Boonville Cross Country/Snowshoe Weekend,  February 27 - March 1, 2009

Around noon on Friday the hosts met Mr. and Ms. Noah in the parking lot of the Headwaters Motor Lodge and discussed the soggy options. The Noahs continued on in search of critters for the boat ride, and the hosts greeted the Huggers as they sloshed in.

A brief lull in the rain allowed five intrepid hikers to explore the misty woods planted by the local author Walter D. Edmonds, who wrote Drums Along the Mohawk, a 1930’s best seller. The group split between two of Boonville’s eateries for dinner, and regrouped in the Motor Lodge lounge, as the temperature dropped, and the rain turned into a light snow.

Saturday morning brought a bright blue, cloudless sky, a forty-two degree drop in temperature (5°F), eggs, bacon and sausage breakfast in Room 21, and three feet of base snow waiting for nine skiers and ten snowshoers. At Egypt Road the groomer had already prepared the trails and set fresh tracks for the skiers to experience the "best conditions of the year". The snowshoers spent a couple of hours exploring the woods and the spruce swamp examining all of the signs left for us by the woodland creatures.

As we regrouped in the parking area at lunchtime, there was a crock-pot of homemade ham & split pea soup, minestrone, a grill with fresh Polish sausages, hot cocoa and coffee, cookies and chocolates for all. It was a Hugger-worthy tailgate party.

Refreshed by a bit of rest and repast, we again hit the woods and the trails. The snowshoers headed off in search of North Lake, and the skiers followed The Great Trail. Success was evident by the grins and cat-naps that were prevalent in the late afternoon. In true Hugger fashion, after sunset a Happy Hour magically appeared in the Lodge lounge. Photos of recent trips, and same day coverage, were shown with a backdrop of snacks and spirits. An order of dinners delivered from a local Pizzeria briefly quelled the chatter, the crowd slowly thinned, some games appeared, and the day was done.

Sunday morning dawned just as blue, and only one degree colder. Most of the contingent enjoyed the local breakfast hospitality of Slim’s Diner before pack-up and check-out. The skiers took off for the BREIA trails located high on Jackson Hill. The snowshoers traveled to Mohawk Springs State Forest to investigate the headwaters of the Mohawk River. We briefly shared one of the snowmobile super-highways on our trip to the start of the river, but found a brilliant quiet off the trail as we crossed the marsh from whence it flows. The close of the weekend was at Mom’s Diner in West Leyden as we warmed and ate before the road home. Many smiles were framed with sun ripened cheeks, and the thoughts of the snow waiting for our return next year.
- Kathy M & Bob D.

Back to top of page

Last modified: April 4, 2009