Rainbow Lake
We had not got far on Lake Kushaqua when Jaime told me what happened the last time she went canoeing with Sue... By Phil Brown
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Park Perspectives: Ghost cats of the Adirondacks
By TOM WOODMAN There’s something that pads through the forest in low light, moving just in and out of sight. It blends with the trees along a back road near Newcomb. It’s a fleeting presence at the edge of a field by Thendara, just a hint of shape, a phantom made real as much by…
Native Hardtop sunglasses
My Favorite pair of shades 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…
River access settled long ago
In 1893, William Seward Webb sued the state of New York for damages he claimed to have suffered from the flooding of the Beaver River, after the original dam was enlarged by the state. The higher water, said Webb, interfered with his ability to remove standing timber from his lands that bordered the river. Central…
Don’t water down river rights
In Phil Brown’s good article on public-navigation rights, “A 20-Year Standstill,” in the May-June, 2010 issue, John Humbach’s concluding concerns about the bill that’s currently pending in the state legislature were right on the mark. If political compromises and the vagaries of the legislative process result in changes that diminish the public’s longstanding rights, it…
Another lake at risk
In the May/June issue of the Explorer there are several references to Upper Chateaugay Lake. This unspoiled and unpolluted lake has been threatened by the sale of properties on Parson’s “Hill” bordering the lake. This hill slopes from the village of Lyon Mountain to the lakeshore. It is a forested wetland with streams and beaver-dammed…
New uses for our historic towers
To many of us that live year-round in the Park, nothing symbolizes the need to protect the Forest Preserve more than the image of a fire tower on a mountain summit. This is especially true for those that recall the horrendous forest fires of the early 1900s. Not a day goes by that I am…
Bikeway could be a treasure
I’m glad to see the Explorer supporting turning the Adirondack railroad line into a bicycle/recreational trail. As bicyclists who take weeks-long bike trips in the Adirondacks, my riding buddy and I would love to see a stone-dust trail to Lake Placid originating in Remsen. That would be one of the most beautiful trails in the…
Climbing has come a long way
My brother and I spent many happy days rock climbing in the Adirondacks. We were lucky enough to have been around in the mid-seventies when relatively little had been done and we could not only put up new routes whenever we felt like it but be the first, or among the first, to open up…
High Falls Loop
The feel of sweat rising on the brow from honest exertion is motivation enough for some to take a hike, but most folks set out with another goal in mind... By Jack Ballard