Adirondack ‘influencers’: A shift toward responsible tourism

 Meet content creators committed to using their position to make a positive impact in the Adirondacks

By Holly Riddle

For some, the term “influencer” comes with negative connotations, especially when paired with the Adirondacks. Some may imagine out-of-towners with millions of social media followers, visiting some of the region’s already-crowded top scenic spots, increasing those crowds with their reach. Some may think of travel vloggers sending illegal drones over vast expanses of protected Adirondack wilderness. 

These negative connotations are hardly news to influencers who actually live and work in the Adirondacks — and who want to separate themselves from the stereotypical idea of the irresponsible social media darling to the point that they eschew the label “influencer,” trading it for something more benign, like “content creator.” 

Still, these individuals do have an influence — and a commitment to use their position to do the most good.

Connection, education and support for small business 

Michelle Bartlett is the creator of Life in the ADK, a brand that, since 2014, has grown into a Facebook community with more than 102,000 followers (plus tens of thousands of followers on Instagram and TikTok); website; brick-and-mortar storefront in Old Forge; and, most recently, an app. The purpose of Life in the ADK, she described, “is to keep people connected to the places that they love, while showing them places that they don’t love yet.” 

Education, though, is a key component of the Life in the ADK brand, as it shows off not just the sides of the Adirondacks that most tourists see, but the reality of living in such a remote, rugged region. 

“I want my followers to understand how many jobs a local typically has. I want them to understand how hard we work. I want them to understand that, when they go from their job to their house, they probably pass four grocery stores, while we have to drive an hour to see one,” Bartlett explained.

Originally from Alabama and with a social media and digital marketing background, Bartlett said that, after she moved to Raquette Lake in 2013, where she worked as a caretaker at a private Adirondack Great Camp, she realized a lot of the small businesses in the region weren’t utilizing social media. While she created Life in the ADK to keep followers connected to the region, it soon became clear that the brand could help these businesses, too, with posts highlighting the smaller communities and their local entrepreneurs.

That’s the ethos behind the new Life in the ADK app, as well, where users will find 40 regional towns and directories for each, with listings for restaurants, hotels, stores, facilities like post offices and more — and every business is included, regardless of whether or not they’ve paid for advertising. 

It’s the positive impact Bartlett has had on regional small business that convinces her she’s on the right path.

“I woke up this morning to an email from a business who just recently started advertising with me on the app and said, ‘You shared one of our posts and we were able to get three new bookings and a wedding from that. Thank you so much, because we were really concerned about our numbers in June, and this has helped,’” she recounted. “That is my passion. My passion is for my social media to help all the small businesses in the Adirondacks have the best season they can possibly have, regardless of what Mother Nature is throwing at us.”

Spreading the crowds and the dollars 

Jacqueline Krawiecki is the founder of The Adventure Atlas blog and boasts 123,000-plus followers on Instagram. Originally from the Albany area, the travel content creator’s (Krawiecki does not like the term “influencer”) life was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, when she could no longer focus her content on international destinations. As so many did during that time, she turned her focus to the Adirondacks. 

Now, Krawiecki works with regional tourism boards, travel companies and Airbnb hosts, among other partners, to promote regional travel, especially to those in the Northeast who want to see what hidden outdoor adventure gems await in their own backyards. While she still has a 9-to-5 job in pharmaceuticals, she plans to make the platform her full-time job by the end of the year. 

While Krawiecki might be considered more of a traditional travel blogger, she makes a point to promote travel destinations responsibly. 

When social media content creators promote destinations beyond the most popular tourist hubs, it would also increase tourism revenue in regions that may still need it — just as Bartlett points out that many mom-and-pop businesses in more rural regions are still reaching out to her for help.

“I get troll comments saying, ‘Stop sharing this part of the Adirondacks. Be quiet. Take this down.’ A lot of people don’t think about the revenue tourism brings to a lot of the small towns throughout the Adirondacks,” Krawiecki said. “If you could take some of the traffic that would normally flood Lake George and Lake Placid, and send it over to Blue Mountain Lake, Indian Lake, Speculator…and spread it around, many of those towns would do so much better in terms of tourist revenue.” 

Sharing the healing powers of nature

Emily Trudell’s Instagram account focuses primarily on hiking and similar outdoor adventures, enjoyed alongside her dog, Colden. Instead of encouraging followers to come to the Adirondacks specifically, her influence is a little more lifestyle-focused. 

“I enjoy doing this because it does encourage people to do things outside of their comfort zones, to try hiking or visiting different places. So many people go to so many negative things to make them feel better, but if they just spent even 30 minutes outside a day, I think the world would feel so much better,” she said. “I want to really encourage people to take some time away from their phones…to spend time outside…with their friends and family.”

When creating posts, Trudell, a part-time content creator, part-time prevention specialist who works within the Saranac Lake School District, leaves the specific locations off her posts. Instead, she encourages her followers to do their own research and educate themselves on the area before they head out on a popular hike, even hikes that are generally considered relatively easy, like Mount Van Hoevenberg. 

Jonathan Zaharek, whose brand includes a popular YouTube channel, fine art photography and a recently published hiking guide, similarly says that his biggest goal is to inspire others — but to also prepare others.

He said, “I want people to develop a relationship with these mountains further and deeper than the surface level, which includes understanding Leave No Trace, rules and regulations, trail etiquette and how to properly go about this wilderness… I want to help keep this place Forever Wild, and that’s my goal through my work.” 

Zaharek considers himself fourth-generation Adirondack by association; his family, from Ohio, has been vacationing in the region since the 1920s. He, though, eventually decided to stick around long-term, and now calls Lake Placid home, where he’s established himself as a photographer and content creator. 

As an avid hiker who’s completed the 46 High Peaks challenge nearly a dozen times so far, Zaharek’s followers intrinsically link him to the High Peaks, so he admits he has an impact and influence, but he’s also adamant that he wants to be responsible with that impact and influence, even if it means accepting the occasional criticism for the ultimate good of the region — because, as he summed up: “When you love something, you want to take care of it.” 

Photo at top provided by Michelle Bartlett/Life in the ADK