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Snowy woods beckon skiers By Phil Brown We were all happy to be on our first backcountry ski trip of the season, but none of us was as excited as Ella. She often bolted ahead of us, eager to see what snowy adventure lay around the bend, and she kept her high spirits throughout our…
By Phil Brown Winter came late. We didn’t get our first decent snowstorm until the second week of December, maybe six inches over two days—enough to ski the new trail at Henry’s Woods outside Lake Placid. The 2.5-mile trail winds, climbs, and descends through a two-hundred-acre preserve on the outskirts of the village. Tony Goodwin,…
Park’s Banana Belt is appealing! By Phil Brown I had made a date earlier in the week to go cross-country skiing with my daughter, so when I awoke to find several inches of fresh sugary powder in Saranac Lake, I looked forward to a great day. The plan was to ski to Moose Mountain Pond…
By Phil Brown
We got enough snow last week to do a little backcountry skiing. One day I skied to McKenzie Pond; on another, I skied part way up Debar Mountain. The flats were fine, but on both trails, my skis scraped rocks on the hills. Expect the cover to remain thin for a while, at least in…
By Phil Brown
We finally have enough snow to ski on some of the early-season trails, such as the road to Camp Santanoni in Newcomb, the Marcy Dam Truck Trail in the High Peaks Wilderness, the Fish Pond Truck Trail in the St. Regis Canoe Area, and the Hayes Brook Truck Trail in the Debar Mountain Wild Forest.…
By Phil Brown
Cross-country skiers who live in or near Saranac Lake don’t have to travel far in pursuit of their pastime: Dewey Mountain, a small peak on the outskirts of the village, has ten kilometers of trails. Dewey’s lower trails are groomed by a snowmobile pulling a roller, but the trails on the upper part of the…
By Phil Brown
There’s snow in the High Peaks now, so if you plan on hiking to a summit, you’d be smart to pack a pair of Yaktrax, MicroSpikes, or similar grippers for your feet. On Sunday, my daughter Martha and I encountered snow and ice on the trail from Crow Clearing in Keene to Hurricane Mountain, which…
By Phil Brown
We awoke in Saranac Lake this morning to find an inch of snow on the ground. We’ve seen flurries a few times in the past two weeks, but this was the first accumulation at lower elevations. It won’t be long now before people are skiing the Whiteface Veterans Memorial Highway. The highway has had enough…
By Phil Brown
The next time you’re in Lake Placid and looking to kill an hour or two, check out the new 2.5-mile trail at Henry’s Woods on the outskirts of town. Locals have been using the trail for a while now, but village and town officials celebrated its official opening just this week. I went there after…