A fifty-year-old hiker who drowned in the East Branch of the Ausable in late July was a military veteran who had struggled with post-traumatic-stress disorder but found outlets in horses and hiking.
Angler Catches Massive Freshwater Drum
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that Jason Bair of Macedon, Wayne County, reeled in a state record-breaking freshwater drum from Oneida Lake, Oneida County. Caught on June 16, and weighing in at 36 pounds, the new record drum surpassed the previous state record set in 2016 by more than 6 pounds. Bair’s freshwater drum marks the fourth state record drum caught since 2005. While records for other more common sportfish have remained unbroken for years. In its announcement of the new record, DEC stated: “it appears that drum are growing to much larger sizes than >>More
Hamlets to Huts Receives Grant, Long Lake Spur Progressing
The nonprofit Adirondack Hamlets to Huts, Inc. (AHH) has received a $20,000 grant from The Cloudsplitter Foundation of Saranac Lake. The gift is expected to help AHH improve and operate the Adirondack Hamlets to Huts Trails Center located on Main Street in Saranac Lake, and also help implement and market its first hut-to-hut route — the North Creek Indian Lake Circuit. The Adirondack Hamlets to Huts Trails Center provides information to visitors about the hut-to-hut initiative, where to hike, bike and paddle in the Adirondacks, and how to travel and camp safely in the Adirondack backcountry. The Trails Center also >>More
8 Adirondack Search And Rescue Incidents In 6 Days
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry. What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks. Essex County Town of Keene Rescue: On August 9 at 10:56 am, DEC Ray Brook Dispatch received a direct call from a woman hiking with her family on Cascade Mountain. During the descent from the summit, >>More
Raquette River Dams Program: Catamount Lodge to Carry Falls Reservoir
TAUNY (Traditional Arts in Upstate New York) will host a guided woods walk from Catamount Lodge to the Carry Falls Reservoir with Ruth McWilliams of Catamount Lodge and Mary Jane Watson of South Colton on Thursday, August 17th from 9:30 am to 12:30 pm. Along the way, visitors will have the chance to learn about the natural life of the area as well as the hydroelectric power project that transformed the Raquette River in the 1950s and beyond, creating Carry Falls Reservoir and other now familiar lakes around Colton. The walk is moderately challenging with some uphill terrain, but no >>More
Longest Adirondack Accessible Trail Being Built in Willsboro
The Nature Conservancy’s Adirondack Chapter is making upgrades to its Boquet River Nature Preserve trail network in the town of Willsboro. This summer, professional trail builders have been constructing a 1.5-mile loop trail in the uplands portion of the 110-acre preserve. When completed, this multi-use trail is expected to be the longest accessible forest trail in the region designed and built to meet the Federal Trail Accessibility Guidelines under the Architectural Barriers Act. The new trail will have a minimal slope and » Continue Reading. View original post.
Field Work Begins In Controversial Adirondack Rail Corridor
Work to develop the final design and construction plan for the Adirondack Rail Trail began in the rail corridor between Tupper and Lake Placid this week. DEC announced that “that personnel involved in developing the final design and construction plan for the Adirondack Rail Trail will be working in the corridor,” starting Monday, “for periods of times at various locations over the two months doing various work.” More specific schedules are expected to provided to adjacent landowners via notification letters in the coming weeks. Personnel from DEC, Creighton Manning, and other consultants are expected to be in the rail corridor >>More
Champlain Canal Trail Bicycle Ride August 20th
The Champlain Canalway Trail Working Group has announced the 6th Annual Champlain Canalway Trail Bicycle Ride will be held on Sunday, August 20, 2017. The ride will begin at Hudson Crossing Park in Schuylerville, NY, and continue along the Canalway Trail and Feeder Canal Trail to Glens Falls, NY, before returning to the starting point. The day-long tour offers four options: a 30-mile ride and a 50-mile ride, with or without a canal cruise aboard Mohawk Maiden Cruises. This recreational tour will include multiple stops at destinations of cultural and historical significance, such as an old mule barn and the >>More
Six Rescues In The Adirondacks Since Thursday
It’s been a busy summer so far for Adirondack Forest Rangers. Rangers responded to six rescues since Thursday, after an especially busy week that included the recovery of a deceased hiker in the High Peaks. What follows are reports, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks. You can find all Forest Ranger Search and Rescue Reports here. Essex County Town of North Elba Rescue: On August 4 at 12:21 pm, Ray Brook Dispatch received a radio transmission from an Assistant Ranger advising she had encountered a 34-year-old male subject from Queensbury at Avalanche >>More
Three Hikes On Nature Preserves Near Lake George
“Where do those trails go?” I wondered. The map showed a small trail system, whose outline looked like a loopy, potbellied cartoon character riding a unicycle. Sure, there was Pole Hill Pond at the upper end, but the trail swung far and wide of it twice, a hugely indirect route. What was the dinky little loop down at the foot? I’ve been looking at Adirondack trail maps most of my life and could not decipher this weird pattern of black dashes. Yet here it was, on the National Geographic trail map that accompanies my Adirondack Mountain » Continue Reading. View >>More
