the Way of the Turtle

WINTER CHILL... BUT NO SNOW
3.6 Mile Walk at Peebles Island State Park
Sunday, February 12, 2012

I had originally planned to do the Hoot Toot & Whistle snowshoe race this morning, despite the forecast of crummy trail conditions... and then it turned into an icy trail race last night, and the slight motivation I felt to make a four hour round trip to Readsboro vanished... after all, I can run plenty of trails a lot closer to home.

While a so-called "arctic chill" settling in for the day (incredible how the weather guys are exaggerating everything at all winter-like) wasn't all that bad, the wind was absolutely brutal - so I decided a walk was a better option, and headed over to Peebles Island to spend some time at the confluence of the Erie Canal and the Mohawk and Hudson Rivers. I wandered around the perimeter of the island, enjoying the views when I wasn't getting hammered by frigid windchills (mostly on the far end of the island.) Spotted gulls and geese in the water between the island and the Waterford waterfront, as well as a few ducks and a pair of mergansers. Heard quite a few birds in the woods, but only saw a sizeable group of robins. I figured the deer would stay hidden, but I spotted them near the end of my walk, foraging in the woods - must be close to a dozen of them on the island, which may explain why all the lawns around the are covered in deer scat.

There was lots of signs of the flooding that happened last August and September. Mud covering areas that should be grassy, debris that washed up with the floodwaters - given that the Waterford waterfront was underwater, I think it's safe to say that all the low-lying areas on the island were also flooded.

A number of historic structures are looking the worse for wear. One of the buildings in the Matton Shipyards has collapsed (admittedly, it's been several years since I've been there - I have no idea how long it's been that way.) The roof of a portion of the Cluett & Peabody bleachery has collapsed, though from the photos I've seen online that's at least 3-4 years old. I know finances are very tight these days, but I hope the state finds a way to stabilize these historic buildings. Much of our history has been lost in the rush to demolish the old and it would be a shame if these met the same fate due to the inactivity of those given stewardship.

It seems like I always end up at Peebles Island either in the winter or the summer - sometime I need to see what it looks like in another season.

JMH