The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
By Phil Brown
The owner of the Hudson River Rafting Company has been indicted on five misdemeanor charges accusing him of endangering clients on whitewater trips. The defendant, Patrick Cunningham, pleaded not guilty to the charges last week in Hamilton County Court, according to the office of District Attorney James Curry. Cunningham is charged with two counts of…
By Phil Brown
We just received the Forest Ranger Report for September and October from the state Department Environmental Conservation’s Region 5, which includes most of the Adirondack Park. The report follows verbatim. Essex County Town of Wilmington, Private Lands On Wednesday, September 22, 2010, at 12:09 pm, the DEC Dispatch Center in Ray Brook received a report…
By Phil Brown
Free pizza, free beer, and free movies. Have we got your attention? High Peaks Cyclery will show a series of climbing films tonight at its High Peaks Mountain Guides House in Lake Placid. The doors open at 6 p.m. Scott Arno, the Guides House coordinator, said the films’ topics include ice climbing, bouldering, base jumping, and…
By Phil Brown
The November/December issue of the Explorer will contain an article and a debate on a lawsuit filed against the state by five military veterans who contend that the state’s ban on floatplanes in Wilderness Areas violates the federal Americans with Disabilities Act. Today, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo filed an answer to the suit. Most of…
By Phil Brown
Anybody who pays attention to the photo credits in the Adirondack Explorer knows how much we rely on the work of Carl Heilman II to enliven our pages. In our next issue, we plan to run Carl’s photos of the Eagle Slide on Giant Mountain–which many people regard as the most spectacular slide in the…
By Phil Brown
For all you strong hikers out there … I don’t know how old you are, but the ageless mountains can figure this out for me. First, tell us how many High Peaks you can climb in a day. Any strong hiker can climb one, and we won’t believe you if you say you can climb…
By Phil Brown
The Adirondack Park Agency’s recommendation to keep the fire towers on St. Regis and Hurricane mountains but prohibit volunteer groups from fixing them up is unlikely to please either side in this long-running debate. Dan Plumley of Adirondack Wild, a new environmental organization, argues that it merely ensures that the debate will continue indefinitely. “The…
By Phil Brown
Earlier this week, I wrote a short item for Adirondack Almanack on cairns. Many people are fascinated by these heaps of stone often found on bare ridges and summits. Tom Woodman, our publisher, wrote about cairns in a column in the Explorer last year. Adirondack Life ran a photo feature on cairns last year. And…
By Phil Brown
John Davis is stepping down as conservation director of the Adirondack Council to work for the Wildlands Network, a nonprofit organization working to preserve natural corridors for wildlife migration. “It has been a great five years working on conservation strategies inside the Park,” Davis said in a news release today. “Now, I get to think about…
By Phil Brown
The fire tower on Mount Adams offers one of the most breathtaking vistas in the Adirondacks, as can be seen in the above photo by Carl Heilman II. It shows the view to the northeast, including Algonquin, Colden, Marcy, and many other High Peaks. Unfortunately, the tower has been closed to the public since a…