The state Department of Environmental Conservation estimates that five hundred moose live in the North Country. Since moose tend to avoid census takers, the figure involves some guesswork, but it seems clear that the population is growing. Do we … [Read more...] about Gunning for moose
Nun-da-ga-o Ridge
Last weekend I joined Alan Wechsler, the outdoors writer for the Albany Times Union, and three other friends on a hike along one of my favorite trails, the six-mile loop on Nun-da-ga-o Ridge in the hills above the hamlet of Keene. Normally, you begin … [Read more...] about Nun-da-ga-o Ridge
Fish or flower?
Early-spring flowers are blooming on Baker Mountain, the small peak just a few miles from our office in Saranac Lake. My favorite is trout lily, a yellow flower that grows on a longish stalk. Ruth Schottmann, a wildflower expert and the author of … [Read more...] about Fish or flower?
Spring fling
Phil Gallos has a thing for springs. He has visited more than sixty of them in the Adirondacks, often taking photographs and recording his observations. In ancient times, he says, springs were sacred places--they sustained life. "There's an … [Read more...] about Spring fling
One last ski
Winter ended early this year, thanks to a dearth of snowfalls in March. As a skier, I was hoping April would make amends. Instead, we had several unseasonably warm days when the temperature rose well into the 70s. Nevertheless, whenever I drove … [Read more...] about One last ski
Pilots win reprieve
Just before we went to press for the May/June issue of the Adirondack Explorer, the Adirondack Park Agency voted 9-2 to allow floatplanes to continue landing on Lows Lake for three more years, thus ending almost a year of public debate. As a sop to … [Read more...] about Pilots win reprieve