The Dippikill Wilderness Retreat is the largest student-owned natural preserve in the country. It has belonged to the Student Association of the University at Albany since 1956, on a back road in the highlands of the Town of Thurman.
Adirondack Explorer stories of the year: No. 6
As we head into a new year, the Adirondack Explorer looks back at the most popular online stories of 2018. Hikers love a patch challenge and the Saranac 6ers is a favorite. The Explorer republished a 2013 story about the challenge and it became one of the most-read of the year. Hikers who climb all six peaks earn a patch and the right to ring the 6er bell at downtown Saranac Lake’s Berkeley Green. Read the story here.
Adirondack Explorer stories of the year: No. 8
When climbing the Trap Dike, hikers can expect to see scenery of other summits in the high peaks including Iriquois, Algonquin, Wright, Marshall, and Santanonis.
Adaptive skiers tackle the Double H Ranch ski hill
The Adaptive Winter Sports Program is one of many programs the Double H Ranch offers children with chronic illnesses or disabilities.
Perilous days in the mountains
Three DEC Forest Rangers assisted Long Lake Rescue Squad recover a 51-year-old Ontario, Canada man who had cardiac arrest on the trail to Owl’s Head Mountain. Members of the man’s group performed CPR but the man was deceased when Rangers and rescue personnel arrived at the scene
Ski trails open up, waters ice over
Some ponds and lakes are freezing up early, and people are already hitting groomed and backcountry ski trails.
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.
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.
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.