Bear Belly Adventures

The Pinnacle is a look out and has a nice hike to it through a preservation of the same name.  It is at the southeast base of the Adirondack Mountains and overlooks Lake George.  Nana and I decided to hike this 2.5 mile trail to check out the views of the lake.

Nana has done great at public access when in stores, restaurants or work.  At work she spent much of her time off leash while I moved around the office.  Outside her behavior isn’t always so stellar.  By pet standards she does great but by service dog standards she is easily distracted by scents and wants to follow them.  During most of our hikes in the past, I usually released her on a longer leash. She knows that when there is tension on the lead, it’s time to catch up.  This is fine for most hikes.  In some circumstances, I need to know she can ignore the scent. She must stay by my side. This is important on shared trails with horses, bikes, or trails that are narrow where others need to pass.  Another example would be in some National Parks where pets are not allowed.  As a service dog she would be.  It would be discourteous to allow her a full 15 foot lead to disrupt the ecosystem that is being protected.  She needs to manage to ignore her scent drive and stay in a close side or heal.  Today We are going to work on this.

It is supposed to be a high of 85℉.  We got an early start and made it to the trail head by 0800.There were a few other cars in the parking lot already.  The lot is large and parking was not a problem.  I got water for the dog and I.  I tossed my backpack on to start the hike.

There was a lot of shade on the trail.  The trail starts off mostly level with minimal elevation gains.  Nana was determined to sniff everything so the going was slow.  Each time she veered off to sniff I would redirect her attention and stop until she was capable of focusing on me.  Each time she tried to sniff the scent we would rinse and repeat until she was able to stay focused on me walking past the distraction.  A mix of praise and high value treats are used for motivation.  

The trail so far has been a mix of natural rock and packed dirt.  About 0.25 miles in there is a small wooden bridge that crosses a seasonal stream.  Unfortunately there was no running water for us.  The surrounding woods are a mix of spruce, pine, maple, beech and birch.  We can hear the birds chirping in the background.  The temperatures start to increase to match the sun as it rises higher in the sky.  

About 0.3 mile in we come to some switchbacks and we leave the gentle trail behind.  The trail is more rock than dirt now.  The fist sized ankle rolling rocks and large flat step like rocks form the trail.  The incline is much steeper and I can almost hear Nana panting over my own heavy breathing.  At this point neither one of us is focused on anything but reaching the top, least of all sniffing.  After climbing a near 13% grade for what seemed like forever, we finally reach the summit. We are greeted with a picture perfect view of the lake.  We walked out from under the tree canopy onto a rocky pinnacle overlooking Lake George.

 Lake George was glacially formed some 11,000 years ago.  The lake is referred to as Andia-ta-roc-te by both the Mohawk and Onondaga tribes and part of the Iroquois Nation. This means “the place where the mountains close in.”  The lake has quite the history.  The Native Americans in this area historically used the area as a seasonal place to hunt and fish.  Thomas Jefferson nicknamed it “The Queen of American Lakes.”  Its expansive size is 32 miles long and 3 miles at its widest. It reaches depths of almost 200 feet. It is one of the cleanest lakes in America.

A French Jesuit Missionary, Father Issac Jogues, named the lake “Lac Du Saint Sacrement” in the 1640’s.  Around 1755, during the French and Indian War, British colonial forces renamed the lake to Lake George. They did this in honor of King George II.  Several military engagements in the area are known as the Battle of Lake George. These battles are considered the first major victory for the British against the French.  In 1757, the French destroyed the British Fort William Henry. The battle in a massacre of the retreating British.

By the late 19th century, the Lake George area became a popular tourist destination. Steamboats traveled the shores. They ferried visitors to hotels and resorts.  Today, the tourism industry remains strong on Lake George. The Lake George Steamboat Company, established in 1817, is still in business. It transports people around the lake on large cruise-style steamers, paddle wheels, and engine boats.  One of their boats, The Mohican, Is the oldest operational passenger vessel in the United States.

The breeze at the top was amazing.  The view is even better.  Nana and I drank some water and relaxed on a large boulder that was still cool in the shade.  The lookout provides a view of the Tongue Mountain range, the Narrows and Buck Mountain to name a few.  

After having our fill of scenery we made the trek back down.  Going downhill was easier. Nevertheless, footing was tricky due to the grade. There were very round rocks that seemed prone to rolling under the feet.  We made it back to the Jeep, enjoyed some more water. 

On the way back to the campground I had a thought of visiting a wax museum. I plan to go in a couple of days. It’s supposed to be in the mid to high 90’s.  They have to keep the wax from melting. I figured it would be a slam dunk guarantee for some ice cold AC!