Return hike years after difficult bushwhack finds a pleasant route By Lisa Ballard I started hiking Adirondack 4,000-footers as a teenager growing up in Saranac Lake in the late 1970s, when a friend sought a 46er patch for summiting them. Each … [Read more...] about Rethinking Mount Marshall
Sweet island dreams
St. Regis Canoe area is a rare escape to personal wilderness paradise By Lisa Ballard The loon was either truly loony, primping with great fanfare, or just having fun. Only 20 yards from the bow of our canoe, it waved a wing, scratched its … [Read more...] about Sweet island dreams
Nun-ya business
Finding changes and familiar sights on a seldom-traveled path By Lisa Ballard I remember my conversation in 2007 with Phil Brown, the former editor of Adirondack Explorer, as if it were yesterday. I sought an off-the-beaten-path hike that I … [Read more...] about Nun-ya business
Building a biathlon tradition
Paul Smith's College creates trails, program to attract athletes By Lisa Ballard During the winter in Europe, a World Cup biathlon, an Olympic sport that combines Nordic skiing with rifle shooting, is the equivalent of Monday Night Football. … [Read more...] about Building a biathlon tradition
Return to Loon Lake Mountain
Trail to forgotten fire tower is a secret worth spreading By Lisa Ballard Loon Lake Mountain (3,279 feet) in the Debar Wild Forest doesn’t exactly roll off most hikers’ tongues as a must-do climb. I hope it never does. It’s one of my … [Read more...] about Return to Loon Lake Mountain
Drawn to Nippletop and Dial
By Lisa Ballard A few years ago, while standing atop Mount Colvin, the temptation to add Nippletop Mountain to an already long day nagged at me. I had never hiked Nippletop, nor Dial Mountain, on the same ridge, a couple of 4,000-footers that had … [Read more...] about Drawn to Nippletop and Dial