Today Endion looks much different than when the hotel was operating. The hotel and barn are gone replaced by numerous sheds and out-buildings.
In addition to those buildings there are three Adirondack lean-to’s on the property. Lean-to’s were the only shelters allowed on state land by the Adirondack Park Agency. They were considered temporary structures since they were open on one side. Any permanent structure on state land within the Park were destined to ” return to the earth” or were burned down. Here is a lean-to at Endion.
Tom is very fond of earth moving and other machinery. He owns two bulldozers, one he calls (tongue-in-cheek) a wetland’s model.
There is also a power shovel.
Tom’s power shovel.
What has always puzzled me is what appears to be a WWII 4 X truck. I have never seen it in operation but it still must be in running condition since it is moved to a different location from time to time.
Inscribed on the door is “Bissell Farms”. More on that later.
Tom takes extraordinary care of his lands. Especially annoying to him are the needles shed by the huge white pines. These he scoops into piles using a leaf blower and then hauls them away. He uses a lawn tractor “to keep nature back” as he puts it.
Tom on his tractor keeping nature back.
When we first moved to Endion 30 years ago there were some unusual animals wandering about; a horse, a donkey, and a Vietnamese pig . They could be encountered day or night. Sometimes you would wake up in the middle of the night to hear pounding hooves go by your window.
A funny story was told about one encounter. Owl’s Head mountain is an attraction sought out by hikers. It has a restored fire tower that gives a panoramic view of Long Lake and Blue Mountain. The trail head is right off Endion road.
Sometime a while ago a hiker set off on a fall afternoon to catch the fall foliage. He climbed the tower and took in a magnificent view of a “forest on fire” with fall colors. He stayed too long though and by the time he started back it was getting dark. Now the Adirondack Pack is the darkest place on the East Coast. We call night up here in the North Country “Adirondack Dark”. It is absolutely pitch black.
Now, at the same time that the hiker was heading down from Owl’s Head, Tom’s donkey was heading out along Endion Road for a stroll. He came to the trail head and thought “Hmm, I haven’t been here for awhile, I think I’ll check it out.”
In the meantime the hiker was getting panicky. He could no longer see the path and had to look up to follow the break in the trees to stay on the trail.
Meanwhile, the donkey heard some commotion on trail above him; someone or thing was stumbling along and cursing. The donkey became curious and decided to stand his ground. Suddenly “BAM” the hiker hit a soft, but unyielding object on the path. He sprawled backward onto the ground, his hair standing on end, and gave out a horrendous yell. The donkey turned and meandered back down the path and home.