Farewell NY Outdoors Blog Readers

All good things eventually come to an end. Now is the “end time” for New York Outdoors blog. I’ve enjoyed writing and compiling news snippets for 6 years now. Before that we published an e-newsletter for our publishing company Footprint Press. Over the years I’ve heard from many of you with positive feedback on the blog. Hopefully you found it useful and informative. I will leave the old posts live because they are a trove of free information and every day new people discover them.

Rich and I have sold our DisplayStands4You business and wound down Footprint Press. Many of our guidebooks will still be available at retail stores, supplied by two wholesalers. And you can still buy the guidebooks as pdf file e-books at our web site.

In retirement, we are beginning a new adventure. We’ve traded in our kayaks for a 36 ft. trawler. We will live aboard and travel the Great Loop around the US and Canada for several years. If you want to follow our latest exploits, sign up to receive postings from our new blog http://www.choicesontheloop.wordpress.com. We will cut our land ties on November 4th, 2013 and begin by heading south for the winter.

Thank you for following this blog over the years. You’ve been a loyal band of readers, customers, and outdoors lovers. May your lives be filled with wonderful outdoor adventures also.
Sue

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Want to Take an Adventure Vacation? REI is Giving Away Seven Big Trips! Enter daily through October 31, 2013

Want to Take an Adventure Vacation? REI is Giving Away Seven Big Trips! Enter daily through October 31, 2013

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Funny Video: Exploring Conklin Gully and Parish Hill in Naples NY

Click here for a comedic look at Rick French, the fearless Leader of Pack Paddle & Ski as he and a few friends explore Conklin Gully and Parish Hill in Naples NY. As the video shows, Rick is an intrepid leader who leads groups on adventures all over the world. Check out his trips at www.packpaddleski.com.

200 Waterfalls in Central & Western NY available at http://www.footprintpress.com

To explore Conklin Gully, Parish Hill and many more areas on your own, pick of copies of Footprint Press guidebooks such as 200 Waterfalls in Central & Western New York and Take A Hike – Family Walks in New York’s Finger Lakes Region.

Take A Hike – Finger Lakes available at
http://www.footprintpress.com

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See the Chemung River – by car (new free driving guide)

A new driving guide makes it easy for the public to visit the Chemung River by vehicle, enjoy the natural views and learn about the waterway’s history.

“Shoot the chute.” The new driving guide tour includes a visit to the site of a former wooden water toboggan used in the early 1900s near today’s Fitch’s Bridge in Big Flats where locals went to “shoot the chute” and ride a wooden sled down the toboggan into the river. (Photo provided by Friends of the Chemung River Watershed). Notice the boat paddlers in suits and ties.

“A Driving Guide to History Along the Chemung River,” a free 12-page publication, includes maps, photos and GPS coordinates to historic sites along the river, including a former Civil War prison camp, the Chemung Canal, tobacco farms and a wooden water toboggan. It is a self-guided driving tour of the river between Big Flats and the town of Chemung that helps people explore the 45-mile river and learn about its historical significance.
The scenic two-hour tour visits historic sites and boat launches and brings you to the river’s edge and history’s doorstep. Many of the boat launches include kiosks spotlighting local history for visitors. A word of caution: Some of the narrow boat launch access roads are crushed stone or dirt, so conditions can be rough at times.
The full-color spiral-bound guide was written and published in a partnership between the Friends of the Chemung River Watershed (River Friends) and the Chemung County History Museum to encourage the public to visit the river and learn about its history and natural beauty. It was paid for by a grant through the museum.
The guides are available at the museum gift shop, 415 E. Water St., Elmira or at the River Friends office, 111 N. Main St., Elmira. You may also access the guide online at www.chemungvalleymuseum.org  or www.chemungriverfriends.org  at  http://www.chemungriverfriends.org/pdf/DrivingGuide_History.pdf

Take A Paddle – Finger Lakes

Go back & paddle the Chemung River (& other area rivers) using the guidebook “Take A Paddle – Finger Lakes New York Quiet Water for Canoes & Kayaks.”

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Make 2014 a Year of Happiness – Take an Adventure You’ll never Forget

Pack, Paddle, Ski wants to make 2014 a year of happiness.  In order to do that they’ve filled up next year’s schedule with trips from their staff’s bucket lists. Click here to view a selection of awesome world-wide adventures. If you find a trip that is on your bucket list, sign up before the end of 2013 and they will give you $50 off the trip. Just mention the code word HAPPINESS. So, go on, pull out your bucket list and see what you can cross off this year!

But you don’t have to wait until 2014 to let your happiness begin. Join them this year for one of their happiness retreats, spend a some time in the outdoors and find out where real happiness comes from.  Find out more at
http://www.packpaddleski.com/index.php?page=adventures&cat=North+American+Multi-Day&course=330622

I have been on Pack,Paddle, Ski trips to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and hike to visit tribes in Africa, paddling in Glacier Bay Alaska, and many others. They get you off the beaten path to experience real cultural adventures. They make a difference in the world. Take a trip with them in 2014 and change your life.

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New “Motivation Course” to Open 2013 at Adirondack Extreme Adventure Course

Adirondack Extreme Adventure is the largest AERIAL tree top adventure park in the United States. Have you found your inner monkey? Join them up in the trees in Beautiful Bolton Landing, NY. Click here to see photos on Facebook of the new Motivation Course that was recently built.

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Take A Balloon Ride at Fulkerson Winery on Seneca Lake

Liberty Balloon Co. has started offering hot air balloon flights at Fulkerson Winery.

Rides cost $285 per person for a minimum of two and a maximum of four people. A vehicle will pick people up after the balloon lands and return them to Fulkerson. The winery is at 5576 Route 14, Dundee, Yates County, on Seneca Lake.

To book a ride, call Liberty at (800) 777-2359 or by email at office@libertyballoon.com.

The company, based in Groveland, Livingston County, also books rides on other Finger Lakes and in the Letchworth State Park area. Prices start at $240 a person at some sites. For more information, go to libertyballoon.com.

source: D&C

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‘Treetop walk’ planned for Tupper Lake Wild Center

BY STEPHEN WILLIAMS, DailyGazette, link to original post

Officials at The Wild Center in Tupper Lake are pursuing regulatory approvals and conducting fundraising for a major new attraction described as a “treetop walk.”
The planned “Wild Walk” would be an elevated walkway located at treetop level in the woods at the center, known officially as the Natural History Museum of the Adirondacks.
The walkway would offer a variety of hands-on activities that will appeal to adults and children, including a roped area meant to resemble a spider’s web and a swinging bridge. “It’s going to be so amazing,” said Marci Bencze, spokeswoman for the center.
The target date for opening the new attraction is 2015, though that will depend on the center’s success in raising funds to cover the estimated $4 million to $5 million cost, Bencze said.
The museum recently fi led an application for approval from the Adirondack Park Agency, which is currently taking public comment through March 21.
The plan has already secured significant state funding. Gov. Andrew Cuomo in December announced a $1 million grant was awarded to the project from his regional economic development initiative program.
The elevated walkway would be “a major added attraction at the Wild Center to support tourism development in the region,” he said.
In the application to the APA, Wild Center officials said the entire 490-foot walkway will be below treetop level and will be handicapped-accessible. While the museum is open year-round, the elevated walkway is expected to be a three-season attraction.
Over time, the project also includes removing non-native Scotch pine in the construction area and replacing it with native plant species.
The Wild Center, which opened in 2006, has so far attracted more than 500,000 visitors to the Tupper Lake region.

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Zoom Ziplines Introduces Ziplining/Snowtubing Combo Package For $85 Per Adult/$65 For Kids/Seniors

Zoom Ziplines has just the ticket for winter fun: a new Ziplining + Tubing Combo package. For one low price of $84.99 per adult ($64.99 for kids or seniors) visitors enjoy both a ziplining excursion from Zoom Ziplines AND snowtubing at the DropZone Snowtubing Park in Mountain Creek, New Jersey. A ziplining excursion alone is priced at $79.99 and when combined with the snowtubing, represents a savings of $20 per ticket.

The Zoom Ziplines Ziplining + Tubing Combo package is the perfect option for those who want to make the most of a winter weekend by enjoying the great outdoors. Just one hour from New York City and most of the Tri-State area, the Mountain Creek resort area is open year-round and provides visitors with an opportunity to enjoy a variety of winter activities.

The DropZone Snowtubing Park is considered America’s largest tubing park, with more than 30 lanes of fun for everyone. For those who have never snowtubed, it is like sledding – only easier, faster, more fun and you don’t have to hike back up the hill. And when combined with the 1.5-hour Zoom Ziplines’ tour, it makes for the perfect morning or afternoon of wintertime fun.  The Zoom Ziplines’ excursion involves four ziplines for a total combined length of 3,760 feet.  Zipliners start with a trainer line at the base of the mountain (line 1), which is approximately 200 feet long, followed by a ride up the mountain to the summit at 1,040 feet.  Participants then zip across three additional dual-ziplines (line 2 is 1,310 feet long; line 3 is 750 feet long, and line 4 is 1,500 feet long), cross a suspension bridge, and head back down the mountain. Zipliners can also rent a helmet-mounted video cam so that they can capture the amazing winter wonderland scenery as they are heading down the ziplines.  It’s also a good idea for zipliners to wear warm winter clothing because they will be outside!

To book the Zoom Ziplines Ziplining + Tubing Combo package, simply call 973-864-8880 or visit http://www.zoomziplines.com.  Participants must book a zipline time slot with Zoom Ziplines and then they will be given a snowtubing voucher in order to book their snowtubing reservation directly with DropZone Snowtubing Park. Guests should confirm the snowtubing times directly with the snowtubing park. Snowtubing vouchers are non-refundable. The activities can be booked for the same day or different days.  The snowtubing voucher is effective for any time during the 2012/2013 season (weather permitting).

For the exact days of Zoom Ziplines’ winter operations, please refer to the website.  They are open year-round and offer expanded hours 7 days a week throughout the summer.  Complete terms and conditions regarding Zoom Ziplines’ booking procedures are available by visiting http://www.zoomziplines.com/tours/mountain-creek-combo.

For additional information about Zoom Ziplines, visit www.zoomziplines.com or call 973-864-8880.

About Zoom Ziplines
Zoom Ziplines offers a nature-based, eco-adventure, gravity-fueled experience in Mountain Creek, New Jersey, approximately one hour from Manhattan.  The company is owned by Skyline, which not only operates zipline attractions but also builds and retrofits the ziplines themselves under the Skyline brand. Skyline built a zipline site in Calgary at the Olympic Park and it is the fastest breaking system in the world reaching speeds of 110 kmph at breaking and goes from 0 to 140 kmph in 3 seconds.  For additional information, visit www.zoomziplines.com or call 973-864-8880.

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My First Rattlesnake Encounter

I had a plan. But, like many plans made in the warmth of my living room, this one failed its first field test. I was backpacking for 6 months, hiking north along the Appalachian Trail with my husband Rich.

Eastern Diamondback Rattle Snake

After 2 months on the trail, we hiked along one sunny day through Virginia, traversing the side of a hill in lush spring foliage. Rich was in front when we heard the sound. Having never heard it live before, I was surprised at how unmistakable the rattle of a rattlesnake was. It stopped me dead in my tracks with instant recognition. I looked to the right and there, slightly uphill and about 3 feet away, was a coiled rattlesnake, staring at me eye to eye and loudly making his displeasure known. Rich had already passed, but the snake blocked my progress along the trail.

My plan was that if I saw a rattlesnake I’d simply hike off the trail & give it a wide berth. I surveyed my surroundings – the ground was obscured in thick foliage a foot deep. What if my rattler had friends nearby? Was 3 feet within their striking range? I could hear my heart pounding in my chest and Rich getting impatient, calling for me to ignore the rattlesnake & hike on. Yeah, right.

I waited patiently. Minutes passed; many minutes according to Rich. Eventually the rattlesnake lost interest in me, lowered his head and began side winding uphill. I chose that moment to bolt down the trail, running as fast as my blistered feet could carry me, backpack bouncing on my back. Rich just laughed.

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