This week’s record-setting heat wave drew flocks of visitors and their furry friends to Big Deep, Woodstock’s best-known and sometimes overused swimming hole, as well as county-designated cooling centers such as the town library.
Cars lined up on the street next to the watering spot as visitors crossed the road in flip flops and bathing suits, seeking relief from temperatures that soared on Sunday and lasted into Wednesday, prompting a heat advisory from the National Weather Service. Temperatures surged to 96 degrees in Albany and New York City, matching 137-year-old records.
“We were out pretty much most of the day under the sun, and could not find a restaurant to hang out in with an AC unit,” said Logan Sigler, a city resident originally from Montana who was at Big Deep with her friend, Emily Myers. “We were in Catskill, in the town center, and we were definitely like, we might need to go sit in the car and let the AC run for a minute.”
Instead, they found the Woodstock spot by searching on Google Maps and Airbnb, tools that locals decry because they unmask formerly secret swimming holes.
Another visitor, professional dog-walker and Woodstock resident Shira Fernandes, brought along some of her canine companions. The heat wave drew her back to a spot she had shunned due to the rough, potholed road that leads to it, and a trail often blocked by downed trees that made access difficult for smaller dogs.
“I take them out every day,” said Fernandes, who moved to Woodstock from New Jersey a dozen years ago. “They like to keep cool too, and they don’t necessarily want to drink all the time. But they want to be out.”
Frank Lomuto said he swapped work on Wednesday for a trip to Big Deep. He moved to Woodstock from Long Island in December and is still getting used to the different climate.
“On Long Island you have the coastal breezes,” he said. “But over here you’re more inland, so it’s a little bit more stifling. This is a little bit different, just because it seems a little bit more humid.”
At the Woodstock Public Library, meantime, Director Ivy Gocker said Monday was busier than usual as residents took advantage of its air conditioning. None of them appeared to be in distress from the heat.
“In this old building, the air conditioning isn’t even great, but it’s still better than being outside,” she said. “And it’s better than what some people have in their homes.”
The new town library, on Dixon Avenue, will also be a cooling center. Libraries in Saugerties and Olive are among local libraries that carry that designation.
Jeanne Edwards, the assistant director of 2nda Iglesia La Misión Church in Kingston, another cooling center for Woodstock residents, saw roughly 30 people per day during the heatwave.
“We’ve never seen these numbers before,” said Edwards. “They were basically thirsty, hungry and very hot.”
Edwards and her team gave watermelon juice and gatorade and went through a check-list of questions to ensure that people coming in weren’t in need of medical attention.
While the church doesn’t ask those in need of relief where they’re from, many of the visitors in need of water, food and somewhere to cool off were unhoused individuals.
Woodstock Rescue Squad and the Diaz Memorial Ambulance Service in Saugerties didn’t report any heat-related emergencies.
Temperatures finally broke on Thursday, and were expected to stay below a high of 85 through the weekend. Don’t expect the relief to last, though: Our steadily warming planet is likely to produce longer and hotter heat waves in the years to come.
Mia Quick is an intern and contributing reporter. You can reach her at reporting@theoverlooknews.com.