Women who float...Women who fly

     Maybe my wife doesn't need to know about this but I've been hanging out with some wild women lately. But that's not as risque as it sounds,  since they all came to me safely enclosed between the covers of a book. In this post I'ld like to introduce you to several female adventurers whose exploits ranged from Africa to the Grand Canyon to the Adirondacks.

     Beryl Markham's West with the Night is a whoosh of a ride on horseback and in airplanes.  She was born in England in 1902 and moved to East Africa with her father while still a toddler (Her mother went in a different direction with a different man!) She grew up free and unfettered by convention...think hunting warthog by spear with the local Murani. Along the way she learned to tell really good stories.

     Her dog's name was Buller and "He fought anything that needed to be fought, and when there was nothing immediately available in this category, he killed cats." One night a leopard slipped into Beryl and Buller's sleeping hut and dragged the dog into the bush. Buller, though badly chewed, managed to survive while the leopard got the worst of the encounter. In another 'only in Africa' incident Beryl was "moderately eaten by a large lion" and lived to tell about it. Then came the warthog hunt and, well, you've got to read it to believe it.

     Those adventures all happened while she was still a young girl. As an adult she became a trainer of race horses and then a bush pilot in the early days of aviation. As you might guess these pursuits led to more stories of thrilling 'by a nose' races and 'by a hair' close calls in the air. What West with the Night is not, is a tell all. She never mentions her three husbands and numerous lovers. You'll have to look elsewhere, for example, to find the story about her affair with Prince Henry, Duke of Glouchester, where she had to hide in a Buckingham Palace cupboard when Queen Mary came into the room!

Beryl up there

On horseback and in a plane

     You might think cataloging the botany of the Grand Canyon to be a rather staid achievement compared to flying solo over Africa and across the Atlantic. Don't be so sure. Not when you consider that the only way to access much of the canyon was in a raft when the Colorado river had been run only a few times. Brave the Wild River tells the story of two women, Elzada Clover and Lois Jotter, who took on the challenge in 1938. 

     The 2023 book by science journalist Melissa Sevigny tells of the  half-baked 43 day expedition and its colorful cast of characters. There are personality conflicts, near catastrophe's and a lot of interesting history, geology and botany. While not considered 'women's work' at the time it should be noted that the plants they collected and the notes they took are still an invaluable resource for botanists and land managers to this day. A fun and inspiring read.

Along these lines...a few related books of interest:

* Wind, Sand and Stars by Antoine De Saint-Exupery is the lyrical classic of the early days of flying.

 

* Amelia Earhart's The Fun of It and Jean Batten's My Life are two books by famous women flyers.

* Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen shares time, geography and bedmates with Markham's book. Made famous by the Robert Redford/Meryl Streep movie.

     You don't have to go out west or to the other side of the world to find remarkable women adventurers. Doc - Orra A. Phelps, M.D. - Adirondack Naturalist and Mountaineer is Mary Arakelian's biography of her aunt Orra, who lived in Wilton just a little north of Saratoga Springs. This book resonated with me because of personal connections on several levels. My mother grew up in Wilton just a short distance from Orra's Parkhurst Road home and she often spoke of her famous neighbor. In the book there's a chapter on Dr. Phelps service in the Navy during the second world war. My grandfather ran a store in Wilton during those years and knew everyone in the community including the Phelps family. He was drafted in the final months of the war just before he aged out of eligibility and was killed in action in Europe as the fighting was winding down.

The Phelp's Homestead on Parkhurst Road

This is privately owned and not open to the public

The public preserve is on the opposite side of the road

     After the war Orra returned to Wilton and the Adirondacks, taking a job with theVeterans Administration. Upon retirement she devoted herself fully to the mountains and natural history education. She had previously written the first two editions of the Adirondack Mountain Club's guide to High Peaks trails. In retirement she became the club's first ranger-naturalist at Heart Lake. When I joined ADK in the mid-80's there were many people who had known Orra personally and held her in high esteem. Finally, I visit the Phelps Preserve frequently. This is the part of her family farm that has been preserved by Saratoga PLAN. Walking the trails Orra walked, beneath oak and ash, alongside several headwater streams of the Snook Kill is my way of connecting with both an amazing person and the community of my family's heritage. 

Gwenne's photos from a hike at the Phelp's Preserve this spring

   

     

Spring Comes to Sucker Brook

      

     Sometimes it seems like there is 'Washington County' and then there is 'Dresden and Putnam'. The two northern most towns can feel like a world apart from their more southerly cousins.  Cross over South Bay and things become sparer, leaner. There are more rock cuts than houses and those rock cuts are huge. Rt. 22 takes on the feel of an overgrown roller coaster with long slow uphills and thrilling descents. And the towns themselves further divide into the Lake George hugging hamlets of Huletts, Gull Bay and Glenburnie  while Clemons, Dresden Station and Putnam center are Lake Champlain oriented.

Google Earth image of Dresden and Putnam looking north

Lake Champlain Narrows right and Lake George upper left

     Because it takes me an hour of driving just to get there, I haven't explored this area as much as I'd like. But that's going to change and this spring is off to a good start. I've already made two trips to the Sucker Brook Preserve with, hopefully, more to come. If streams in the Town of Putnam took a vote it would be two against one with Charter Brook and Mill Brook both flowing east into the Narrows of Lake Champlain while Sucker Brook takes a turn to the west emptying into Lake George. Because much of the Sucker Brook watershed is owned and protected by the Lake George Land Conservancy it is easily accessible with a network of trails and viewpoints.

In this image from the LGLC's website the Sucker Brook Preserve is on the right with

Lake George left and center. Looking north. 

Uncredited but almost certainly a Carl Heilman photo

 

     The LGLC has been protecting land here since 1998. Today there is a block of conserved land from Flat Rock just south of the Essex County line all the way to Gull Bay Road. Three parking areas and trailheads give access to these properties. A trail off Schwerdfeger Road leads to the summit of Record Hill where there are great views of Lake George. Then there are trails into the Sucker Brook Preserve from Warrick Road near Glenburnie and Sagamore Road near Gull Bay. All the trails in Sucker Brook interconnect so you could explore the entire preserve from either the north or south but that would make for a long day. For most hikers it makes sense to split their visit into two trips. That's what I did recently with a walk from Warrick Road on the blue trail down to the lake and then a few days later using the yellow trail from Sagamore Road to the Cedar Swamp.

 

 

This map and list shows protected properties near Lake George 

in the Town of Putnam

     The LGLC maintains a seasonal dock so boaters can access the Sucker Brook Preserve from the lake. The blue trail connects the dock and lake shore to the North parking lot. While the distance and elevation change won't challenge experienced hikers it is a somewhat rocky, rugged trek. Lake George sits in its graben surrounded by cliffs and ledges and all the trails in the basin are challenged to find a route that isn't a rock climb. The woods here are fairly open with a mix of hemlock, pine and various hardwoods. I noted three different oaks: red, white and chestnut. Just before reaching the lake there is a spur to a viewpoint but this can be skipped. The trees have grown so as to obscure any view which once existed.

Lake George ice out at bottom of blue trail

Gwenne and Zia enjoying the view

     From Warrick Road there is also a short trail to an overlook of a large beaver pond. It might be possible to canoe here for the adventurist.  Below the beaver dam Sucker Brook tumbles steeply down to the lake. After hiking you should take a few minutes to drive down to Glenburnie if for nothing more than the gorgeous view of Anthonys Nose and Record Hill.

     Many people visit the southern section of Sucker Brook just to see the heron rookery. The birds use standing dead trees in a beaver pond to build their nest. It's thought that water surrounding the trees prevents many predators from climbing the trunks to steal eggs. Over time the dead trees fall and the area becomes less attractive to the herons. That seems to be happening here. As I walked the yellow trail a couple of days ago I couldn't see any activity but did spot a few nests that seemed abandoned. Fortunately the pond is still home to other wildlife as a flock of ducks near shore attested. 

Once upon a time

A heron on her nest at the Sucker Brook pond

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Evicted?

The herons don't seem to be using these nests anymore.

Sucker Brook has broke thru a small beaver dam

Cedar and hemlock on the east side of the swamp

The feathery spray of Northern White Cedar needles

     My next destination was the White Cedar Swamp. While I did see some Northern White Cedars there were many more hemlocks than arbor vitae where I was. Perhaps I wasn't in the right spot but I was reluctant to explore the wetland by myself late in the day. It would be interesting to come here with an experienced naturalist familiar with the place. The trees are known to prefer calcareous environments which makes me wonder if there might be marble bedrock. After poking around a bit a jammed camera lens convinced me to call it a day. On previous trips I checked out the beaver dam and climbed the sketchy red trail to a viewpoint and scene of a fire. From the parking lot staying on the blue trail will bring you to a Lake George overlook complete with a picnic table. It's a sweet spot to cap off your explorations.

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The Zombie Next Door

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     The Victory Mill went up in smoke on May 31, 2025. It was an 100+ year old former cotton and paper mill that fell victim to arson  by a couple of teenagers. It wasn't the first and probably won't be the last such structure to suffer this fate. John D'Alessandro, secretary of The Firefighters Association of the State of New York was quoted as saying, "We have a lot of those old vacant structures. This is going to be a problem fire departments are going to have to contend with for the near future." 

Screen shot from video walk thru of Stevens and Thompson plant in Middle Falls

posted on Youtube

     He makes a valid point. We build to meet a need and hopefully make a profit. But what happens when what we build is no longer needed? Abandoned and derelict structures are all too common in our area. Bio Tech, Skybel and Stevens and Thompson, all on the Battenkill River, come to mind. Then there is the Thompson Mill in Valley Falls. An effort to raze that building and create a park on the Hoosic River is projected to cost four million dollars. Dealing with asbestos is expensive. Almost all of these former mills are considered 'brown fields' with various toxic chemicals polluting the sites. The EPA, at taxpayer expense, did some clean-up at both Bio Tech and Skybel. Given the current administration's priorities it's hard to know if there will even be an EPA in the future.

Thompson Mill in Valley Falls

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     Waterpower was highly valued by early settlers. They built small dams and lumber and grist mills at many sites in Washington County. Historians have documented these places and you can sometimes still find traces of former activity. The Rexleigh Marble Mill is a familiar example. 

Rexleigh Mill

(Battenkill Conservancy photo)

     As agriculture developed, barns and silos were constructed. Evolving economics have made many of these obsolete and left them in various states of decay. For some this has resulted in second careers as subjects for area artists! ASA's Landscapes for Landsakes showcases these old farm buildings not as eyesores but as part of the charm of rural Washington County. 

Harry Orlyk painting

This prolific Salem artist has many more landscapes for sale on his website 

     Unfortunately, the paper mills that developed in the late 1800's and early 1900's lack the 'scenic' factor and are more likely to be contaminated with chemical residues.  Most are located near rivers and streams which causes additional concern. Time and technology have left these buildings behind. After years of failing to find an adaptive reuse for the Victory Mills plant it was slated to be demolished even before the fire hastened its demise. 

     Occasionally there are better endings, as a family story reveals. For years my grandfather managed a textile factory on Elm Street in Glens Falls. When the company that owned it looked south for labor savings Grandpa Butler went to North Carolina to oversee construction and manage the new factory staffed by low payed black women. Unjustly, they were the cheapest labor available. Eventually, even that plant closed and all production moved overseas where wages were lower yet. The good news is that the Glens Falls building where he had worked for many years was refurbished as upscale condominiums and continues in that function to the present day. A rare success story in reusing an old industrial structure. 

 

The former Clark Brothers textile mill in Glens Falls converted to condominiums

Jon and Deana Ketchum refurbished this Salem garment factory

It is now their home and furniture shop

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     For every site put to new use there are many others that are derelict. The GE and Ciba-Geigy plants in Fort Edward/Hudson Falls/Glens Falls have been demolished with their former locations empty and creating no jobs or economic activity. The same can be said for the Thompson Pulp and Paper Mill lot on the Hudson near Schuylerville. Other properties are tax delinquent, contributing nothing to the community while actually costing us in blight and remediation. They are dangerous 'attractive nuisances' that kids are drawn to explore. Local government officials seem at a loss in dealing with these situations. They are sometimes called 'Zombie Properties' but who wants to live with zombies in their midst? 

Thompson Pulp and Paper in better days

Old photo from top of Starks Knob?

Buildings have since been razed

     * Back in November of last year I was fortunate to hear a presentation by Skidmore College student Nicholas Sisto on "The Company and its Town: Textile Production in Victory Mills and the Community Built Around it." Sisto did a great job and his research has relevance to other 'company towns' in our area. The talk was filmed and you can watch it here.

Nicholas Sisko presenting on Victory Mills

Puppets x 2

     The Bread and Puppet Theater has announced a spring tour that includes several appearances in and around Washington County. They will be in Manchester Vermont on Saturday March 28, in Bennington on Monday March 30 and in Cambridge New York on Friday and Saturday. April 3 and 4. Click here for more info.  

     For those unfamiliar with Bread and Puppet, they are the creation of Peter and Elka Schumann and have been staging original theater pieces for 63 years. The troupe is based in rural Glover, Vermont. According to Shumann:

          "We have two types of puppet shows: good ones and

          bad ones, but all of them are for good and against evil."

Peter Schumann

Elka Schumann

1935 - 2021

     The shows are often politically radical and definitely not MAGA endorsed. The 'Bread' in their name comes from the practice of sharing sourdough rye with the audience after each show and the 'Puppet' refers to their large cardboard and paper mache creations.

          "We give you a piece of bread with the puppet show

          because our bread and theater belong together. For a

          long time the theater arts have been separated from the stomach."

- Peter Schumann        

           

          

 

     I first saw them many years ago at Skidmore College in Saratoga and most recently last summer at one of their Circus's in Glover. (Unfortunately, an earlier in the day hike up nearby Wheeler Mountain left me in need of a nap and I slept thru most of the Circus!) The performances in Glover remind you of mini-Woodstocks with lot's of hippie vib, plenty of tie dye and the occasional VW microbus.

 

     Definitely check out the local shows this spring but for the full Bread and Puppet experience I would recommend a trip to the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont later this summer. If you've got a few days there is plenty of hiking and biking nearby and a paddle or beach day on Lake Willoughby is a must. The New Yorker's restaurant critic visited the area and raved about the local food scene in a recent issue. There is also the quirky Museum of Everyday Life as well as  Bread and Puppets own museum of art work from past performances. 

 

     Don't confuse Bread and Puppet with the Mettawee Theater. Both companies are known for their masks, costumes and puppets. Sadly, the Mettawee's much loved summer evening shows came to an end with founder Ralph Lee's death in 2023. They have been doing a one night potpourii of past shows at the Georgi in Shushan since then and they also take part in Salem's Fourth of July parade. Good things don't necessarily last forever. All the more reason to see a Bread and Puppet show while you can.

Ralph Lee

Go/Read/Write/Repeat

     "This is how you do it."

     'It' can be anything you can think of (and some things you probably shouldn't think about). From birth to grave we are all inundated with advice on every aspect of how to live. In a positive sense this is what makes us human: the ability to pass knowledge (and dare I say wisdom) on from one generation to the next. It's the reason we have schools, go to church, are awash in Youtube videos and Facebook pop philosophy.

     But a book I've just read reminds me of the writers dictum: 'show, don't tell'. The book is John Elder's Reading the Mountains of Home. It's a blueprint showing (not telling) how to have a relationship with a place. Elder is a retired English and Environmental Studies professor from Vermont's Middlebury College. He lives in Bristol, a small village that snugs up against the front range of the Green Mountains. Here the New Haven River has cut an impressive gap thru the Hogback Anticline with the Bristol Cliffs Wilderness Area to the south of town and rugged ledges and a high ridge extending to the north.   

 

Google Earth view of Bristol, Vermont looking north

Wilderness area at bottom, New Haven River gap and 

Hogback Ridge extending to top

     Reading the Mountains of Home begins with a poem by Robert Frost. 'Directive' tells of a walk up to the site of a long abandoned settlement. Frost knows this landscape intimately having lived just a few miles south of Bristol in Ripton. John Elder uses Frost's poem as inspiration and guidance for a number of hikes into the mountains. As you might guess, Frost's poem and Elder's book are about much more that a simple walk in the woods. Both men are looking for a deeper connection to where they call home.

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     The 'This is how you do it' lesson I take away is to first immerse yourself in a place. Walk in all seasons and all weather. Wander while seeing, listening, absorbing the world thru your senses. Let your natural curiosity guide you as your relationship with place develops. Let books, maps and knowledgable people give perspective to your experience. Let study of the natural and cultural history of your home enrich your rambles. And finally, interpret what you have experienced in words or sketches. Keeping a journal organizes and records your thoughts. Go/read/write/repeat. 

     Few of us will bring the talents of a college English professor to our writing but we can all learn from one. After receiving his Yale Ph.D, John Elder came to Middlebury in 1973 and taught there until his retirement in 2010. In 2008 he was named Vermont professor of the year. He also has a long history of teaching at the Bread Loaf School of English and is the author of a number of books. For an interesting YouTube video of Elder's thoughts about living in Bristol  click here. 

Bristol...

     I haven't been to Bristol in a few years but after reading Elder's book I'm itching to head up that way. I'll share a few thoughts here in case you also want to visit 'The Gateway to the Green Mountains'.

* A good overview of the towns attractions is available here.

* Whenever I climb Camels Hump (my fav mountain!) I usually stop at the Bobcat Cafe for burgers and beer on the way home. Other Bristol options are the Minifactory for breakfast/coffee and The Tillerman (a few miles outside of town) for wood fired pizza.

* One of my earliest memories of Bristol is parking by the green and then biking up towards Monkton before looping back along Rt. 116. Classic Vermont scenery.

* Paddlers might consider exploring Bristol Pond and its adjacent wetlands located just outside of town.

Topo maps of the Bristol area

* There is a lot of vertical rock around here and it can get confusing. Bristol Cliffs is the name of the wilderness area just south of the village. Its dominant feature is a striking west facing scarp. There are no trails and the only obvious access point is on the opposite (east) side. From 116 in Rocky Dale turn onto Lincoln Road then right again onto York Hill Road. At a sharp left bend look for a small parking area. Bring a map, compass and sense of adventure.

     Bristol Ledges is on the north side of the village. These seen to be an extension of the same scarp that forms the aformentioned cliffs but on the other side of the New Haven River gap. 

     Deers Leap is the obvious cliff rising above the river gap visible from the village. There are trails to the ledges and Leap. Check the previously mentioned Bristol attractions website for directions. Also note that while they are scenic and offer great views none of these sites have rock that appeals to climbers.

Deer's Leap

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* Two spots just east of town are the Lords Prayer Rock and Bartlett Falls swimming hole. Spiritual inspiration and spirited fun. What more could you ask for?

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* Finally, while you're in the area you might want to visit the Robert Frost Farm in nearby Ripton. I'm guessing this is where the poet wrote 'Directive'.

Frost's Vermont writing cabin