“If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction.”
Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Preserve at Pilot Knob to Reopen September 12
Visitors relax at the gazebo on the Lake George Land Conservancy’s Schumann Preserve for Pilot Knob in Fort Ann. View of Lake George is west toward Bolton and north up Lake George.
The Lake George Land Conservancy’s beloved Schumann Preserve at Pilot Knob will reopen to the public on September 12th, five months after being closed due to concerns related to the coronavirus pandemic. Please note that guidelines for responsible recreation continue to be in effect, and the preserve will be monitored to make sure guests are complying and visiting safely. If visiting this or any of the LGLC’s preserves, please follow these basic rules so that they can continue to provide safe recreational opportunities:
Stay local;
Visit in small groups limited to immediate household members;
If you arrive at a preserve and crowds are forming, choose a different park, a different trail, or return another time/day to visit;
If parking lots are full, please do not park along roadsides or other designated areas. To protect your safety and that of others, please choose a different area to visit, or return another time or day when parking is available.
Practice social distancing by keeping at least six (6) feet of distance between yourself and others, while on a trail and in places where people tend to congregate, such as parking lots, trailheads, and scenic overlooks; and
Stay home if you are sick, or showing or feeling any COVID-19 symptoms, such as fever, coughing, and/or troubled breathing.
Bad Storms Locally, Mostly Miss Huletts
A rainbow appears above Huletts on Monday, August 24th. (Click image to see larger version.)
The rolling thunder storms and torrential rain that passed through on Monday hit Whitehall very hard. While Huletts received a good soaking, the power remained on. There are many puddles and standing surface water but the storm is now over. The worst seems to have missed Huletts.
Update: Tuesday August 25, 2020
Things are drying out today but there is a lot of standing water still on the ground
Borden Wedding Was ‘Beautiful’
I received these charming pictures from the happy parents, Bill and Marilyn Borden, from the wedding of their daughter, Billie Jayne Borden M.D. (right), to Jason Beattie M.D. (left). The wedding took place in Huletts Landing, on August 16th at Mountain Grove Memorial church.
Billie is a fifth year general surgery resident at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York city. Jason is an interventional pulmonologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering. Both attended Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, the medical school of Columbia University.
Congratulations to the happy couple and the Borden and Beattie families!
Their Smiles Say it All
As regular readers of the Huletts Current know, I love posting “fish” pictures, even though I am not a fisherman. This picture really made me smile because the children’s joy really shines through.
I know many are experiencing real worry and suffering with the COVID-19 national pandemic, but choose to be optimistic. Live your best life, RIGHT NOW, seize the moment, enjoy the day.
Do not fueled by fear. Be strong right now; be happy right now; go out and enjoy the summer. Be safe but don’t sit in a socially distant box and complain about all things that are not right, or might not be right. Go out and talk to a neighbor, make a visitor feel welcome. Do something positive. Send me a (fish) picture.
I received an email yesterday from a family who spent a week in Huletts, and when they returned home their small son wouldn’t go to sleep because he wanted to go back to his “Lake George bed.”
Be thankful for the blessings of your time on Lake George this summer, carry an optimistic spirit. Be people of hope in these times.
So many thanks to the children in the picture above, with their smiles and their big fish – they have chosen to enjoy the blessings of summer and their time on Lake George. For that we should all be grateful.
Memorial Day 2020
Today all across this great land, we pause to remember those who have fallen in the defense of freedom for the United States of America. We give thanks for their final sacrifice, for their love of country, and we say prayers for them, for their families, and for the country they served. We fly flags to honor their service, to observe our own dedication to our beautiful country.
The origins of Memorial Day are difficult to uncover. Some attribute it to former African slaves paying tribute to fallen Union soldiers. There is strong evidence that women of the South were decorating graves before the end of the Civil War. On May 30, 1868, flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. By 1890 all the northern states were observing the day. The South would not observe the same date until after World War I. It became known nationally as ‘Decoration Day.’
However, being the ever optimistic Americans we are, we have turned it into a nation wide party, a celebration of patriotism, family, and summer’s promise. However, Memorial Day is and always will be about the fallen servicemen and women who gave their lives for our country.
We see the news daily; from Communist China to theocratic Iran – there are so many who live under oppressive regimes who are not free. May we always remember the sacrifices of those who have given us the greatest gift after life itself – our freedom. Happy Memorial Day – cherish it and never forget.
Saturday Quote
“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.”
-Jeremiah 33:3
NYS Coronavirus Update
Starting today, the Capital Region which includes Washington County and Huletts Landing, can begin Phase 1 of the state’s regional phased reopening plan. The region has identified enough tracers to meet the required metrics and will be joining Western New York, Central New York, the North Country, the Finger Lakes, Southern Tier and Mohawk Valley in reopening Phase 1 businesses.
The number of total COVID hospitalizations continues to drop. Total hospitalizations fell to 5,860, from 5,840 the day before. The number of new COVID hospitalizations fell to 335, from 373 the day before. Tragically, we lost 105 New Yorkers to the virus on Monday.
Elsewhere
Sometimes you just have to get excited about life!
DOGS! pic.twitter.com/rGu1hxMGCQ
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) May 19, 2020
The Belmont Stake will take place on June 20, without fans.Traditionally, the Long Island horse race is the last leg in the Triple Crown, following the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes. This year, for the first time in history, the Belmont will be first. Earlier this week, Governor Cuomo announced that horse racing tracks could open without fans and the state will issue guidance on how they can safely reopen in the coming week.
DEC Forest Ranger Rescues Near Lake George
Town of Bolton
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 13 at 5:20 p.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch from two hikers who became disoriented on the trail for Thomas and Cat mountains and needed assistance. The 76-year-old man and 69-year-old woman from Moreau stated that they intended to hike Thomas Mountain and return to their vehicle at the Route 11 trailhead. Recognizing they were lost with limited supplies, the hikers decided to call 911. Warren County 911 provided Rangers with coordinates that placed the pair south of Thomas Mountain, closer to Cat Mountain. Forest Ranger Hannah O’Connor spoke to the couple on the phone and advised them to take the blue marked trail while Forest Ranger Marie Arnold proceeded on foot to intercept them. Ranger Arnold began from Edgecomb Pond and reached one of the hikers who told her the other had continued ahead north on the trail. Dispatch contacted the other hiker and, per Ranger Arnold, advised the subject to turn around and head back the way they came. Once reunited, Ranger Arnold escorted the pair back out to the trailhead where they were met by Ranger O’Connor, who assisted them the rest of the way via an ATV. The couple was out of the woods by 8:57 p.m.
Town of Bolton
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 17 at 9:09 p.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch from a hiker separated from his hiking partner on the Cat and Thomas Trail. One hiker went further ahead and failed to meet up on Cat Mountain. After a brief FaceTime conversation, one of the hikers realized that the other, a 26-year-old man from Queensbury, was lost with no equipment or headlamp and only 30 percent left on his phone for a light. Forest Rangers Hannah O’Connor and Chuck Kabrehl responded to the trailhead and followed 911 coordinates that placed the missing hiker halfway along the ridge trail between Cat and Thomas mountains. The hiker was told to continue south along the trail to meet up with the Forest Rangers coming to assist him. At one point, the hiker became disoriented along the trail and again reached out for help. Rangers told the subject to remain in place. At 10:55 p.m., Rangers located the hiker and walked him out to the Edgecomb Pond Trailhead.
NYS Coronavirus Update
The number of total COVID hospitalizations in New York state continues to drop. Total hospitalizations fell to 5,850, from 5,897 the day before. There were 373 new COVID hospitalizations Sunday, essentially flat from 374 the previous day. Tragically, we lost 106 New Yorkers to the virus Sunday.
Elsewhere
President Trump’s Letter to the WHO
This is the letter sent to Dr. Tedros of the World Health Organization. It is self-explanatory! pic.twitter.com/pF2kzPUpDv
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 19, 2020
Saturday Quote
“All our fret and worry is caused by calculating without God.”
Oswald Chambers
DEC Forest Ranger Rescues Near Lake George
Town of Bolton
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On April 29 at 4:30 p.m., Warren County 911 transferred a call to DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch reporting a 75-year-old man from Gansevoort who became disoriented while hiking on Thomas and Cat mountains and was unsure about which path to take to get back. After obtaining the disoriented hiker’s cell phone number, Forest Ranger Evan Donegan contacted him and gave instructions on how to return to the trailhead on the north side of the mountain. Meanwhile, Ranger Donegan made his way into the woods to intercept the man and assist him the rest of the way out. At 6:28 p.m., Ranger Donegan reached the mountain’s summit, but had not found the hiker. Forest Ranger Joe Hess also responded to start in from the southern trailhead at Edgecomb Pond. At 7:09 p.m., the hiker’s daughter called Dispatch reporting her father was back on the trail with her husband. Ranger Donegan was notified and reached the two men by 7:19 p.m. He escorted the pair back to the trailhead and all Rangers were cleared from the scene.
Town of Bolton
Warren County
Wilderness Rescue: On May 2 at 9:29 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a concerned family member of two hikers on Cat Mountain. The hikers were not prepared for darkness and were lost on the trail. The caller was instructed to have the hikers call 911 to obtain their coordinates. Dispatch determined that the hikers were just off the east trail. Forest Ranger Evan Donegan responded to the trailhead south of Edgecomb Pond at 10:45 p.m. and started hiking in to locate the hikers. At 11:53 p.m., Ranger Donegan requested a second Ranger to respond to the north trailhead to assist with transportation needs once the hikers were located. At 12:15 a.m., Ranger Donegan advised that the two hikers were found off the trail, tired and slightly hypothermic. Ranger Donegan assisted the pair north up the trail where they were met by Ranger Logan Quinn with an ATV. The 66-year old woman and 67-year-old man from Saratoga Springs were given a ride out to the parking lot. The couple declined medical treatment and departed. All Rangers were cleared from the scene at 2:35 a.m.
Saturday Quote
“As nightfall does not come at once, neither does oppression. In both instances, there’s a twilight where everything remains seemingly unchanged, and it is in such twilight that we must be aware of change in the air, however slight, lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.”
The Douglas Letters: Selections from the Private Papers of Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas
DEC Forest Ranger Rescue on Black Mountain
On April 11 at 7:35 p.m., DEC’s Ray Brook Dispatch received a call from a hiker reporting his brother was overdue returning from Black Mountain in Dresden NY. The caller stated that they last saw the 15-year-old male from Hudson Falls on the summit of Black Mountain at 5:30 p.m., when he proceeded down the trail alone. The teen was reported as having only his cell phone and the clothes he was wearing.
Forest Rangers Evan Donegan and Mark St. Claire responded to the location, and at 8:15 p.m., Dispatch established text contact with the hiker and advised him to call 911. Washington County 911 got coordinates from his call, which placed him by a stream off the trail but near a road. Ranger St. Claire proceeded down the road from the trailhead where he was able to see the hiker’s cell phone light. Ranger St. Claire located the hiker, escorted him out of the woods, and gave him a ride back to the trailhead where he was met by his family. All Rangers were cleared from the scene at 9:26 p.m.