April 11, 2013

This morning brought Corenne and I to the realization that we just cannot kick this sinus thing we have going on, but we had to get out and enjoy the spring air before it snowed again tomorrow. I can't kick this cold any better than the Adirondacks can kick winter, I ain't gunna lie - I'm ready for spring, the wildflowers, the morning song birds, my boat to be on my car and not in storage, oh, and the warm weather so I can break out my pasty white legs.

That brings us to our half day outing in the woods. We decided to visit the Wickham Marsh Trail. We had been there this winter once, for a short ski, but wanted to see it uncovered by snow. We were pleasantly surprised but what we found.

We started out along the State Boundary Trail, unofficial name it is, but suitable. It started out very flat over what almost seemed like a new trail. It soon dropped steeply to a small brook crossing and immediately climbed a high degree slope on the opposite side. It then came to a beaver dam area where the trail could not be seen, and if I had not been in there previously I would not have known it crossed the beaver dam to the other side. We ventured out on the dam, half expecting to go for a frigid swim in the muck, but as fate has it, we survived to hike another trail.

We continued to follow the Boundary Trail all the way around as it elbowed through the forest. Little did we know, since we didn't have a map with us, we popped out on the Giddings Road Trailhead. Rather than walk the several miles of road back we opted to do an about-face and take a rather demolished looking trail back into the maze. This one started out rather cluttered with old deadfall, but cleared out quickly once we reached the valley floor. At this point whenever we reached an intersection we would take a right knowing that it would either lead us back to the trailhead or a trail we were on earlier in the hour. Believe it or not, it worked, but not only that, we got to see a few more miles of amazing trails, a gorgeous brook, another beaver marsh, a spectacular hemlock stand, and some of the first songbirds of the season.

On the way out though, we did have a bit of excitement. We ran into a lady walking her 100+ pound chocolate lab, not sure what she fed that thing, we were just hoping it wasn't hikers – but come to find out, the most dangerous thing was it was more than determined to lick our faces off.

Lesson number one: it would be a good idea to have a map with you, as the trails are similar to a bowl of spaghetti and not well marked at intersections. Lesson number two: carry a couple dog bones to bribe any oversized canines. Lesson number three: the forest is awesome even if you don't know where you might end up at the end of the day.

The Wickham Marsh Wildlife Area is located in the Lake Champlain Region.

NYS DEC info: Wickham Marsh Trails, PDF

For more information on trail running in the area, pick up a copy of Adirondack Trail Runner by Spencer Morrissey and Corenne Black at a local outfitter or bookstore.

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