The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
Anyone who drives in the Adirondacks in winter understands the need to reduce ice on the roadways. We have to keep our roads open and safe both for the sake of our drivers and an economy that depends on transportation. At the same time, anyone who considers the environmental and financial cost of strewing road…
House Republicans are doing everything they can to stop the EPA from implementing court-ordered regulations to control mercury discharges from coal-fired power plants. These regulations have been in the works for nearly a decade and are long overdue. Mercury is poisoning life in the Adirondacks. Every year Midwest coal-fired plants spew out fifty tons of…
Early in Brian Mann’s article on the Adirondack Club and Resort [“Forest impacts debated,” November/December 2011] he appears to give equal weight to the views of Adirondack ecologist Dr. Michale Glennon and Oregon State University Dean Hal Salwasser. While Salwasser is no doubt a distinguished forest ecologist, he has hardly devoted a good part of…
Congratulations to Paul Grondahl on his superb article on Anne Labastille [September/October 2011]. I knew Anne personally for thirty years through our membership in the New York State Outdoor Guides Association, in which we were both charter members, and from the many book signings and shows we did together as fellow authors and outdoor writers.…
I have been following the rails-versus-trails debate closely and would like to express the opinion of a person who was been sitting in a wheelchair for over twenty-five years. I am paralyzed from the waist down as the result of a car accident, own my own home, and consider myself to be a pretty independent…
Concerning all-terrain vehicles: there are inconsiderate people in every activity. I am an outdoorsman and participate in many activities, including camping, kayaking, and hiking. I’ve seen campsites where green trees were felled. I have put out a fire in pine needles someone abandoned. I have seen major erosion on hiking trails and read about fire…
By Phil Brown
You and a friend finally reach the summit of Gothics, take in the glorious view, and begin to wonder what the names are of all the peaks around you. So your friend whips out an iPhone and starts tapping the screen. Is he calling the local forest ranger for answers? Not if he has installed…
By Phil Brown
I’m a Johnny-climb-lately. After moving to the Adirondacks, I spent most of my outdoors time hiking, backcountry skiing, or paddling. I had no interest in rock climbing—until I finally tried it a few years back. I quickly discovered there’s a lot to learn apart from the techniques of actual climbing: rope management, gear placement, belaying,…
By Phil Brown
For backcountry ski trips, I usually wear three tops: a base layer for wicking away perspiration, a fleece jacket for insulation, and a shell for keeping out moisture and wind. (I also carry a down jacket in my pack.) As I warm up, I remove layers as needed. When I first started skiing, I experimented…
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…