Write-up: Lu Blanchard
Leader: Lu Blanchard
Co-Leader: Bob Kane

As often happens with our hikes, the weather turned out much better than forecast and instead of morning rain and temps in the low 40s we had morning clouds which gave way to beautiful blue skies and sun with temps in the mid-50s. All I could think of while hiking is Gail H.’s comment on hiking on Sunday – we’re already in the blue-sky cathedral- could a church be any better?

There were five of us who explored the newly refurbished Foxy Brown x-country ski trail. According to a DEC sign, “the trail was named after Adirondack hermit Foxy Brown, whose real name was David Brennan. He moved to the area approximately in 1890 from Boston, NY(sic). Foxy Brown worked logging operations around Lake Pleasant and Speculator, then known as Newton Corners, before settling in the backcountry about 6-miles north of Piseco. He built himself a little log cabin at the lower end of an old logging flow on Fall Stream, where he lived for about 25 years….”

We were very pleased with the improvements to the trail-especially on the one stream (where an intrepid Tramp went through the snow bridge on a long-ago hike while x-country skiing with Harold and group, making for very wet and cold feet) which now has a beautiful bridge complete with a push-out, with benches no less! We took the opportunity to have lunch here. It still is a wet trail, but in the worst places, bridges have been added and a lot of cut-back has been done. There are still stands of balsam which would be lovely to walk through in the heat when the fragrance is at its peak. The trail also goes through a lot of hardwood stands that in the summer would be very cooling. Today we welcomed their openness which allowed the sun to shine through!

We heard very few birds, one woodpecker, one possible winter wren and saw even less wildlife. However, the amount of scat on the trail was evidence it is there. At one point along the western side of the trail it looked like a pack of coyotes had used the trail with multiple dumpings on about a 100-foot stretch. (Sorry, poop is cool when it happens on the trail and isn’t dog or human!) I’d suggest people get out and enjoy this trail and all the work that was done. Thanks to Mary Pat, Dianna, Kathleen and Bob for going on the hike with me.