Marjie and I loaded up the kids to hike Poke-o-Moonshine on Saturday, in the hopes of finding a clue in the mystery of the anonymous nature journal. Mystery Writer was there on September 7, 2006 and wrote about seeing ravens, hawks, and birch trees along the trail.
Unfortunately, the DEC log book at the trailhead only went back as far as January 30, 2007. What happened to the book for last September?? The worker at the ranger station told us to try calling the DEC in Ray Brook next week to see if they still have it. He’s not sure if they keep the old ones or throw them out.
The trip wasn’t wasted, though. It was a beautiful hiking day.
Visibility was fantastic, so the view of the Adirondacks was spectacular.
We found a patch of lady slippers tucked in the woods alongside the trail.
The fire tower wasn’t open, but we climbed part of the way up to enjoy the view.
We brought Mystery Writer’s journal to the summit for inspiration while we did a little writing and sketching of our own.
We stopped to rescue an Eastern newt from the middle of the busy trail on our way down.
We got back to the car with tired legs but healthier souls, true to Mystery Writer’s promise, and I’m convinced her journal was happy to see an Adirondack summit again after those months under the snow.
Next stop on the Nancy Drew Adirondack Mystery tour? Probably Silver Lake Bog or Coon Mountain, both beautiful hikes with log books we can check out. Stay tuned!