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Adirondack Rubies: Barton Mines Garnet Mine Tours, North River (NY)

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Digging for treasure is something that one doesn’t seem to grow out of. No matter our age it is still exciting to unearth a precious object. Sometimes the search for treasure is much more fun than the finding of it.   Barton Mines is one of the oldest continuous family-owned operating mines in the United States. Located in the Adirondack Park since 1878 Barton Garnet has produced garnet abrasive products.  While on our tour we are told that not only is the garnet New York State’s official gemstone, it is the hardest garnet in the world.  Barton Mine is located in North River (NY) , about 35 minutes from Lake George, Blue Mountain Lake and Long Lake. The Gore Mountain area has one of the largest deposits of this particular garnet, sometimes called the “Adirondack Ruby,” in the world. It is used in all sorts of industrial applications from sandpaper coatings to waterjet cutting abrasives.  This particular mine ceased operation in 1984 when a water vein flooded the p

Easy Short Adirondack Hikes: Inlet (NY) Ferd's Bog Hike (near Old Forge and Eagle Bay)

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Fred's Bog is a quick easy hike to a beautiful bog Ferd's Bog trail Distance = 0.3-mile Elevation and Vertical Ascent = n/a Walking along the Ferd Bog trail in Inlet, NY is a brief, but well spent hike. The 0.3-mile trail is not only a great way to stretch your legs after a road trip, but it is the perfect place to view rare Adirondack bog plants and boreal birds. The trailhead and register is right off Uncas Rd.  After spending a beautiful day in Inlet, my family is always looking for easy, short hikes to take the jitters and wiggles out of my ADK kids. Fred's Bog has a slight descent before reaching the level boardwalk After signing the register the trail starts out level, but does have a slight descent where the woodlands meet the wetlands. Watch out for roots as you descend. A plastic boardwalk finishes this easy hike into the beautiful bog.

Memorial Day History. Why Poppies for Memorial Day?

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Memorial Day  was officially proclaimed in 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his   General Order No. 11 , and was first observed on May 30, 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery.  • The first state to officially recognize the holiday was  New York  in 1873 • 1890 - Memorial Day was recognized by all northern states.  • The South refused to acknowledge the day until after World War I What changed?  The holiday now honors all Americans who died fighting in any war, not just those that died fighting in the Civil War.  • Some southern states still have a separate day honoring the Confederate war dead:   January 19 in Texas  April 26 in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and Mississippi  May 10 in South Carolina  June 3  in Louisiana and Tennessee, which just happens to be  Jefferson Davis' birthday Memorial Day (Remembrance Day, Poppy Day , Armistice Day)

Adirondack Invasives: Go Native! (Substitute Native Plants for Invasive Plants)

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Looking around my own property I find that I have inherited trees, shrubs and plants that are considered moderately invasive in the Adirondack Park. Before I go ripping up my whole yard, I am looking into substituting the plants with native species to New York and the Adirondacks. It will take some weeding, but will be worth it in the long run! Before you transplant know what is considered invasive! Adirondack Nature Conservancy (ANC) surveyed roadsides for the following invasive plants: Garlic mustard  ( Alliaria petiolata ) Russian and autumn olive  ( Elaeagnus angustifolia  and  E.  umbellata  ) Fly and tatarian honeysuckle (  Lonicera  morrowii  and  L. tatarica ) Purple loosestrife (  Lythrum  salicaria ) White sweet-clover (  Melilotus  alba) Common reed grass (  Phragmites  australis ) Japanese knotweed (  Polygonum  cuspidatum ) Common and smooth buckthorn (  Rhamnus  cathartica  and  R. frangula ) Black locust (  Robinia  pseudoacacia ) Black swallowwort 

Easy Short Adirondack Hikes: Sawyer Mountain Indian Lake/Blue Mountain Lake

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By Diane Chase Sawyer Mountain  Distance = 1.1 mile Elevation  =  Elevation  = 2,600' Vertical Ascent  = 640' Location: Between Indian Lake and Blue Mountain Lake (Hamilton County) Sawyer Mountain’s 1.1-mile climb is popular with a wide age set and we are no different. The parking lot has only one car as ours pulls in but we’ve been told it will soon fill up. My son signs us in at the trailhead register and we start the modest ascent to the summit. We soon catch up to the owners of the lone vehicle. The first thing we are asked is if the walk is going to be worth it. We have never been here before but our answer is a resounding yes. The trailhead and for most of the walk we are under a canopy of hardwoods. Mud from a recent rain provides a few obstacles but nothing we can’t handle. My daughter is rather curious about value added onto a climb. “Is it worth what,” she questions in a stage whisper, “money?” She is a typical six-year-old in that she realizes