Dispatches from around the Adirondacks leading up to, during and after the total solar eclipse
Staff reports
5 p.m.: Taking to the road
The routes out of town filled with bumper-to-bumper traffic. At least 1,000 people at Marcy Field began exiting as hundreds dispatched from Lake Placid.
3:20 p.m.: A Saranac Lake celebration
She planned this day for years.
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Veronica Spann, a Boston photographer, turned 31 today and was ecstatic during totality. She said she will remember the day, surrounded by 37 friends and family who sang her happy birthday at Lake Flower moments before totality. The group came from all over the world and stayed in Saranac Lake.
— James M. Odato
3:20 p.m.: Girl Scouts at Lake Luzerne
At Hidden Lake Girl Scout Camp in Lake Luzerne, more than 100 people gathered to watch the solar eclipse. Linda Stephen, Girl Scout experience specialist, had been planning the event since the last solar eclipse in 2017.
As the eclipse approached near totality, Girl Scouts began to chant for the moon. A shiver ran through the crowd as day dimmed into temporary dusk. “It’s just a sliver,” one scout exclaimed. They all peered through eclipse glasses.
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“It’s so cold,” another scout said.
They ate Moon pies, a fitting dessert, as the shadows shifted back to sun across the camp and pristine Adirondack lake.
“It was dark and spooky,” said 8-year-old Julianna Notaro, a Brownie from Wynantskill.
Sixteen-year-old Dora Kilmer, from Troy, said she was surprised how fast the near totality came and went.
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It was a special event for the Girl Scouts of Northeastern New York, who began an astronomy club in 2021. From the organization’s Daisies to Girl Scouts, attendees received a special patch for watching the solar eclipse. The day’s activities also included making spectroscopes out of Girl Scout cookie boxes to learn about the spectrum of light.
— Gwendolyn Craig
3:02 p.m.: Saranac Lake, first-grader party
Parents of first-graders gathered with their youngsters and family after traveling from Manhattan to view the eclipse in Saranac Lake. The party of 18 were organized by David Goldberg and his wife Maricor Santiago, parents of kids from Speyer Legacy School. Maricor said traveling to the Adirondacks for the event for the children to mix outside of school was fun and educational. They secured rooms months ago in the Hotel Saranac for the group.
— James M. Odato
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2:20 p.m.: Lake Flower plein air painting
Artist Sandra Hildreth on Sunday night started painting a landscape at Saranac Lake and since 12:30 p.m. Monday continued the work along Lake Flower. She will update it as the scene changes during the hours of the eclipse. From 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday, Hildreth and other artists who had fanned out to work, will show their creations, including photography, at the Adirondack Artists Guild Gallery, 52 Main St., Saranac Lake.
— Tracy Ormsbee
2 p.m.: Ticonderoga
In Ticonderoga where totality was close to 99.81%, cars lined the downtown streets during lunchtime. James Cawley, owner of the Star Trek Original Series Set Tour and a 38-year Elvis impersonator, opened his business’s doors on Monday to welcome outer space enthusiasts.
“We’re generally only open weekends this time of year,” he said, but had welcomed a few hundred Star Trek lovers from as far away as San Francisco, California over the last 48 hours. “It’s a once in a lifetime kind of thing for us,” he said.
— Gwendolyn Craig
1 p.m.: Old Forge
A glimpse at the scene in Old Forge: 55 degrees, mostly sunny, and minimal traffic. Several folks (many donning eclipse hoodies and t-shirts) have chosen to peruse local stores while intermittently gazing up at the sky, discussing where to set up shop for an optimal view of the solar eclipse this afternoon. While the crowds are not what the area typically sees during the summer/July 4 weekend, there is significantly more foot traffic in the area during a time when Old Forge is usually dubbed a “ghost town.”
— Jamie Organski
1 p.m.: Northway buildup
Social media posts show a traffic image indicating a great deal of motorists on I-87 starting at Exit 22 around Lake George. If you can get to 511ny.org, you’ll see lots of red on the Northway and even some of the ancillary roads.
Plenty of people made it to Whiteface Mountain. Hundreds of cars are at the facility’s lot and an attendant said space is filling up. The mountain in Wilmington is one of several viewing areas that the Olympic Regional Development Authority offers. Others include the ski jump site in Lake Placid and the speed skating oval in downtown.
— James M. Odato, Chloe Bennett
12:30: Legislature breaks in Albany
The state Senate broke to view the eclipse after passing budget extender legislation that the Assembly had passed on Monday so that its members could witness the celestial event in their districts. The state budget was due April 1 but extender bills have pushed the deadline ahead twice, the latest until Thursday. Gov. Kathy Hochul is expected to view the eclipse in Western New York.
— James M. Odato
Noon: Day-drinking at Ausable Brewing Co.
Brothers Dan and Dylan Badger, who own Ausable Brewing Company in Keeseville, turned the eclipse into a booming weekend of business with the busiest day in the brewery’s 10 years on Sunday.
“Yesterday was our busiest day ever, and it wasn’t the eclipse,” Dylan said. They didn’t know if people on Monday would be too busying eyeing the sky to outpace Sunday’s sales.
The brewery sold 400 tickets for spots to view the eclipse at the brewery. By 11:30 a.m., nearly 100 people had started to settle in for the solar show, sipping IPAs and ambers as they waited. They sold most of them on site this weekend, encouraging locals to snag the spots. When they put the remaining tickets on sale Sunday night, they sold out in minutes, Dan said.
“We tried as much as possible to cater to locals,” Dan said. “That’s who keeps us going the rest of the year.”
— Zachary Matson
Terry Peterson, a retired engineer from Scotia, drove up to the brewery on Sunday to get purchases. His wife Melissa Peterson had recently searched for “breweries near Lake Placid,” aiming to find a spot in the path of totality but outside the chaos of Lake Placid itself.
“Anytime nature does something you don’t get to see everyday, it’s amazing,” Melissa said.
Holly Buckley, of Chicago, visited Shawn and JoAn Finucane, of Peru, to watch the eclipse. They made sandwiches, snacked on chips and drank craft beer at a picnic table as they waited for the eclipse.
They donned tinfoil hats and were prepared for whatever the rare event would bring
“We’re ready for the aliens, the zombies, whatever is going to happen,” Buckley said.
11:30 a.m.: Parking lots filling up; traffic jams
Marcy Field, vacant yesterday except a sign inviting eclipse traffic, is filled with cars, as in no room left. Traffic is steady on Route 73. No one seems to be violating the rule of not pulling off the roadway. The roadway parking at John Brown Farm, another viewing site, is lined with cars.
A traffic jam on Route 87 between exits 17 and 16 at Wilton caused some problems. An accident occurred that resulted in a couple of lane closures as motorists entered the Northway. Google Maps says the slowdown may be ending soon. The accident seems to be under control near the Spier Falls Road bridge.
At the Adirondack Welcome Center, sleepy on Sunday, cars are parked by the dozens today.
11 a.m.: Poke-O-Moonshine
Tom Esmond planned to spend his 70th birthday watching a rare celestial event atop a scenic Adirondack mountain.
Esmond and four friends from the Albany area rented a house in Lake Placid as soon as they could over a year ago and scouted Poke-O-Moonshine as a trail out of the central High Peaks and close to the Northway – for quick access after the eclipse.
The group, all five 46ers and regular visitors to the park, prepared for the hike to the summit Monday morning in a full parking lot. They said they visited a crowded John Brown farm on Sunday.
“They arranged this eclipse for me,” Esmond said.
Judith Archibold did arrange a series of lemon cupcakes topped with black fondant in the pattern of the gradual blocking the moon will do of the sun Monday afternoon. They also packed cocktails for the summit.
Ernie Langford was the only of the friends who had seen a previous total eclipse, one in Texas 30 years ago and one in Tennessee the last time totality passed through the U.S.
“For some people it’s a spiritual thing,” he said. “For me it’s really cool.”
Other groups also geared up in the parking lot before hiking to their elevated eclipse-viewing spot, many from the Capital Region. A group of four from the Albany area said they drove up last night and had hoped to sleep overnight at the Poke-O-Moonshine trailhead but were turned away by a forest ranger. They said they eventually ended up at the Garden Trailhead and in Keene, where they slept in cars and the bed of a truck after working through what the rangers would allow. Another hiker said he was meeting a group of friends who had slept at the lean-to on the Poke-O-Moonshine trail.
“No matter what we won’t be disappointed,” said Alexander Graczkowski. “We are out hiking.”
In Keeseville, Lauri Thomas manned a tent on the side of Front Street selling eclipse glasses and shirts. She said she was part of a team of vendors from the Boston area spread out at seven spots in the northern Adirondacks this weekend, including Peru and Plattsburgh. She said she had sold around 150 glasses to people still in search of the essential viewing item.
“They have been looking everywhere [for glasses],” she said.
— Zachary Matson
10:15 a.m.: People arriving
The Poke-O-Moonshine trailhead parking area was full this morning and hikers said they were 46ers or experienced. They headed up the trail with plans to spend the day and view the eclipse from atop the minor peak. There was no ranger in sight.
The first buses rolled into Tupper Lake. A line of cars are heading into the Adirondack Wild Center lot.
Earlier in the day, several people set up tripods along the Adirondack Loj Road. The Department of Transportation’s traffic cam showed moderate to light traffic on Route 87.
Ed Burke, a photographer from Saratoga Springs, said there were thousands of people at Crown Point Historic Site, a designated viewing area. The parking lot was full and traffic was being redirected to a campground lot. Burke made his way to Westport, which was less crowded.
Adirondack Regional Airport reaches capacity as eclipse chasers flock to High Peaks
8 a.m.: A full Adirondack airport
As ground traffic on roads moved well in the region leading up to the solar eclipse display this afternoon, the Adirondack air strip in the High Peaks reported reaching its threshold for bookings of those flying into the region.
“We’re capped at 50 flights and we’re completely booked,” said Johnny Williams, a coordinator of the Adirondack Regional Airport near Lake Clear.
A shuttle service, Polar Express, set up special eclipse rides to Saranac Lake to ferry those who were unable to book rental cars at the airport, he said. He said the restaurant he runs with his brother, the mayor of Saranac Lake, saw a spike in business over the weekend.
At the airport, the café is planning a special barbecue for customers. The airstrip region is in a spot where the total eclipse of the sun will be among the longest in the Adirondacks, about 3 minutes and 33 seconds.
“We’re ready and waiting for a lot of excited eclipse viewers,” Williams said.
The airport and greater High Peaks region have drawn substantial visitor interest as it is in the path of totality of today’s total solar eclipse, meaning that the day will be like night about 3.5 minutes with complete blockage of the sun this afternoon. The entire eclipse phenomena, including partial blockage, will last more than 3 hours and 21 minutes in the greater High Peaks region of the Adirondack Park.
As early indications suggest heavy bookings at hotels and competition for restaurant seats in the Adirondacks, the state issued warnings to motorists to keep shoulders open for emergency vehicles on roadways of High Peaks region.
The eclipse that will travel from Texas to Maine today should begin its partial blocking of the sun in the High Peaks after 2 p.m., 2:13 p.m. in Lake Placid for instance, and be done with its tour of the North Country by 4:37 p.m.
High Peaks on high alert
Emergency services officials are on high alert in the sparsely populated villages and towns.
Tupper Lake Police Chief Eric Proulx said his entire seven-person department is on duty, focusing primarily on illegal parking control. He said he anticipates that any gridlock will be temporary.
“Traffic will always clear up and go away eventually,” he said.
At the Adirondack Wild Center in Tupper Lake and the local observatory thousands of visitors are expected.
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An aerial show of LP Quinn Elementary School in Tupper Lake, where an eclipse-viewing event will take place today. Photo by Tom French
State leaders have moved teams of parks and ranger personnel to the region to help with viewing and visitor services.
Department of Environmental Conservation Region 5 Ranger Captain Kevin Burns said Sunday should point to backcountry usage on Monday. Trailheads seemed to have drawn above normal traffic for this time of year.
Some rangers will stay put near popular Route 73 trailheads along Keene to Lake Placid so they are positioned and don’t have to battle traffic if rescue is needed.
On planning for the many unknowns, Burns said the rangers “handle whatever comes up.”
“This is going to be a really special event, and I want to make sure people are safe,” Burns said.
The DEC is asking people to come with a backup plan in case they encounter tricky conditions on trails and turn around and find a safer viewing spot.
Essex County Board of Supervisors Chairman Shaun Gillilland said that traffic is going to be the greatest as people are leaving after the eclipse events.
“When the eclipse is over everyone is going to get on the road and leave at once,” Gillilland said. That is when he is concerned about vehicles running out of gasoline or electric charge.
Chloe Bennett, Tom French, Eric Teed and Johnathan Esper contributed.
This is an environmental disaster. All of these cars, the carbon foot print. This could have been done through a zoom meeting. And cow farts and my 20 year old v8 pickup, that gets 15 miles per gallon is the problem.
I drove my hybrid there. It got 60 mpg for the trip. Probably used as much gas as you use when you go to the market. Except I don’t go to an eclipse a few times a week.
My friends and I watched from the ADKX in Blue Mountain Lake. This was a very well coordinated event. The staff continually sent email updates. We came prepared for cold and snow, but the day was sunny and beautiful and we found ourselves removing our coats. We were surrounded by friendly adults and excited children. We walked the grounds and spoke with other visitors. Our only traffic jam was getting from Blue Mountain to Indian Lake. The roads by to Rtes. 8 and 10 to return home to Ephratah were clear.
The only thing rarer than a solar eclipse is a massively hyped event that actually lives up to the hype. This was certainly one.
I live in Tupper Lake, 86 years old & and won’t see another one so this was a special day for me. My words can not express how I thought, I was speechless.