Adirondack Life – September 2019

64 ADIRONDACK LIFE September + October 2019

The name on one stone caught my

attention—James. James died on Febru-

ary 15, 1851. The Adirondacks must have

been gripped by ice. The stone said he

was 11 years and two months old. I loved

that his family counted the months, as

if to honor James’s life in its entirety. I

wondered if his former home was still

standing, but doubted it was. All he had

for sure was this soft spot of quiet earth.

I imagined my own home in shambles.

The toddler-torn rooms, the sink of dirty

dishes, mismatched furniture—I saw it

all pummeled by years of rain, snow and

wind. I imagined moss on the ceilings,

holes in the walls and leaves scattering

across buckled floors. The thoughts were

hard to bear. Although my motherhood

days were tinged with monotony, they

were my days, all the same.

How many days had I even been alive

at this point—11,000? Twelve thousand?

It had never before occurred to me to

count. I raised my camera to photograph

James’s stone. I hoped that if he could

somehow see me, he would be happy to

have a visitor.

After a moment, I moved on to ex -

plore the other features near Upper

Works Road. I saw the massive blast fur-

nace and watched as water spilled from

a small dam and tumbled toward the

Hudson River. By late afternoon, I was

ready to leave for home. I stopped one

last time to look at the ruins, marveling

at the way the weakening daylight cast a

golden hue over the tiny details—a tilted

flight of stairs, a worn fireplace, a roll of

peeling pastel paint. The scents of pine

and rainwater filled my nose, remind-

ing me that despite the artifacts left by

humans, this place belonged to nature.

It always did. I felt my veins charge w it h

fresh energy. I was ready to return to the

rhythms of my household. I was ready to

face another day.

IF YOU GO

From Newcomb, turn left onto Tahawus

Road from Blue Ridge Road, 1.2 miles

west of the intersection with Route

28N. After 6.3 miles, turn left onto

Upper Works Road. The Upper Works

trailhead parking lot is 3.5 miles farther,

at the end of Upper Works Road.

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