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An Adirondack AdventureThe Perfect GiftBy Sandra ScottThere are gifts that you love to get… like money, but there are gifts you never forget like a trip. Long after the gift money is gone the memories of a trip linger on. With that in mind, my husband and I decided that the gift for our grandson’s high school graduation would be a trip.
Our home base was the Water’s Edge Inn on Old Forge Pond, across from NYS’s largest water park, Water Safari. It was perfect Adirondack weather: sunny, warm, and beautiful blue skies. We fished off the dock, sat on the balcony enjoying the view while eating our dinner of subs purchased across the street, watched the sunset, and Venus appeared. We had left the “civilized” world behind.
If you go: Photos by John Scott and Sandra Scott |
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Jim had traveled with us before, with
his brother and sister, but this would be just the three of us, and most likely
our last trip together before he went out into the world on his own. My husband
and I wanted the gift to be something he’d always remember and something he
might not do on his own. We agreed a trip to the Adirondack Mountains in the
heart of New York State would be perfect. It would provide a little R&R before
he heads off to college, a little adventure in the form of white water rafting,
plus it was light years away from the technology controlled modern day life most
of us lead. 
Heading toward Old Forge on Route
28, we all began to feel more relaxed and I realized the trip would be as much
for us as for him. The three of us felt a change of attitude with the slight
change in altitude and latitude. 
When we arrived in Old Forge we decided to
start at the top – the top of McCauley Mountain. The ski lift took us up to the
top of the mountain for a great view of the area, but the most amazing part was
the quiet. The quiet of nature. The birds were chirping, occasionally the wind
rustled the leaves but there were none of the noises of civilization. We sat,
inhaled the fresh pine-scented air, and enjoyed the view. It was hard to leave
the mountain but the lift would soon stop running for the day so there was
little choice.
The next morning we boarded the
“Benjamin Harrison” on Old Forge Pond. It claims to be the oldest continuously
operated summer mail boat still in service. It has been in operation since 1902
and was started at the behest of President Benjamin Harrison and delivers mail
to summer residents on the first four lakes of the Fulton Chain. Harrison, a
summer resident on Second Lake at a time when there were no roads north of Old
Forge, convinced Congress to institute the service. We saw camps that qualified
as MacCamps, definitely “supersized!” Grandpa gave treats to the dogs waiting on
the dock. Jim helped deliver mail to the residents waiting to swap their
outgoing mailbag with their matching incoming mailbag. I passed down tidbits of
our family history as I pointed out the summer resort where I worked fifty years
before and my mother, his great-grandmother, worked twenty years before that.
The family history lesson continued as
we passed Bald Mountain. Grandpa told Jim, “Your mother climbed Bald Mountain
without complaint when she was only three.” We headed deeper into the Adirondack
Park and turned into Raquette Lake Village. We lunched on subs while sitting on
the steps that once led to the railroad station. Years ago luxurious private
trains bought the rich and powerful to their rustic but elegance summer
cottages. While watching the “W. W. Durant,” a lake boat, preparing for their
lunch cruise, we shared more family history from the days when my family had a
camp on the lake. It was a camp in the traditional sense, not a MacCamp. The
Station had burned years ago but the Raquette Lake General Store was still
there. No visit to town was ever complete without ice cream. The old marble soda
fountain was gone but not the ice cream. 
Our home for the next few days was the
Hedges on Blue Mountain Lake. It is one of my very favorite hotels and one of
the very few places that has preserved the old camp style that was so popular
with those who “vacated” the cities for the cool, fresh Adirondack Mountains
during the Gilded Age. “Vacating” gave rise to the word “vacation.” The rustic
elegance is preserved and enhanced because there are no televisions or
telephones. 
The call of the wild did not go unheeded.
No sooner had the luggage been carted into our suite at Stone Lodge and Jim was
off in the kayak. I went swimming enjoying the slick clean feel of mountain lake
water. The water was warm except for those cool spots where springs were
seeping into the bottom of the lake. Grandpa tested the hammock on the porch.
After a 5-mile kayak, Jim returned and joined me in the lake. “Let’s swim to
the rock.” I suggested. “Oh, sure, Grandma. The people on the rock look like
ants. It’s a lot farther than it looks. I learned that quickly in the kayak.
The other side of the lake is twice as far as it looks.” The combination of
exercise and the fresh mountain air meant we brought big appetites to the dinner
table.
The day of the Grand Adventure started
after a “mountain” breakfast of waffles and sausage slathered in real maple
syrup. In Indian Lake we joined the other thrill seekers. “I think grandpa and I
are the oldest people here,” I whispered to Jim. “But, I am not the youngest,”
he noted. Wet suits were not necessary because it was a picture-perfect day.
We were especially lucky because it had been a rainy season so the river was
running at spring levels. After safety instructions that turned out to be
scarier than the actual rafting we boarded a bus to the put-in place about 20
minutes away. 
Working as a team we carried the raft
to the Indian River, practiced our paddle instructions – “Right Forward. Left
Forward. All Rest.” Then we were off. For the next four hours we conquered one
rapid after another and enjoyed the beauty of the gorge during “rest” times.
After a short time the Indian River ran into the Hudson River. At one point the
sound of the rushing water was broken by two A-10 Warthogs chasing each other.
Or, were they just getting a closer look at the colorful rafts riding the
rapids? Lunch was in a protected area where there was a short trail to a
secluded waterfalls. We paused in a rapid-free area for a swim. Too soon the
fun was over and it was back to The Hedges. Jim went back out in the kayak for a
little fishing as if he hadn’t paddled enough for one day! 
I felt the mountain climbing part
of our adventure should be a “guy” thing, something for Jim and Grandpa.
Somehow, I was going to get out of it. The next morning started out rainy. “We
are in luck!” I announced. “We can’t climb Blue Mountain in the rain. It would
be a bit slippery.” They quickly agreed – too quickly! It was the perfect
opportunity to head to Tupper Lake to see The Wild Center, which had just opened
weeks before. From the giant glacial wall to the tiny insects we learned more
about the natural environment of the Adirondacks. We found the video about the
habitat along the very river we rafted the day before especially interesting.
Jim and Grandpa hiked the Meadow Bird Trail to the Oxbow Overlooks. Heading back
to the Hedges we stopped for hot dogs and ice cream in Long Lake, and by the
time we got back “home” the weather had cleared so, you guessed it, Jim was back
out in the kayak, and so was grandpa. 
The last morning the rain had really
set it, so no mountain climbing. Phew! My luck was holding out! That meant we
had time to revisit The Adirondack Museum only five minutes from the Hedges.
The visit prompted more of my family stories. “I played on this train when it
was still at the Marion River Carry.” And, so it went.
Too soon it was time to head home. The
gift was for our grandson but I realized that it was a gift we all shared. It
gave the three of us a chance to share the joy of nature while passing down
stories of our family. It was the perfect gift: one that was enjoyed by us in
the giving and Jim in the receiving.