Nineteen years ago in the summer of 92, the California girl living in New York City, made the first trek up to Saranac Lake (in upstate New York) for the first time. I got into a mini-van with a bunch of strangers and headed into the unknown. I had answered an ad in the New York Times for a private camp counselor, to entertain and supervise a group of cousins at an old Adirondack camp. Now here I am staring out of the window of my cabin, enjoying the beauty of Saranac Lake, while my own children lay asleep downstairs. My first hike up here 19 summers ago was St. Regis Mountain. Appropriately, I hiked St.Regis yesterday with my children and we celebrated our triumph with ice cream afterward just like we did all those summers ago. As I get ready to trek across country to move back to my home state, I can't help but reflect over the past 19 summers of memories from Saranac Lake. My first five summers were spent working for the family of Cottage #2. The children ranged in age from two to fourteen. I was a little scared about spending an entire month with strangers at first, but the adventurer in me was up for the challenge. The matriarch of the family, the grandmother was a classy and elegant lady. She taught me the value of enjoying the moment. I remember she had the mini-van pull over as we were on route to the camp, just to pick some flowers and to bask in the beauty of the surroundings. Once we arrived at the camp, she clearly came to life as she showed me the lake. She wanted me to teach the kids to enjoy each and every day at the lake. The camp had no electronics, no video games and no television. The lesson, to enjoy the simple things in life, swimming, playing, reading and resting. Oh yes, resting was a requirement as I quickly learned. Every day after lunch, there was a strict napping/rest policy.....no exceptions. That threw me off at first, that even the adults napped during this time. After I adjusted however, I absolutely came to adore that down time. I remember the first time I set eyes on Saranac Lake. I was overwhelmed by her beauty. I felt as if nature had thrown a huge hug around me, embracing me fully. During those first five summers, I learned the value of being completely in the moment and the importance of unplugging from society once in awhile. I always felt more rejuvenated and at peace after being at Saranac Lake. I have to send a special blessing to Ellen, the grandmother who inspired me. She saw some hidden potential in me and after my first summer at Cottage #2, she recommended that I be hired to work in their NYC office, so that I could be their camp counselor every summer. She passed away years ago but I will be forever grateful to her for allowing me the opportunity to find myself among the evergreens, mountains, trails and Saranac Lake. The children of Cottage #2 helped me grow in numerous ways as well. We all spent many long days on trails and we laughed, told stories, sang songs and celebrated with ice cream after each hike. We watched each other complete hikes we secretly thought we'd never survive and we peeled off muddy shoes and jumped into the lake after the most gruelling trails. We baked chocolate chip cookies at night, made s'mores and played monopoly endlessly. Those are summers I hope they never forget...I know that I won't ever forget the simplicity of just enjoying each others company. It is a lesson I try to teach my own children now.
Other memories of the Adirondack mountains include the time I brought my grad school girl friends up here to hike. I offered them a choice of a three mile hike or five mile hike. They were all avid runners at the time and type A personalities, so naturally, they opted for the five mile hike (10 miles round trip). I tried to warn them that hiking up here was tough, but they were confident in their abilities. Several girls went running before the hike, which is when I secretly knew that they had no idea what they were in for. Another girl had her full make-up on. I was laughing to myself. During the first hour of the hike, we all chatted and told stories. By the second hour however, the talking started to wane and I could tell that they were realizing that hiking was serious business. At the third hour, nobody was talking at all. It took us four hours to reach the top and I loved knowing that the mountain had taught them a thing or two. We devoured our peanut butter and jellies, enjoyed the magical view and headed back down. The trek down was a mission of survival. Again, nobody spoke the entire time. They did not want to admit that they had gotten themselves into something that challenged them to the depths of their souls. When we finally reached the bottom, we all jumped into the lake, clothes and all. Everybody was so sore that night that they could barely walk. I'll never forget that hike! One of the girls admitted later that she thought hiking meant a leisurely stroll through the woods. I've been bringing my own children up to Saranac Lake for the past 11 summers and now they have memories of hiking, s'mores, canoeing and swimming for endless hours in the lake. Many hikes like St Regis, hallenge them to their core. St.Regis is a 5-6 hour hike. They complained a few times but they kept going. Once on top, they basked in the glow of knowing that they completed something very difficult. I will be heading out on a kayak in few minutes to spend a little more time with Saranac Lake before I depart tomorrow. I am listening to the song, "I Hope You Dance" which seems fitting for how I feel right now. Enjoy life's simplest moments, bask in the beauty of nature and never forget.....that life is an adventure.
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