The new edition of Yankee Rock and Ice describes Matt Horner’s efforts to repeat a notoriously difficult ice climb called Gorillas in the Mist on Poke-O-Moonshine’s cliffs.
Trekkers test route as Hamlets to Huts seeks a place in the wild
Hamlets to Huts’s goal is to connect Adirondack villages and outposts via people power in all seasons, allowing them to experience the backcountry without lugging all the gear. It’s patterned after European hut-to-hut systems, and the yurt trails of Vermont and Colorado. In the Adirondacks, the emphasis is community-based lodging, in part because new structures are prohibited in the state Forest Preserve.
Survey finds hikers favor wildness over access
Hikers value protecting the Adirondack Park’s wild character more than expanding recreation opportunities.
October snowfall at Bloomingdale Bog
The northern Adirondacks has been cold and wet, with the region experiencing several snowfalls in late October. The snow isn’t sticking to the ground in the lower elevations yet due to above-freezing ground temperatures, but it’s been cold enough that ice has developed on some small ponds.
Whiteface work hinders road skiing
The Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway opened in 1936. From spring to fall, motorists can drive up the road and then ride an elevator more than 260 feet up to the 4,867-foot summit. The elevator has been closed since fall 2017.
Ice climber returns from frightening accident
The accident occurred on Feb. 8, 2017, while Horner was leading a client up a 200-foot route called Rhiannon. He had paused to twist in an ice screw, with the intention of clipping his climbing rope to the screw to protect against a fall. He never got the chance.
DEC rebuilds road in Boreas Ponds tract
The Gulf Brook Road was in bad shape when I visited Boreas Ponds in June. So bad that it took thirty minutes to drive my Subaru 3.2 miles to the Fly Pond parking area. So bad that I made a video about it. Since then, the state Department of Environmental Conservation has reconstructed the road to the parking area–ditching, grading, removing rocks, and laying down gravel. The result: this week it took only ten minutes to drive to the Fly Pond lot. The former logging road is gated beyond the lot, so for now visitors must hike or bike the remaining >>More
Columbus Day weekend at High Peaks trailheads: 1,300 shuttle rides, 27 parking tickets
About 300 people hiked a new Van Ho trail instead of shuttling to Cascade, according to the New York Department of Environmental Conservation.
New trail opens for Columbus Day crowds
Cascade’s usual parking zone is closed through Monday, and shuttles are running hikers to that trail from the Olympic Sports Complex every half hour from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. The last return shuttle leaves the trail at 7 p.m.
