The Wild Walk in Tupper Lake, New York

I took a drive down to The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, an Adirondack natural history museum, but it was so very crowded that I could barely move inside, much less see the exhibits. Besides, I'd just toured it in December, 2013 (here, here, and here). So I left the museum building and walked out to see their newly opened exhibit, The Wild Walk:

The Wild Walk is a sky-walk which takes visitors up and over a portion of Adirondack forest, giving them a treetop view which only the wildlife usually gets to see:

The walk took me across a wide, plank walkway, supported by giant, steel pylons and gradually lifted higher and higher as I walked. The crowds which had so bothered me inside the museum became part of the fun here, as everyone was exploring and having a good time. Besides, we were outdoors:

There were intersections, turns, returns, ramps, platforms and much more to see as I walked higher:

Chairs hung from the center of some of the pylons:

And at the highest point of all was a gigantic "bird's nest," which people climbed into to see the world from an eagle's point of view:

I continued walking as the treetops dropped below the ramps:

And  could see ahead that there was much more to The Wild Walk for me yet to visit:

Another highlight was the spider's web, a sort of suspended trampoline for the kids to enjoy. The adults watched from the boardwalk, but I'll bet some adults have given it a try:

And beside the web was a giant spider. You can also see the bird's nest in the background:

And then I encountered several walkways, suspended on cables so they bounced as we walked. They led to what must be the biggest hollow tree on earth. The tree looked so real that everyone tapped it when they arrived to find out if it was wooden. It was concrete. Once inside, a spiral staircase descended to the next level, with interactive bird call exhibits along the way:

It was a wonderful experience for an old codger like me, and undoubtedly an even more exciting experience for the children. If you are in the Adirondacks, I'd highly recommend it:

Bear Mountain, In The Cranberry Lake Wild Forest - Part 1

On day two of my sister's visit, we made PeeWee comfortable, put the other dogs in the car and drove down Route 30 toward the village of Tupper Lake. But on the way, we stopped at Lake Clear to walk the sandy beaches:

It was still early in the morning, the winds were strong, the temperature frigid and the waves pounded the shoreline almost like we were at the ocean:

We walked a short distance on the golden sands and admired the autumn colors and distant mountains:

We explored into the forest just a bit to get a look at a tributary:

But then we headed back to our parked car. The dogs loved this romp on the beach but frankly, I was shivering:

We drove to Tupper Lake and then turned west toward Cranberry Lake, where we located the trail head for Bear Mountain and began hiking up the trail:

The trail began easy enough, and the autumn leaves were lovely. The dogs ran and played:

I set Fergus on a mossy log for a picture, but he seemed to be embarrassed about it:

We passed a lean-to, and stopped briefly to take a closer look:

It rained several times while we were on the trail, but the trees overhead protected us:

The trail became steeper and much more rocky, presenting my injured ankles with some tricky walking. We made it in fine shape, though I paid a price for it with ankle pain that night:

I'd never hiked Bear Mountain before and was looking forward to the scenic overlook. But I'll post about that in Part 2, tomorrow:

Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days - Part 3

I'd toured the chainsaw carving area and the venders' area, buying myself a bit to eat. It was almost time for the Chainsaw Carving Contest to begin, so I found a bleacher seat and waited for it to begin:

The lumberjack show would begin later, up on that stage:

The chainsaw carving competition began in earnest:

While up on the stage, preparations were being made for the lumberjack show:

The smoke and noise from the chainsaws were overwhelming, adding to the excitement. A woman next to me said that white pole on the left was greased, for a greased pole climbing competition later that afternoon:

But there wasn't a lot of action, so I had plenty of time to watch the preparations for the next show:

It was a grand day:

The woman on the left had two chainsaws which refused to start. The third chainsaw started but was obviously dull. I felt sorry for her and she quickly sent what I assumed to be a call for help on her cell phone:

But in the end, I couldn't stay any longer and had to leave. I exited the park, passing by Tupper Lake's permanent woodsman statue on the road:

As I walked to my car, I passed by these poles buried in the ground. I guessed that there would be a pole climbing competition, though I would not be there to see it:

Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days - Part 2

I walked from the chainsaw carving area (see yesterday's post) and continued along the road by the lake, passing these classic cars which had been used in the parade earlier that morning:

There were huge piles of saw logs and heavy equipment, both of them to be used in the lumberjack competitions:

Truckloads of logs were pulling in off the main road, honking their horns loudly and continuously. I never did find out if they were delivering logs for use in the festivities or if they were just stopping by to see or compete in the Woodsmen's Days:

I moved on into the food venders' area, which was just getting started:

I tried spun maple sugar, or maple flavored cotton candy:

There were wine slushies and beer. The beer, as you might imagine was a big seller, even in the morning:

Hand crafted Adirondack furniture:

Adirondack bedroom furniture:

Tree climbing for the kids, with funnel cakes and lemonade for everyone:

More floats from the morning's parade:

I stopped along the edge of Tupper Lake to enjoy its beauty, though this part of the lake is supposed to be called Raquette Pond. I got a bit of food to eat and began walking toward the grandstand area to see the competitions, but I'll post about that tomorrow:

Tupper Lake Woodsmen's Days - Part 1

I'd looked forward to seeing the Woodsmen's Days for a long time. The weekend arrived and I drove the scenic roads to Tupper Lake. I parked, paid my admission and began walking into the chainsaw carving area. There were many partially finished sculptures, some of which I couldn't yet identify:

And finished sculptures such as these eagles, tables, bears and benches:

The parade was over but some of the floats were still parked along the shore of the lake:

I continued walking and snapping pictures of the chainsaw sculptures. There were wizards and sea gods and, of course, more bears:

And more parked parade floats:

An unfinished eagle, capturing a fish:

A cryptic figure beside a tree with an owl:

And smaller, finished sculptures:

Eagles, owls, bears, frogs, deer:

And, always, lots more bears, the original and perennial chainsaw sculpture subject:

I enjoyed the chainsaw sculptures but had a lot more yet to see, so I kept walking. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: