More than a pile of gray grit
If you hike Cheney Mountain just north of Port Henry on Lake Champlain, you will inevitably find yourself talking about solid waste. But don’t let that deter you. Cheney is a charming, lightly used little peak with three different overlooks along the mile-long trail. It does, however, begin with the traverse of an old landfill, and the standout view looks down over a jaw-dropping heap of mine tailings from the old Switchback iron mine that provided raw material for the guns, tanks and Jeeps that won World War II.
But even if you’re not into rubbish, Cheney has enough natural phenomena to keep even the most discerning hiker entertained.
Champlain Area Trails steward Bill Amadon, Explorer photographer Mike Lynch and I hiked Cheney in the late winter of 2021 as it appeared the pandemic was on the wane (silly us) and it was once again safe to return to topics such as climate change, waste disposal and America’s military-industrial complex.
We chose to hike Cheney for two reasons. One, its modest elevation gain and short length makes it a reasonable snowshoe for those who want some nice winter views without slogging up a more storied massif. Two, the summertime windows on top of Cheney have become increasingly
