Ritzhikes

Where: Westfield River, Indian Hollow When: 8/12/00-8/13/00 With: Andy, Chip, Brian, Jason Chip & I had long talked about taking the boys out for a combined camping trip. The trick would be careful planning and selection of destination. Brian and Jason had done a lot of hiking and some camping, but never any backpack camping. Andy had a few years of backpacking under his belt but still wasn't up for a major mountain assault. In the end we decided to go back to Mr. Beaver's Paradise, a small rocky gorge along the Westfield River in Western Massachusetts. It was nearby and the walk from the car was short and level. The gorge itself was pretty neat, with a deep pool, a rope swing and some tall cliffs, and there were several good tent spots. We picked a mutually acceptable date and met at our house to begin the journey. I had been watching on-line river gauges all week and noticed the river level was high but acceptable. Our route required two river crossings and high wat...

Where: Pharaoh Lake When: 8/4/00-8/6/00 With: Bill & Tom It had been a while since the last Ritz Brothers hike so we began to make plans. Bill suggested Pharaoh Lake, near Lake George and in the same general area as another hike we'd done. We considered going in from the area we'd been at before, but were unsure of the condition of the access road so we decided to take a different route. The plan was for a two-night trip, Friday & Saturday, so I took a half vacation day and drove directly to Bill's from work. I arrived around 2PM and found no one there, but Tom showed up shortly, followed by Bill & Dad. Bill's car was in the shop and Dad had been giving him a ride. We discussed cars and agreed to take Bill's Caravan for the size. The gear was loaded in and we were on our way, but the van started bucking immediately and it was evident that it wouldn't be going anywhere soon. Fortunately Bill spotted Deb heading in the other direction so we did a...