Adirondack Vacation

by Tim Burris, Mariton Preserve Manager

Last week, I was in the Adirondacks for a Canoe Symposium.  While I had my camera with me continuously, I took very few photos.  I was either distracted by the fun, or the awesome scenery.  At our campsite, I was serenaded by Pine Warblers, Magnolia Warblers, and Yellow-rumped warblers every morning as I sipped my tea.  I heard the occasional Black-throated Green, as well as Parula Warblers.

One day along a stream, I heard a Swainson’s Thrush.  While I have seen them here in migration, I had never heard one singing.   What a neat experience.  I also heard one of my favorite birds:  the Hermit Thrush.

This year, I took fewer afternoon classes and was able to sight see.  One afternoon, I visited The Wild Center in Tupper Lake.  It is a great nature center, and I wished I’d had more time to spend there.  I was amazed that they left their skulls and bones out where people could touch them.  While we do it at Mariton, the volume of visitors at The Wild Center is several magnitudes greater.  I really enjoyed my time there and would like to go back and walk the trails.

Of course, the goal of the week was to sharpen my skills.  I had great classes with great instructors and added to my bag of tricks.  I took a tandem class for fun and now realize what I have been missing in team paddling.  Evening campfires included discussions on boat physics, and a large dose of guitars and singing.  It was a wonderful week and I came back refreshed by the cool mountain air.