Five feel-good stories from 2020

On this Merry Christmas morning, we present five heart-warming stories from this past year

1. EMERGENCY FOOD PACKAGES: During the initial weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, nonprofit AdkAction teamed up with Hub on the Hill commercial kitchen/local food distributor to put together emergency food packages (EFP) with a week’s worth of locally produced food and ready-to-eat meals. Since then, we’ve been following this innovative work to combat food insecurity and bolster local food producers. From fundraising efforts to keep the program going to making the packages available to all, this is a true example of “you are what you eat.”
   
2. MAKING MASKS: Also in the early phases of the pandemic, crafters came together to help sew face masks for front-line workers and others in need of them. READ MORE
   
3. RGB IN THE ADK: While summer camps were closed this year, we were still able to bask in the golden glow of Adirondack camp memories, with this look at Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s time spent at Camp Che-Na-Wah, a girl’s camp on the shore of Balfour Lake in Minerva. (Note: This was also one of our Top 10 for the year online.) READ MORE
   
4. BREAKING A GLASS CEILING: This summer two women made history for thru-hiking all 46 High Peaks without any outside assistance. (Also one of our Top 10 for the year online.) READ MORE
   
5. TREE HUGGING: In the midst of all the stress from the past year, it felt good to know that old-fashioned tree hugging, also known as “forest bathing,” is a healthy dose of therapy for the mind, body and spirit. READ MORE

— Melissa Hart

See some photos

Check out a gallery of forest bathing photos by Explorer multimedia reporter Mike Lynch. (Shown here, guide Helene Gibbons.) SEE MORE