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By Mike Lynch
Albany resident John Sasso,53, is an avid hiker. Bushwhacks, trails, peaks, he’s hiked it. On Saturday, Nov. 26, he got what he described as a “rude awakening.” That morning, he hiked Hurricane Mountain from 9N in Keene. Afterward, he drove to Poke-O-Moonshine to hike the Observer’s Trail off Route 9 in Lewis. When he returned from the second hike, he found his passenger’s side window smashed and an estimated $600 worth of gear missing. The Essex County Sheriff’s Office in Lewis later told him that vehicle break-ins not only occurred at Poke-O-Moonshine that day, but also at trailheads for Hurricane and Baxter in Keene and Belfry Mountain in Moriah. The sheriff’s office could not be reached by the Explorer, but here’s how the day went in Sassos’ own words — edited for clarity and space.
In the fall of 2019, I was hiking up Cascade Mountain for a story about High Peaks crowds, when I noticed something unusual on the way up. There were 
Editor’s note: This first appeared Jan. 14 in Mike’s weekly “Backcountry Journal” newsletter. 
There’s no question about it: 2020 was a challenging year due to the pandemic. But luckily, at the Explorer, we sometimes get to escape the realities of the pandemic and go on adventures in the scenic and wild backcountry of the Adirondacks.
Winter in the Adirondacks is unpredictable, but whether there is snow or not, you can always hike. Your footwear will just differ, depending on the conditions.
Some years ski season is in full swing by late November. That isn’t the case this year, but that hasn’t kept me from considering where I’ll be headed during the upcoming ski season. And I’m wondering where everyone else will be headed.
When out on assignment in the Forest Preserve, I seem to take photos of every trail sign I come across. However, after I download them, they disappear into my archives and are never seen again.
In September, Katie Rhodes and Bethany Garretson added their names to Adirondack hiking lore by doing an 
I was talking to 
Right now, we’re getting down to crunch time at the Adirondack Explorer, wrapping up many of our writing and photo assignments for the November issue.
Scientists have found a 
People who spend a lot of time in the woods often develop favorite spots. I’ve had plenty of these over the years, and one of my chosen ones was a swimming hole in the Catskill Park.
While crowds of people continue to show up at High Peak trailheads between St. Huberts and Lake Placid, there are still plenty of wild places in the Adirondacks where you can spend time and possibly not even see another person.
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