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Women at work on the trails

Mike Lynch
August 27, 2019
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The professional trail crew built a staircase on Mount Colden in July. Photo by Mike Lynch

The professional trail crew works on a staircase on the trail up Mount Colden. Photo by Mike Lynch

Professional trail crew member Anastasia Rodak works on a ladder going up Mount Colden in late July. Photo by Mike Lynch

Professional trail crew member Anastasia Rodak works on Mount Colden. Photo by Mike Lynch

Professional trail crew member Anastasia Rodak enjoys a laugh on Mount Colden. Photo by Mike Lynch

A hiker congrats the trail crew working on Mount Colden. Photo by Mike Lynch

trail work and the budget — Professional trail crew member Anastasia Rodak works on Mount Colden. Photo by Mike Lynch

Professional trail crew member Adeline Clayton jots done notes about the job. Photo by Mike Lynch

The professional trail crew works on a staircase on the trail up Mount Colden. Photo by Mike Lynch

Adirondack Mountain Club professional trail crew boss Charlotte Staats. Photo by Mike Lynch

Charlotte Staats grew up in Westport hearing stories from her mother about being a volunteer trail crew leader for the Adirondack Mountain Club in the 1990s.

Now Staats is a member of ADK’s professional trail crew and was the crew boss this summer, leading projects throughout the Adirondack Park.

In late July, Staats joined four other women on the backside of Mount Colden, where the Adirondack Mountain Club has been installing ladders on steep sections of a trail to the summit.

Explorer contributing writer Betsey Kepes visited the women for a few hours while they were at work and wrote a feature story for the September issue of the Explorer. A couple of days later, I hiked up and photographed them at work.

Above is a photo gallery from my visit. Check out the photos and be sure to read the current issue of the Explorer learn more about this impressive group of women.