are great views of the Village of Saranac Lake, the McKenzie Mountain Wilderness Area, and toward the High Peaks Region. It is part of the “Saranac Lake 6er Challenge.”

Since this hike was on the shorter side and it was so beautiful out, we decided to add another unscheduled climb up Coney Mountain, south of Tupper Lake on NY30.

We found this trail, newly built in 2009, to be extremely enjoyable. For a mere 2,267-foot mountain, Coney offered spectacular 360-degree views from its mostly bare rock summit. We were able to see the Seward’s as well as Santanoni Peak in the east, and Little Tupper and Tupper Lake. We spent a good amount of time at this summit, basking in the sun and breeze, hating to have the weekend come to a finish.

We couldn’t have had better weather for Saranac Weekend. Our kayak and hikes were extremely enjoyable, and our time together was memorable. The only mishap was on the way home. After two members stopped to buy ALL new kayaking equipment, they hit a deer. They were fine, there was little damage to their truck, and luckily none to their new kayaks.