Forest rangers, Adirondack Mountain Club stewards and educators, and the Adirondack 46ers’ volunteer trailhead stewards will promote proper planning and preparation through direct conversations with hikers at the High Peaks Information Center, trailheads and on the trails.
Adirondack Land Trust buys Moxham Mountain cliffs
The Adirondack Land Trust said it paid $160,000 to the Brassel and Zack families and the Brassel estate for 250 acres on Moxham Mountain, between Minerva and North Creek.
Should we stop rescuing people in wilderness?
I was intrigued by the essay “The Case Against Search and Rescue,” by Robert Kruszyna, a New Hampshire resident. I later learned he is a physicist who has climbed mountains all over the world and helped write guidebooks to some of the Canadian ranges.
Park officials seek comments on backcountry ski trails
The APA proposes to adopt guidelines for three types of trails: ski touring trails, for rolling terrain; backcountry ski trails, for steeper terrain; and skin tracks, for accessing slides and other skiable terrain (often using climbing skins). Currently, few trails in the Adirondacks are designed for backcountry skiing.
Storm prompts avalanche advisory in Adirondacks
Recreationists can trigger avalanches when there is deep snow on steep slopes. While much of the steep open slopes are in the High Peaks, avalanche-prone terrain is found on mountains throughout the Adirondacks, including Snowy Mountain in Hamilton County.
Delighting in Dippikill
The Dippikill Wilderness Retreat is the largest student-owned natural preserve in the country. It has belonged to the Student Association of the University at Albany since 1956, on a back road in the highlands of the Town of Thurman.
Thoughts on wilderness
These two short videos on wilderness were made with the January-February issue in mind. In this edition, several writers explore ideas related to wilderness in the Adirondack Park. In the first video below, writer Phil Brown talks about potential wilderness areas that could be added to the park. In the second video, hikers James Hopson and Spencer Morrissey discuss what wilderness means to them.
Check the ice before skiing on ponds
All was not lost in recent thaws. We went pond skiing in the St. Regis Canoe Area three days last week and found the conditions ideal: a few inches of fluffy snow over solid ice. The carry trails between the ponds had just enough snow to ski.
Adirondack Explorer stories of the year: No. 6
As we head into a new year, the Adirondack Explorer looks back at the most popular online stories of 2018. Hikers love a patch challenge and the Saranac 6ers is a favorite. The Explorer republished a 2013 story about the challenge and it became one of the most-read of the year. Hikers who climb all six peaks earn a patch and the right to ring the 6er bell at downtown Saranac Lake’s Berkeley Green. Read the story here.
Adirondack Explorer stories of the year: No. 8
When climbing the Trap Dike, hikers can expect to see scenery of other summits in the high peaks including Iriquois, Algonquin, Wright, Marshall, and Santanonis.
