Beyond Peak Capacity
By Mike Lynch
A sharp rise in hikers climbing some of the region’s highest mountains has lead to the degradation of natural resources and raises a variety of other issues.
Stories
Spring comes to Snow
Following a disappointing winter for skiing, I came into May looking forward to the next season of outdoor enjoyment. But spring turned out as contrary as winter, with the first days of warming sun followed by spells of bone-chilling cold.
Paddling case begins anew
Citing unanswered questions, state’s highest court sends trespassing suit against Adirondack Explorer back to lower court for a trial. By KENNETH AARON The six-year-old navigation-rights dispute between Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown and a group of property owners has been sent back to State Supreme Court Justice Richard T. Aulisi for a full trial, which…
The tale of a cougar
By PHILIP TERRIE On a snowy winter night in Lake George, in 2010, Cindy Eggleston’s motion-detecting light came on in her back yard. She looked out her kitchen window and saw a big cat. A really big cat. Her husband, a retired conservation officer, guessed that it must have been a bobcat. No, she said, “it had a long tail.” So he…
A kids’ guide to nature
By TOM WOODMAN Spend a half-day with Brian DeGroat and you’ll notice he uses the word connection a lot. Not in the texting-tweeting-digital-everything sense of the word. As executive director of Camp Pok-O-MacCready and its Outdoor Education Center, he’s the leader of an ever-changing community where mobile depends on muscles, not bandwidth. What he and…
Climbers to the rescue
For years, volunteers have assisted DEC in responding to accidents at Adirondack cliffs, but at first their help wasn’t always wanted. By DON MELLOR Forest Ranger Rob Mecus got the call at 3:15 in the afternoon. A climber had fallen on Wallface. Rob had been at his Adirondack post for only a couple of years, but he knew what all longtime local climbers…
Journey to Boreas Ponds
In early June 2016, Editor Phil Brown enjoyed one of his most memorable canoe trips in the Adirondacks: He spent the morning paddling around lovely Boreas Ponds, taking in breathtaking views of the High Peaks.
New look, same mission
Greetings, dear readers, and thank you for joining us for this exciting moment in the history of the Adirondack Explorer. Since you are reading this, I know you have opened the cover of the new-look Explorer and ventured this far into a publication that we have redesigned in the hope of serving you even better. As you read, you will find that we…
An everything adventure
Carol and Phil enjoy a wild ride and hike and swim on trip to Lows Ridge. We almost forgot about the rock climb. By PHIL BROWN Carol says I come up with my best trip ideas at the breakfast table. Since this was the last day of her Adirondack vacation, I felt the pressure to suggest something special. She likes to swim,…
Moose inspires idea for trail
Advocates say 400-mile route from the Adirondacks to Algonquin Park would promote international wildlife corridor. By ALAN WECHSLER The two-year journey of a seven-hundred-pound moose named Alice has inspired plans for a long-distance trail that would connect the Adirondacks to Ontario’s Algonquin Provincial Park. The Algonquin to Adirondacks (A2A) Trail would combine existing hiking trails, rail trails, main roads, and back roads to…