The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
By Phil Brown
The state Department of Environmental Conservation does not plan to rebuild the dam at Duck Hole, an iconic pond deep in the High Peaks Wilderness. The wooden dam was breached in the flooding caused by Tropical Storm Irene in late August, draining about two-thirds of the impoundment. Even before Irene, fans of Duck Hole had…
By Phil Brown
After hiking, biking, canoeing, and sailing 7,600 miles over 280 days, John Davis says the hard work has just begun. Davis resigned as the Adirondack Council’s conservation director last year to undertake TrekEast, a muscle-powered journey designed to draw attention to the need to protect wild lands in the eastern United States and Canada. He…
By Phil Brown
A few years ago, I was asked to test a pair of La Sportiva Karakorum boots. They’re cool-looking boots, but they struck me at first as almost too rugged for ordinary hiking. I wondered what use I could put them to in the Adirondacks. Then it hit me: slide climbing. La Sportiva bills the Karakorums…
By Phil Brown
We had a brief snow squall in Saranac Lake this afternoon. No accumulation, but the cedars outside the office window got a nice dusting. So I wasn’t too surprised when Ron Konowitz called to say he had just skied the toll road on Whiteface Mountain. As the robin is to spring, Ron Kon is to…
By Phil Brown
Governor Andrew Cuomo has chosen Lani Ulrich to take the helm of the Adirondack Park Agency board and nominated Wanakena resident Sherman Craig to a vacant seat on the body. Ulrich, an APA commissioner since 2004, had emerged as a consensus candidate to replace Curt Stiles, who resigned in August after four years as the…
By Phil Brown
By Susan Bibeau I am the first to admit that I am not the most delicate girl when it comes to outdoor pursuits, and there are few things that I am tougher on than sunglasses. That is why I covet my pair of Native Hardtops. My husband gave these to me as a birthday present…
By Phil Brown
By Susan Bibeau I have learned the hard way over the years to heed my mother’s advice and “stay out of the sun!” A beautiful sunny day spent paddling without the proper protection will often guarantee a miserable evening tending to singed flesh. Having said this, I will admit to some vanity in that I…
By Phil Brown
One day in early April, when the temperature climbed into the forties, people were walking around Saranac Lake in T-shirts, dreaming of summer. It was perfect weather for testing a new pair of skis. Sue Bibeau, the designer for the Adirondack Explorer, and I did a round trip to Klondike Notch in the High Peaks…
By Phil Brown
If you do much hiking in early winter or spring, consider investing in a pair of Microspikes. They’re ideal for traveling on trails covered in hard-packed snow and ice. In the shoulder seasons, the trails often lack enough snow for snowshoes but are too slippery for plain boots. In such conditions, you need to augment…
By Phil Brown
The Northern Forest Canoe Trail is a paradox. It’s been around forever, but it was “completed” just four years ago. Whatever, we’re glad it exists. The NFCT is a 740-mile water trail that follows Native American paddling routes. It starts in Old Forge and ends in northern Maine, after passing through Vermont, Quebec, and New…