New York & the Mid-Atlantic Trips 2 - Full PDF eBook

usually grand lakeside
compounds built by the
very wealthy, usually all
from wood, in the latter
half of the 19th century
in the Adirondacks.
White Pine, however, is
far from ostentatious;
rather, it’s a collection
of rustically cozy
cabins set amid pine
forests, wetlands and
scenic Osgood Pond – a
boardwalk leads out to an
island tea house and an
antique all-wood bowling
alley. The fact that
President Calvin Coolidge
spent a few summer
months here in 1926 is
an interesting historical
footnote but the camp’s
charm comes through in
its modest luxuries like
claw-footed tubs and
wood-burning fireplaces.
Naturalist walking tours
are open to non-guests
on select days from mid-
June to September.
Because White
Pine feels so remote,
the campus of Paul
Smith’s College, only
a few miles away, feels
disconcertingly modern.
While the majority attend
the school for degrees
in forestry and wildlife-
related sciences, it’s
worth visiting for lunch
or dinner at the St Regis
Cafe (%518-327-6355; http://www.
paulsmiths.edu; Rte 30, Paul
Smiths; h11:30am-12:30pm
Mon-Fri, 5:30-6:30pm Wed). It
overlooks Lower St Regis
Lake and is staffed by
culinary students when
school is in session – a

three-course meal will

cost you $10. Call for

reservations.

The college also

maintains a system

of interpretive and

backcountry trails with

cross-country skiing in

the winter.

The Drive » From Paul

Smith’s, Rte 30 winds its way

south and east past several

beautiful lakes, ponds and

wetland areas including Lake

Clear and Upper Saranac Lake.

The final 5 ½ mile stretch on

Rte 3 is more mundane.

7 Tupper Lake

Only a few miles east

of this otherwise

nondescript town is the

Wild Center (%518-

3597800; http://www.wildcenter.

org; 45 Museum Dr, Tupper

Lake; adult/child $17/10,

under 3 free; h10am-6pm

daily end May-early Sep,

10am-5pm Fri-Sun Sep-Mar,

closed Apr; c), a jewel of a

museum dedicated to the

ecology and conservation

of the Adirondacks.

Interactive exhibits

include a digitally

rendered spherical Earth

which visually displays

thousands of science-

related issues like sea

surface temperatures or

the history of volcanic

activity (there are only

about 100 of these in use

worldwide). River otters

perform acrobatics in an

aquarium; walking trails

lead to an oxbow overlook

and the Raquette River

TRIP HIGHLIGHT

WILDLIFE FUN FACTS

» Stay clear of rattlesnakes when hiking – the

nearest hospital with a vial of anti-venom is in the

Lake George area.

» Saliva from a water-snake bite contains an

anticoagulant; though not poisonous, you might

bleed profusely.

» The vomit of a turkey vulture – they do this when

nervous – is an assault on your olfactory senses.

Don’t make them nervous.

» Ravens, considered one of the smartest bird

species, can imitate other birds and even human

speech.

» Eastern coyotes found in the Adirondacks are

larger than other subspecies because they contain

added DNA from wolves out west.

» Swarms of black flies and other biting pests

typically emerge from streams and rivers from late

May through early September.

NEW.YORK.TRIPS.

5

.ADIRONDACK PEAKS & V

ALLEYS