New York: Saratoga and Ticonderoga

August 7, 2009

Having lately cultivated an interest in early American history, I decided to visit Saratoga National Historical Park and Fort Ticonderoga, scenes of colonial and Revolutionary War events.

Saratoga was the scene of a pivotal series of battles in 1777 that resulted in the formal entry of France into the American Revolutionary War (it had already been "covertly" supporting the independence movement). While the Americans had management issues in the defending army, they were able to raise both army and militia forces to defeat a British army coming from Quebec. (Pictured at right: Philip Schuyler, who led the army until August 1777, Horatio Gates, who led during the key battles, and Daniel Morgan, whose men played an important role. Not pictured, since there is no statue, is Benedict Arnold, whose valor at Saratoga on behalf of the Americans was overshadowed by his treacherous change of sides in 1780. Arnold is commemorated at Saratoga by the Boot Monument, which honors his left leg, which was severely injured in the second battle.) The national park encompasses the battlefield and the location about 10 miles to the north where John Burgoyne's army eventually surrendered. While I enjoyed a beautiful morning exploring the area, I personally find historic battlefield photos unininspiring, hence none here...

From Saratoga it's a drive north along the Hudson to Glens Falls, and then along Lake George to the small town of Ticonderoga. While portions of the NY Route 9N are scenic, the views along the southern reaches of the lake are constrained by somewhat intensive resort buildup. The fort is best known for being the scene of action both during the Revolution and the French and Indian War, when a large, incompetently-led British army was defeated by a French defense about 25% of its size. Due to strategic issues with the fort's location (it is overlooked by hills where cannons can easily be placed to fire into it), the fort itself was never actually directly attacked either in that battle, or during the 1777 campaign, when the defending Americans withdrew to avoid being surrounded and captured.

Following an afternoon at Fort Ticonderoga, which included a demonstration of musket and cannon fire, I camped at the nearby Rogers Rock Campground.

Vermont: Bennington, Stratton Mountain

August 5, 2009

This day began a six-day trip through southern Vermont and adjacent portions of New York State. My goals were two-fold: first, to explore the greener parts of Vermont, and second, to visit a few historically interesting American Revolutionary War sites.

My first goal after departing the home turf was the southern Green Mountains, where I planned to camp on the first night. I drove a leisurely route to Bennington, Vermont, where I had a nice lunch at the Madison Brewery Company.

Unbeknownst to me until I got there, Bennington was in the middle of celebrating Moosefest, marked by placing colorfully-decorated fiberglass moose around town. I did not seek all of them out, but a few caught Bear's interest.

Eventually we escaped the clutches of the moose-infested town and made our way into the mountains, where I occupied one of the road-side campsites on the Kelly Stand Road. This now-depopulated area was once the site of a speech by Daniel Webster attended by 15,000 people.

August 6, 2009

After an uneventful night, I made my way to the local trailhead for the Long Trail and headed north to the summit of Stratton Mountain (which is probably best known for having a ski area on it. It was a beautiful day, and the summit tower had stupendous views in all directions. I also chatted with other hikers, some of whom were through-hiking either the Long Trail or the Appalachian Trail. One of them was kind enough to leave us with a few photos.

As the hike to the summit was not an overly difficult one, I returned to the car by early afternoon, and headed west. Crossing into New York, I checked into a commercial campground on the Batten Kill River for the night.