Spencer Morrissey’s goal is to hike all of the Adirondacks mountains that are open to the public, or that he’s allowed to do through permission of the landowners. He’s counted 1,817 possible peaks.
Rebirth of a fire tower
Stillwater’s tower was climbable for the adventurous the last three decades, but now it truly is in proper shape to welcome visitors, thanks to the Friends of Stillwater Fire Tower.
Alewives pose challenge to Champlain salmon restoration
Scientists are trying to understand how salmon are impacted by alewives, an invasive species that has become a main source of food for salmon, a keystone predator that eats smaller fish.
Biking the Barns in the Champlain Valley
Champlain Valley’s many quiet, country roads are ideal for cycling, so it’s no surprise that the Adirondack North Country Association chose the region for a new annual event called Bike the Barns.
Beds at Boreas Ponds?
Environmental groups are alarmed by a conceptual proposal floated by the Cuomo administration to establish lodging facilities near Boreas Ponds—in an area they believe should be classified as “untrammeled” Wilderness.
The wild is near to their hearts
Bucking the region’s aging demographic, young adults who love wilderness choose to settle in the Park. By Mike Lynch In 2015, Old Forge native Tyler Socash decided to take the money he had been saving for a car and spend it on something more experiential: three long-distance hiking trips. Starting in August, he ended up hiking seven thousand miles as he finished the Pacific Crest Trail, Te-araroa (Long Pathway) in New Zealand, and the Appalachian Trail. After the yearlong trip, the thirty-year-old came home to the Adirondacks, where he returned to a former employer, the Adirondack Mountain Club, as a >>More
A new, improved view
Snowshoers can enjoy a wild panorama from the newly restored fire tower on St. Regis Mountain. By Mike Lynch As we neared the summit of St. Regis Mountain this past January, the conditions changed dramatically. Tree limbs—caked in snow and ice—hung down over the trail, and as we walked crouched through the tangle of branches, snow cascaded upon us. “Most of the time I go past that rock outcropping, I feel like I’m home free,” said Doug Fitzgerald, co-chairman of Friends of St. Regis Mountain Fire Tower. “Not today.” The conditions slowed our travel, but the scenic beauty more than >>More
Laying siege to the tower
A classic route near Chapel Pond combines technical ice climbing with alpine-style mountaineering. By Phil Brown If you’ve done any rock climbing at Chapel Pond Gully Cliff, you’ve probably passed a steep granite wall on your way to the routes. It’s wet, dark, and manky, nothing you’d want to get on in summer. In winter, however, the wall is transformed into the beautiful Crystal Ice Tower, one of the oldest and most popular ice-climbing routes in the region. The tower is just one pitch, about eighty feet long, but it’s possible to keep climbing for three more pitches all the >>More
Going digital in the Dacks
The millennial generation uses social media like Facebook and Instagram to connect to the outdoors. By MIKE LYNCH Growing up in Keene Valley, Sophie McClelland often sought solitude on Indian Head, a rocky cliff with a gorgeous view of Lower Ausable Lake in the Adirondack Mountain Reserve. Now twenty-seven, she noticed this summer that more people were visiting the lookout. One morning she arrived at sunrise to find a half-dozen people already there. Over Columbus Day weekend, she counted more than twenty-five hikers on the summit. “They were all trying to find their perfect frame of the wilderness shot, the >>More
The lure of thin ice
In 1996, the amazing Jeff Lowe climbed a futuristic ice route at Poke-O-Moonshine. No one has repeated it in 21 years. That won’t stop Matt Horner from trying. By PHIL BROWN Jeff Lowe is one of the greatest American mountaineers of his generation. A native of Utah, he has climbed all over the world and put up hundreds of first ascents—on rock, ice, and alpine peaks. So when asked for his favorite climb in North America, he had many to choose from. Such as Moonlight Buttress in Zion National Park, Bridal Veil Falls in Colorado, or the Keeler Needle >>More