Walking for wilderness

Pair kicks off 400-mile trek to raise awareness for Adirondacks-to-Algonquin corridor

By Mike Lynch

The adventure to become the first people to traverse the entire corridor between the Adirondack and Algonquin parks got underway Saturday in Newcomb. 

Science writer Jamieson Findlay and farmer Bill Barkley, both Canadians, camped at Lake Harris state campground Friday night. The following morning they hiked from a  campground trailhead to Great Camp Santanoni trailhead. From there, they headed north through the High Peaks Wilderness toward Long Lake. 

Five weeks in the wilderness

The pair plan to take about five weeks on the 400-mile journey. 

“Five weeks walking in wilderness, in the countryside, and mixed terrain is going to add years to my life,” Findlay, 64, said. “Basically, it’s going to rejuvenate me and recharge my batteries.” 

The pair carried large expedition backpacks. Findlay had a small toy moose tied to his pack to remember Alice the Moose, a wild animal who scientists tracked doing the same journey in 2000.

Adirondack Council rewilding advocate John Davis, retired Adirondack Land Trust scientist Bill Brown, and Barkley’s son Denzil joined them on the way to the Great Camp Santanoni Trailhead before turning around. 

“I believe very strongly in the Adirondack to Algonquin connection as a wildlife corridor and a landscape rich in diversity and abundance and one that we need to better protect,” Davis said. 

Davis was part of a team of people who hiked a section of the corridor several years ago. 

He is also generally following the multi-use route known as the “Pilgrimage for Nature Trail,” which the Adirondacks to Algonquin Collaborative is in the process of developing. 

“I’d like people to learn about it and explore it and come to appreciate it as much as I do,” Findlay said. 

Barkley, who is an experienced wilderness canoe camper, joined the trek to accompany and support his childhood friend. 

The pair plan to camp, stay with friends and lodge. They will be going through a variety of terrain, passing through towns, woods and waters. And crossing the Thousand Islands Bridge over the St. Lawrence River.