By Mike Lynch Forest rangers found a 49-year-old Saratoga County man alive but exhausted Wednesday, July 5, after he spent two unplanned nights in the woods after getting lost near the summit of Nippletop Mountain. Richard Maxwell had … [Read more...] about Rangers locate missing hiker near Elk Lake
high peaks
Trails showing their age
Observers say more money is needed to repair and maintain an antiquated network of hiking routes. By MIKE LYNCH When many of the High Peaks’ trails were cut more than a century ago, the work was done by guides and hired hands. Keene Valley’s … [Read more...] about Trails showing their age
Panther Gorge rocks
A coterie of climbers tames the cliffs at one of the wildest, remotest, and most sublime locales in the High Peaks. By ALAN WECHSLER Four and a half hours after our 4:30 a.m. departure from the Garden trailhead in Keene … [Read more...] about Panther Gorge rocks
Beyond Peak Capacity
A sharp rise in hikers climbing some of the region’s highest mountains leads to the degradation of natural resources and raises a variety of other issues. By MIKE LYNCH The number of hikers in the High Peaks has been steadily increasing in … [Read more...] about Beyond Peak Capacity
Spring comes to Snow
Bird songs welcome hikers on a jaunt in Keene Valley in May. By TOM WOODMAN Following a disappointing winter for skiing, I came into May looking forward to the next season of outdoor enjoyment. But spring turned out as … [Read more...] about Spring comes to Snow
A bigger wilderness
Eight environmental groups want most of the Boreas Ponds Tract added to High Peaks Wilderness, but local officials have other ideas. By Phil Brown In 1936, the conservationist Bob Marshall made a list of forty-eight forested areas in the … [Read more...] about A bigger wilderness