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By Mike Lynch
In late May, I joined Explorer publisher Tracy Ormsbee and Brendan Wiltse for a hike to Cobble Lookout in Wilmington. During the 2.2-mile round trip hike, Tracy interviewed Brendan for her new Trailblazer column that features people around the Park who are taking leadership roles related to important causes. Brendan is a scientist and an…
By Phil Brown
The famed surveyor Verplanck Colvin built the first tower on Stillwater Mountain way back in 1882. The hole that once held his copper marker is still visible on the summit bedrock. Colvin’s tower is long gone, but a steel fire tower built in 1919 still stands, and last week the state nominated the structure—along with…
Of course, all of the hikes in 12 Short Hikes Near Old Forge are short, but some are shorter than others. One of the easiest of the shorties is the 0.7-mile walk to Remsen Falls on the South Branch of the Moose River. This hike begins on Wolf Landing Road, a gravel road that leads…
By Phil Brown
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) will reopen Lake George (AKA Million Dollar) Beach today, Saturday, June 17, after test results showed that the beach is safe for swimming. The beach will be open extended hours this evening. Test results from samples collected on Friday show levels of E. coli below the…
By Phil Brown
DEC DELAYS OPENING OF LAKE GEORGE “MILLION DOLLAR” BEACH The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced today that due to the high E.coli levels associated with last week’s rain event – and in an abundance of caution – DEC is delaying the opening of the Lake George (aka “Million Dollar”) Beach on…
By Mike Lynch
This winter, I visited the St. Regis Fire Tower in Paul Smiths with Doug Fitzgerald, who is co-chair of Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower. The highlight of the trip – which included skiing and snowshoeing – was being on the frosty summit, where the trees and fire tower were covered in a layer…
By Phil Brown
Hull Falls is on the East Branch of the Ausable River in Keene in the Adirondack Park.
In the summer of 2015, while driving my beat-up Toyota truck through the back roads of northern Clinton and Franklin counties documenting the Great Dannemora Prison Break, I kept thinking that I had been swallowed whole by a tabloid news story, or maybe a trashy pulp novel, that refused to end. The setting was the…
A 6.4-mile round trip to Middle Settlement Lake lies in the heart of the Ha-de-ron-dah Wilderness. Except for two very short climbs, the route is fairly flat, so you should be able to make good time. If you’re into trail running, this is a great outing. The hike begins on Route 28 southwest of Old…
By Phil Brown
In a post on Tuesday, I noted that John Case eschewed pitons throughout his rock-climbing career. He adopted the view that pounding pitons into rock to protect against a fall was cheating. Later climbers were not so scrupulous. In fact, four pitons can be found on Case’s historic route on Chapel Pond Slab, known…