Saratoga

I wasn’t in the mood to blog last night because I’m reading a really good book, and I’m not in the mood to blog this morning because I have a mountain to climb. So this will be short! But I wanted to take advantage of the WiFi at the hotel since I’ll be camping for a while. (I was actually supposed to be camping last night, but the low here in Lake Placid was going to be 36°, and I just wasn’t in the mood. I mean, I have the gear for that, but that’s not fun camping.)

I stopped by Kate Mullany’s house on the way out of Albany because it’s one of the participating sites in the Pic Your Park contest. One of my friends sent me the link to this contest, and I am so excited because I might actually have a chance to win! Between now and September 30, you’re awarded points for every national park site you visit. How perfect that my whole summer revolves around doing this! You just have to post a pic from each site on Instagram with their hashtag. The only problem is that you have to actually be in every picture, and since I am traveling alone, that means lots of selfies. So I’m very embarrassed about what my Instagram account will look like over the next few months. But the grand prize is a free trip to a park of your choice, so it’s worth it!!

Anyway, Kate Mullany started the first all-female labor union. I don’t know much else because you can’t actually go in the house; they just have a plaque out front. But still, I’d never even heard of her, so I learned something new. 

And then I went to Saratoga. This was the turning point of the American Revolution! According to the film, “For the first time, the mightiest army in the world has surrendered to the newest.” The British army had never surrendered before, so after this victory, France recognized the U.S. as a country and decided to help them out. 

(Beautiful landscape full of wildflowers!)

Standing on Bemis Heights, where the Americans were hanging out with a ton of weapons. Behind those trees is the Hudson. General Burgoyne was planning on leading his troops through here on the way to Albany, but after hearing that all these guys were up here just waiting for him, he said “NOPE” and tried something else, which led to the first battle at Saratoga. 

At the past two parks I’ve visited, the name Benedict Arnold has come up often. At Saratoga, he ran onto the field and rallied the troops, even though he’d been told to go home. He was well respected and Washington loved him. This made me wonder, how did he go from such badassery to switching sides? I love the park service because, a few minutes after I thought of this, I met a volunteer named Roger who was able to explain things to me. As well as anyone could, that is. No one’s really sure why he defected- money, discontent with his job, his wife’s influence... maybe a combination. When he moved to England after the war, he hoped to get a full time job as an officer, but that didn’t happen because no one trusted him. Hmm... 🤔

(This is where I had my chat with Roger.) 

The only other fun fact I jotted down was that the fighting here was up close and personal. Like, fistfights and wrestling! 

Okay, it’s time for me to go climb that mountain. So excited to get back on the trail!