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January 2, 2003 |
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2002 Review, 2003 Preview
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As we sit down to write this week's 'On The Trail' column it is still 2002, so we thought we'd take the opportunity to reflect on some of our outdoor-related highlights of the past year and give you some seeds for thought for 2003. We also want to welcome our new readers in the Town of Olive. For those new to this column, it is all about hiking, fishing, hunting, canoeing, camping, and conservation in the Catskills. Some of the places we've written about in the past year have left great memories with us. Fishing the Bushkill and the Pepacton Reservoir at the crack of dawn. Hiking the trails of the Dry Brook and Ginseng Ridges, Middle and West Kill Mountains, Huckleberry Point, and Echo Lake. Bushwacking Rusk and Doubletop Mountains and out to Samuel's Point. Night-snowshoeing in McKinley and Rider Hollows, in addition to canoeing the East and West Branches of the Delaware River.
But there were other memorable moments that did not get recorded, such as hikes to Red Hill, Giant Ledge, a float trip and barbeque sponsored by the Hamden Inn on the West Branch Delaware, and counting 13 bald eagles along the East Branch Delaware while driving between Harvard and East Branch last month.
For Chris, this past year also brought some personally exciting developments. One was a new house, in the Pine Hill/Highmount area, and he and his wife Amy were excited to learn that this place is a haven for barred owls. Adult owls were seen on snowy days this winter, along the road and in the yard. During mid-summer, the woodlot near the house was home to several juvenile barred owls that were very vocal, squawking all through the night.
Another major highlight for Chris and Amy this past year was getting a 7-week old yellow lab puppy named Josie in September. From the start they immersed her in a hiking lifestyle. On the very first day she was taken on a hike in the Berkshires of Massachusetts, and a couple weeks later on her first local hike up to the Tremper Mountain Fire Tower. Of course she was quite small and had to be carried in the pack basket half the way. We even snuck in a late-fall canoe trip on Big Pond, giving Josie her first of many tastes of Catskill Mountain water.
For Aaron, the biggest news of 2002 was becoming a NYS licensed hiking guide and putting it to use by guiding hikes for the Appalachian Mountain Club up Slide Mountain, for AmeriCorps over Indian Head Mountain, and a journalist from the BBC up Twin Mountain.
For Aaron, the biggest news of 2002 was becoming a NYS licensed hiking guide and putting it to use by guiding hikes for the Appalachian Mountain Club up Slide Mountain, for AmeriCorps over Indian Head Mountain, and a journalist from the BBC up Twin Mountain.
The second idea for you is to think about who or what makes your community special, and support it or them by volunteering time or giving a donation. Shop at local businesses or donate to the regional non-profits. Many of us continue to support national groups like the Sierra Club or the Wilderness Society each year. However we all need to realize that local organizations have a greater impact on our daily lives and are in much more need of your support. Some of these groups include the Ashokan-Pepacton Chapter of Trout Unlimited, the Catskill Center for Conservation and Development, the Olive Natural Heritage Society, the Pine Hill Community Center, and the Shandaken Theatrical Society. In 2003 please consider supporting these groups and organizations, as they will continue to make positive impacts in your community.
- Aaron and Chris
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