1800s adirondack estate group hunt

Description from the Adirondack Mountain Club's Adirondack Trails: Central Region (Forest Preserve Series, Volume 3), page 39:

"Fox Lair [sic] is the name [Richard] Alexander Hudnut gave his estate, which is now state property. Its ruins, along with those of the Oregon Tannery, provide points of interest for a short walk of up to a mile over the roads and paths of this land...

...a grassy road slants toward the river 3.0 mi SW of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness Area parking lot and 1.7 mi NE of the Shanty Brook parking area (SEE TRAILHEAD WAYPOINT). The grassy road is within eyesight of a more obvious pullout and a dirt road that dead-ends a few yards into the woods...

...A faint trail drops down the bank L toward the river about 100 yd from the rock barrier across the grassy road. The remains of the tannery can be found in the undergrowth. Continuing on, the grassy road soon passes steps leading down to a swimming hole L and then a more elaborate set of steps heading obliquely R up a knoll to the Fox Lair ruins."

To find this cache, you should use the description above and follow the trail to the "elaborate" steps. It's much easier (and more fun) to stay on the trail past the GZ, and use the steps rather than bushwhack. The geocache is hidden NEAR, but NOT IN, the ruins of Foxlair. Nothing from the ruins needs to be disturbed to find the cache. Tree cover is pretty thick at GZ. The coordinates were derived by averaging 222 readings on me DeLorme GPS. The hint is a dead giveaway.

Before or after finding the cache, take some time to explore the interesting ruins. I'm assuming the ruins at the top of the "elaborate" steps are the main camp, but details about what was on the estate and where things were located was pretty impossible for me to find.

SOME HISTORY I DID FIND:

The owner of Foxlair, Richard Hudnut, owned a successful cosmetics business, and built the estate, which including several buildings and a 9-hole golf course around 1900. The main "camp" was enormous, being 215 feet in length. In 1922, Hudnut's stepdaughter and her husband, actor Rudolph Valetino, famously honeymooned here. The property was endowed to the New York City Police Athletic League in 1938. It was then purchased by the State of New York in 1959. In the 1970's, after falling into disrepair, the buildings were burned in accordance with the Adirondack Park Agency's Master Land Use and Development Plan. This controversial document requires all state land within the Forest Preserve be kept in a "natural state." All buildings on state land must be razed to return the area to a "wild" state
 

Thanks for clearing my mixed up history on the place. I knew events but looks like my dates were a little off.

How far are you all away from gloversville? And how early can you get here?

I am an early bird so the earlier the better.
 

Sunday afternoon is looking like rain, keep an eye out for the weather if it's going to be a wash out we can reschedule.
 

Starting to look like Sat. Would be the only day I could go.... Sorry I forgot about a prior arrangement .



George
 

Unfortunately I also got myself into plans for Saturday. It's still on for Sunday, shoot me a PM with your number and I'll contact you tomorrow or Friday with meetup location.
 

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Can't make it so I thought I'd dowse a map for you guys. The one across the river is a coin signal. The others are a mix of signals. Let me know how you guys make out!
 

Idk if i can make it sunday but would like to make it up there
 

Very interested to hear how your guys' hunt went?
 

Well you guys are in luck, I didn't go there as everyone backed out.

so this weekend I have drill with the ny air national guard but the weekend after we can plan for it.

Saturday or Sunday?

I did end up doing the sport island pub beach which if you know the history of sacandaga lake was the coney island of the north. Didn't find but coffee money as the sand had a layer two inches down that was nothing but iron mixed in.

So it still semi virgin territory up there if you still want to go.
 

You're talking the 22nd / 23rd? I'm up for that. I'll be coming from the north, where and what time to meet? I'll PM an email address.
 

September 22nd. Meet at Wells. Just north of the bridge on the east side (right hand going north) there is a small convenient store. I'll be there between 9 and 9:30, unless you want to get started earlier.
 

That sounds good ill see what i can do to make it
 

I'm a lifelong Adirondacker. I hunt on the same road an old British General traveled on.
 

Sorry it sent on accident, 9 is good seeig a how we have people driving a distance. I don't want to make them get up at 3 to leave by 4 sort of thing. Unless they want to get out earlier
 

Just an update, earlier this week I saw rain in the forecast for Saturday, I checked this morning and they had the rain coming in late in the afternoon. I don't know what the % is but if it's low we most likely will have a nice day.

The hunt is still a go for me, put a yay or nay as a reply so that spoon size and I know how many people we should be looking out for.
 

Well it looks like just us three for now.which is fine
 

I'm OK with 3, more would be good but lack thereof is not a showstopper for sure! See you in the AM.
 

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