Mount Defiance

A tunnel through the inner wall led us to the living quarters of Fort Ticonderoga.

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In the soldier barracks, a young man sat beside a fire cooking a typical meal. He was dressed in period costume and although that day was mild, I observed that it must be an uncomfortably warm occupation in summer, but he told me that he was quite content.

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The fire would keep you warm in winter, if your bunk was at that end of the room.

At the far end, I felt you would shiver as the icy wind blew in off the lake. Whereas in summer, this barracks must have been stifling hot.

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The officer’s quarters was at a right angle across the parade ground from the soldier barracks. There you could see demonstrations of regular fort activities: tailoring, shoemaking, musket maintenance and preparation of ammunition.

The website says that there are daily demonstrations of musket and cannon firing. The admission fee is good for two days, which you really need to see everything properly.

We had but a couple of hours.

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On the second floor of the soldier barracks, is the museum.

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Beautifully engraved powder horns.

Because of the many windows, reflections made it impossible to capture good photos.

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How, I asked myself, was one to rush about, encumbered by such a weapon?

The museum is small but well laid out

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Mostly, it displayed weaponry, but there were also some old documents, exquisitely written in tiny script and a few other bits and pieces, including an officer’s uniform. I was impressed by the quality of both its original tailoring and its state of preservation.

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Still more cannons lined the upper walls outside the museum.

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That vantage point gave us a great view of the lake…

…and sky. As the day progressed there were signs of the promised storm approaching.

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Some weeks ago, I was looking for a Netflix program to watch and came upon the 2014-2017 series Turn. In this anniversary year and living where I now do, I decided it would be appropriate and it entertained me for a few days. Many of the names on this plaque featured.

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We could not leave without visiting Mount Defiance:

Online, I hoped for a better photograph of the signs but I could find none.

We, of course, drove most of the way up, noting that it must have been a challenge on foot, armed and dragging 12-pound cannons.

Parking, we contemplated the steep climb that remained. Not a problem for young Grant, but the rest of us took a deep breath…

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It was very much worth the effort.

For the view of the lake and fort…

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…and for the Eastern towhee that came to serenade us.

We heard the song and soon located the source. My telephoto zoomed in close enough to identify the singer and I was surprised, because although I was very familiar with the tune, I’d never attributed it to this bird, as we seldom catch sight of one. Now, I shall know they are around even if they remain hidden.

You can clearly hear it in this short clip:

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