What happens when it just keeps raining? If you guessed that the water level in Lake Harriman just keeps rising, you're right! In fact, due to the really significant amounts of rain in the entire Northeast, there are nice tinkly little waterfalls in places there never were waterfalls before. And they are all feeding into the lake.
Last weekend, although the weather was good, the lake was cold - really cold, 61 degrees Fahrenheit, in fact. That's fully 10 degrees cooler than it was even two weeks ago. Refreshing is the right word, when I'm trying to be polite. (Sometimes I'm not so polite. This is, after all, June.)
But worse, the water level is at historical highs. It was quite disappointing to see a number of people come by, only to find no place to set up at all, and give up. I don't think I've ever seen that happen before. Some people are happy to squeeze in to what space there is, but others prefer a bit more privacy, and they just aren't going to get it for a while.
It looks, though, like the pattern of the last month is finally breaking. We'll know, I guess, when we go even a couple of days without significant rainfall. Weather looks reasonable for the upcoming weekend - summery humidity levels, with some chance of thundershowers but nothing unusual. We'll just have to see.
At least TransCanada seems to realize this year that they have more water than they can possibly use for power generation, and they've started to draw down the water level at a modest rate already, even though there's not any demand to speak of for peak electricity yet. Perhaps by July 4 the main ledge will be open again.
Wednesday, June 19, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
Hot weekend, great start to the season
After a really lousy Memorial Day (some places got snow, no kidding), the weekend of June 1st was hot, humid, and very sunny. Water level was up significantly due to the previous week's downpours, but not as high as I feared. Further good news - it was definitely warm enough to swim.
It was entertaining to be asked if it was safe to jump from the rope swing. I always patiently explain to people that early in the season jumping and diving is fine - it's just later, when the water has gone down fifteen feet, that there may not be as much clearance as one would like. If in doubt, ask a local. Right now, though, you can jump/dive safely from either the ledge with the rope swing, or the high rock with the lone spruce tree (provided, of course, that you aim for deep water and away from the ledge).
People turned out in surprising numbers, and there were a few newcomers mingled with the familiar faces. Lots of news traded hands too - personal, some of it, but some of interest to the broader naturist community - specifically that Lighthouse Beach on Long Island has been closed to nudists. This is blamed on Hurricane Sandy, but most people who used to go there think it has a lot more to do with a certain head ranger who is new and doesn't approve of nudity in general. Not sure what exactly will happen - but people from that part of the world are understandably upset by the turn of events.
I'll definitely be by again this coming weekend. While it may be rainy Saturday morning, there's a good chance at the time of this writing that Saturday afternoon will be decent. And Sunday looks great. In the immortal words of Jack Lord: Be there. Aloha!
It was entertaining to be asked if it was safe to jump from the rope swing. I always patiently explain to people that early in the season jumping and diving is fine - it's just later, when the water has gone down fifteen feet, that there may not be as much clearance as one would like. If in doubt, ask a local. Right now, though, you can jump/dive safely from either the ledge with the rope swing, or the high rock with the lone spruce tree (provided, of course, that you aim for deep water and away from the ledge).
People turned out in surprising numbers, and there were a few newcomers mingled with the familiar faces. Lots of news traded hands too - personal, some of it, but some of interest to the broader naturist community - specifically that Lighthouse Beach on Long Island has been closed to nudists. This is blamed on Hurricane Sandy, but most people who used to go there think it has a lot more to do with a certain head ranger who is new and doesn't approve of nudity in general. Not sure what exactly will happen - but people from that part of the world are understandably upset by the turn of events.
I'll definitely be by again this coming weekend. While it may be rainy Saturday morning, there's a good chance at the time of this writing that Saturday afternoon will be decent. And Sunday looks great. In the immortal words of Jack Lord: Be there. Aloha!
Thursday, May 9, 2013
Almost managed to swim last weekend
I visited The Ledges on both Saturday and Sunday last weekend. Weather was sunny and dry both days, with cold mornings but fine afternoons. Even though the front gate is closed, and the leaves on the trees are just starting to appear, plenty of people turned up; mostly regulars, but a couple of unfamiliar faces. The water, however inviting, was just too cold for anything other than a quick, breathless splash.
Conditions at the beach, though, are excellent this year. Almost no winter damage at all, and the water level was still low, meaning there was a lot of beach to use. Sun was intense - I got a bit of a burn - but on the whole it felt great to be out again after a long cold winter. I'm sure the water level will rise, but with luck (since it's been pretty dry) it won't come up much between now and the first traditional beach days on Memorial Day weekend. In any case, I'll keep an eye peeled for you. ;-)
Conditions at the beach, though, are excellent this year. Almost no winter damage at all, and the water level was still low, meaning there was a lot of beach to use. Sun was intense - I got a bit of a burn - but on the whole it felt great to be out again after a long cold winter. I'm sure the water level will rise, but with luck (since it's been pretty dry) it won't come up much between now and the first traditional beach days on Memorial Day weekend. In any case, I'll keep an eye peeled for you. ;-)
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Labor-Day Barbeque
Labor Day has come and gone. I can hardly believe the summer passed so quickly!
Labor Day weekend at The Ledges is a special weekend. Unless a natural disaster strikes (e.g. Hurricane Irene), it is traditional for folks to bring a potluck dinner on the Sunday afternoon before the holiday - or on Monday afternoon if Sunday is rained out. Food is usually plentiful and good, and the festivities tend to involve progressively sillier activities - for instance, hula hoops and not-very-in-tune guitar playing - as the evening wears on.
This year the weather was quite good, and there were many familiar faces of regulars present, along with their extended families. I was surprised, though, at how few non-regulars stopped by, given how perfect the weather was. Water is still perfect, and the water level is still high enough to dive off of the cliff (as long you aim away from the big underwater boulder to the left). I guess summer now ends before Labor Day for too many people.
It is looking, though, like a warm fall, which means we may well be swimming well into October. Trees have not even developed a hint of color, which is unusual for this time of year. If you are visiting the Vermont foliage, make a point of stopping in.
Labor Day weekend at The Ledges is a special weekend. Unless a natural disaster strikes (e.g. Hurricane Irene), it is traditional for folks to bring a potluck dinner on the Sunday afternoon before the holiday - or on Monday afternoon if Sunday is rained out. Food is usually plentiful and good, and the festivities tend to involve progressively sillier activities - for instance, hula hoops and not-very-in-tune guitar playing - as the evening wears on.
This year the weather was quite good, and there were many familiar faces of regulars present, along with their extended families. I was surprised, though, at how few non-regulars stopped by, given how perfect the weather was. Water is still perfect, and the water level is still high enough to dive off of the cliff (as long you aim away from the big underwater boulder to the left). I guess summer now ends before Labor Day for too many people.
It is looking, though, like a warm fall, which means we may well be swimming well into October. Trees have not even developed a hint of color, which is unusual for this time of year. If you are visiting the Vermont foliage, make a point of stopping in.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Where DID all these people come from??
I visited The Ledges last Friday, and also on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Weather on Friday was perfect - clear and sunny, warm, not too much wind - but given the perfect conditions, surprisingly few people were there.
Saturday was an entirely different affair. It was warm and humid and unstable, but nevertheless 200 people showed up, many of them apparently new - and many via boats and rafts. It looked like the beginnings of a regular party! But the weather took a hard turn for the worst at about 2:30 in the afternoon, and we had thunder, lightning, torrential downpours - which just did not let up. Surprisingly, most of the visitors stuck around, hiding under tarpaulins or in the woods. After a while I gave up and walked back to my car, which was far enough for me to be thoroughly soaked - but I'm told others stuck it out until 5:30 or even later. Hardy bunch! I shudder to think how they managed to paddle those rafts back across the lake during the storm, though.
Sunday looked like it was going to be a repeat of Saturday - but although we had rain showers, there was no thunder or lightning, so people just swam around in the rain. The rain showers started earlier, so the number of people were less, but still substantially above Friday's numbers. Lots of extended families came, which was nice - even though not all of them were nudists, of course.
Monday it was cooler and breezy but quite sunny. The place looked almost deserted. I had the entire main ledge to myself.
I suppose it is inevitable that The Ledges becomes more or less a weekend phenomenon. There are many reasons for this. For one thing, it is becoming ever more unusual for families to spend significant amounts of their summers in the country. People are working more and more, and when they aren't working they're paying their bills and doing their taxes. Also, the school year is also growing in length - which is something I'm not sure I approve of, since I think we're already in danger of overemphasizing formal education at the expense of what I would call "life education". But that's a good subject for a different post.
Saturday was an entirely different affair. It was warm and humid and unstable, but nevertheless 200 people showed up, many of them apparently new - and many via boats and rafts. It looked like the beginnings of a regular party! But the weather took a hard turn for the worst at about 2:30 in the afternoon, and we had thunder, lightning, torrential downpours - which just did not let up. Surprisingly, most of the visitors stuck around, hiding under tarpaulins or in the woods. After a while I gave up and walked back to my car, which was far enough for me to be thoroughly soaked - but I'm told others stuck it out until 5:30 or even later. Hardy bunch! I shudder to think how they managed to paddle those rafts back across the lake during the storm, though.
Sunday looked like it was going to be a repeat of Saturday - but although we had rain showers, there was no thunder or lightning, so people just swam around in the rain. The rain showers started earlier, so the number of people were less, but still substantially above Friday's numbers. Lots of extended families came, which was nice - even though not all of them were nudists, of course.
Monday it was cooler and breezy but quite sunny. The place looked almost deserted. I had the entire main ledge to myself.
I suppose it is inevitable that The Ledges becomes more or less a weekend phenomenon. There are many reasons for this. For one thing, it is becoming ever more unusual for families to spend significant amounts of their summers in the country. People are working more and more, and when they aren't working they're paying their bills and doing their taxes. Also, the school year is also growing in length - which is something I'm not sure I approve of, since I think we're already in danger of overemphasizing formal education at the expense of what I would call "life education". But that's a good subject for a different post.
Monday, July 9, 2012
Weather at The Ledges
I spent most of last week at The Ledges. Weather was perfect, water was just cool enough to be refreshing, and the water level was at exactly the average height for this time of year - well, the average ever since TransCanada bought the dam four or five years ago, anyhow. Level is just about perfect for cliff jumping/diving (I dive quite a bit myself), and there's enough room for most folks to find a place, if they're not too terribly shy. Water level continues to drop, so by the time you read this, there will no doubt be even more real estate available.
As usual, the weather (especially on July 4th and again on July 7th) did not behave as the weather forecasters predicted. Both days were largely lovely, even though they were predicted to be cloudy with occasional showers. I feel sorry for the weathermen who try to put together a decent forecast for southern Vermont - all the hilly terrain must upset their models significantly. But even if you just look at the Lake Whitingham weather versus the rest of southern Vermont, there's often a huge difference. The Lake is in the lee of the main spine of the Greens, and I think this messes things up quite a lot. It's pretty typical, in fact, for there to be clouds on days that are supposed to be clear, and visa versa. Lately, the luck has been in the direction of better weather than expected... so let's hope that continues for the rest of the summer.
Honorable visitor mentions this past week included a delegation from Troy, NY - always great to meet people from the RPI community - and a shriek-tastic bunch of local teens who obviously had a great time. I also chatted with a couple from Saratoga, NY, who had been visiting Abbots' Glen for years but who had never even heard of The Ledges. Furthermore, the information they got from the Town of Wilmington about the place turned out to be wildly incorrect. This makes me think we may want to advertise a little - maybe cards and/or tee-shirts. What do people think of the following tag lines? Whatever I'd do would of course link back to this blog.
"Swim Naked - it's Cooler and Way More Fun"
"Dare To Consider a World Without Tan Lines"
Comments welcome...
As usual, the weather (especially on July 4th and again on July 7th) did not behave as the weather forecasters predicted. Both days were largely lovely, even though they were predicted to be cloudy with occasional showers. I feel sorry for the weathermen who try to put together a decent forecast for southern Vermont - all the hilly terrain must upset their models significantly. But even if you just look at the Lake Whitingham weather versus the rest of southern Vermont, there's often a huge difference. The Lake is in the lee of the main spine of the Greens, and I think this messes things up quite a lot. It's pretty typical, in fact, for there to be clouds on days that are supposed to be clear, and visa versa. Lately, the luck has been in the direction of better weather than expected... so let's hope that continues for the rest of the summer.
Honorable visitor mentions this past week included a delegation from Troy, NY - always great to meet people from the RPI community - and a shriek-tastic bunch of local teens who obviously had a great time. I also chatted with a couple from Saratoga, NY, who had been visiting Abbots' Glen for years but who had never even heard of The Ledges. Furthermore, the information they got from the Town of Wilmington about the place turned out to be wildly incorrect. This makes me think we may want to advertise a little - maybe cards and/or tee-shirts. What do people think of the following tag lines? Whatever I'd do would of course link back to this blog.
"Swim Naked - it's Cooler and Way More Fun"
"Dare To Consider a World Without Tan Lines"
Comments welcome...
Monday, June 4, 2012
Memorial Day
I stopped by The Ledges twice on Memorial Day weekend. Weather was fantastic (despite the forecast), and the water was cold but quite swim-able. The lake level was high but not excessively so. Some of the flotsam and jetsam has been floated by the higher water and I'd certainly recommend caution if piloting a motorboat, but otherwise it was a fairly minor problem.
I think the weather forecast may have frightened away quite a lot of people, because there were fewer people there than I would have expected - but you can never frighten away The Ledges regulars. Looking forward to the next weekend that's decent weather-wise, and when I have enough time to stay a while.
I think the weather forecast may have frightened away quite a lot of people, because there were fewer people there than I would have expected - but you can never frighten away The Ledges regulars. Looking forward to the next weekend that's decent weather-wise, and when I have enough time to stay a while.
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