You come, too… A Hike to Copperas Pond

I have a book due at the end of August, so much of this summer has been spent covered in Post-It Notes in my writing room or holed up in coffee shops. (I’m the one muttering to myself at the laptop over in the corner.)  But today was a hike-to-the-pond day.

I wore what my family affectionately calls my “funny toe shoes” hiking for the first time. It worked out well – and was, as the ads promise, the next best thing to being barefoot. This is a good thing, as I’m not overly fond of shoes in July and August.

Copperas Pond, just outside of Lake Placid in the Adirondacks, is one of my family’s favorite summer hiking & swimming spots.  There’s just enough of a climb to keep casual swimmers away. There are big jumping rocks with deep water below them. There are flat rocks for sunning — and this view to take in from the shore…

And there are frogs. Oh, are there ever frogs. In every stage of development.

This pond was one of the inspirations for MARTY MCGUIRE. Marty, a third grader who loves science and nature, would love it here, and every time we come, I think of her. It’s a perfect spot for girls who love frogs…and authors who write about them, too.