Outdoor Recreation Archives - The Adirondack Almanack Archive

Ruth Kuhfahl died at age 99 on March 22, 2023 and her indomitable spirit will be greatly missed. Her story is the perfect example of the importance of capturing the stories of our elders, according to Jery Huntley, OurStoryBridge, Inc. President.

“We in the Town of Keene mourn a life well lived and a spirit that can guide us all into our elder years,” said Huntley.

Listen to “Almost 98 and Still Kickin” by Ruth Kuhfahl, an interview with Jery Huntley on July 9, 2021 at this link: https://app.memria.org/stories/public-story-view/29fa4c3cb94345a1bd795c7755bb43a5/

(Story #2 of our sharing series shared with permission from Adirondack Community, courtesy of OurStoryBridge, Inc.)

The Adirondack Almanack will share stories written by those who live, work, and play in the ADK, courtesy of OurStoryBridge/Freedom Story Project. These stories, which will be a combination of current and past events, people, outdoor activities and more, will be published on a weekly basis. The stories will focus on various locations situated in the Adirondack region, including the High Peaks, the town of Keene, and many other areas around the Park. Stories are compartmentalized into the following categories, arts & culture, catastrophes, work, people, outdoor activities, daily life, community, and natural & man-made environments.

Saturday, March 25, 2023

Sweet Maple Syrup, A Fishing Otter, & An Unexpected Visitor

by Gary Lee

The first day of Spring has arrived with only a new inch of snow and 18 degrees on the thermometer…(better than the three inches of snow and strong winds the day before, but no loss of power.) Many others are still struggling with more water and snow than they can deal with. Others [are dealing with] with damage from high winds and tornadoes that came across the country during the last week. Many in the south had a hard freeze which will affect many flowering trees, shrubs, and some crops that were already up.

Friday, March 24, 2023

The Ermine and the Hare: A Tale from Couchsachraga

by Guest Contributor

2 Comments

Story and photos by Heather Swartz

It seemed like an Adirondack fairytale at first. I had completed the navigation at dawn from Blue Mountain Lake to the Santanoni Range Trailhead at Upper Works. The sun rose on the tree enveloped horizon as I drove Northeast and spied a single young buck at the roadside in the morning light. I considered these good omens. It was early September. I parked at the trailhead and proceeded solo up Santanoni Road and began the Bradley Brook Trail, full of corduroy, horizontal logs laid out to make an old and well used, wet, roadway.

Monday, March 20, 2023

Tales of the Adirondacks, Past & Present: Winning the Olympic Gold Medal by Charity Marlatt

by Guest Contributor

In the spirit of sharing informational, intriguing, and inspiring stories to help highlight the rich social and cultural history of New York State’s Adirondack Mountains, The Adirondack Almanack will share stories written by those who live, work, and play in the ADK, courtesy of OurStoryBridge/Freedom Story Project. These stories, which will be a combination of current and past events, people, outdoor activities and more, will be published on a weekly basis, starting with today’s first story titled, Winning the Olympic Gold Medal by Charity Marlatt. The stories will focus on various locations situated in the Adirondack region, including the High Peaks, the town of Keene, and many other areas around the Park. Stories are compartmentalized into the following categories, arts & culture, catastrophes, work, people, outdoor activities, daily life, community, and natural & man-made environments.

Monday, March 20, 2023

DEC announces same-day reservations for all NYS campgrounds

by NYS DEC

11 Comments

On March 16, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced changes to reservations at DEC campgrounds for the upcoming season, including new same-day reservations to help add flexibility and ease to last-minute bookings.

“DEC is excited to make some changes and updates to this year’s reservation window for DEC campgrounds,” said DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos. “While many campers book weeks or months in advance, there continues to be a high demand for last-minute bookings. Adding same-day reservations will allow our customers to check availability and book a reservation on their way to a campground. An additional 17 hours to book a camping stay will ensure sites are available before arriving and prevent anyone from arriving to a full campground.”

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Peeking at backyard wildlife: A flying squirrel and barred owl

by Gary Lee

5 Comments

The couple inches of snow on Friday night [March 10] got us through the weekend for Snofest. It looks like we might need a snowmobile to get around this week, if all the snow predictions come true. Looking at the weather map, they are getting much more to the south of us just like most of the storms this year…some went south of us, and some went north of us. I did see some skiers enjoying the new snow on the ski trail out back both Saturday and Sunday [March 11 and 12.] I could hear the snowmobiles going up the shoulder of the road out front while here at my computer.

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Northern Forest Center Offers Grants for Community Recreation, Proposals Due March 31

The Northern Forest Center is offering grants of up to $2,500 to volunteer-led organizations working to increase local participation in outdoor recreation in Northern Forest Communities. Proposals are due by March 31, 2023.

“We’re increasingly aware of the positive physical, social, and economic benefits of outdoor recreation, and that sometimes a small investment in equipment, staffing, or infrastructure can have a big impact in a community,” said Joe Fox, outdoor recreation manager for the Center. “We’re grateful to LL Bean for providing funding for this grant program.”

Monday, March 13, 2023

The 90-Miler at 40: Call for Stories, Deadline March 31

In honor of the 40th anniversary of the Adirondack Canoe Classic (the 90-Miler), the Northern Forest Canoe Trail is seeking submissions for the creation of a commemorative coffee table book.

Stories must be short — 300 to 400 words — and ideally be accompanied by photos, though the NFCT will be working with photographers as well. NFCT aims to share stories from each decade dating back to the 1980s and intends to cover a wide array of topics, including family stories, first-timer stories, fierce competition, weather mishaps, etc.

Please Note: A submission is not a guarantee that a story will be published in the book; the NFCT will, however, aim to share stories that don’t get published in the coffee table book, on their website and social media accounts.

The deadline to submit stories is Friday, March 31.

Those who wish to submit a story, or those who have additional questions are asked to email chris@northernforestcanoetrail.org.

Photo at top: A group of spectators watch as 90-Miler participants make their way through Inlet, NY. Photo provided by the Inlet Information Office.

Sunday, March 12, 2023

A Nordic Adventure in Raquette Lake

by Guest Contributor

By Tim Helms, Long Lake & Raquette Lake Events Coordinator

With the return of winter and a decent snowpack in the Adirondack backcountry, this is the perfect time to explore a new trail or area that you have never experienced before. For this outing I chose the Powerhouse and Cascades Trails in the Historic Great Camps Special Management Area, which is part of the Blue Ridge Wilderness located in Raquette Lake, NY. To access the trailheads head south on Sagamore Road for approximately three miles, the first trailhead will be the Cascades Trail on the left side of the road. The Powerhouse Trailhead is another quarter mile on the left just across the bridge over South Inlet. The Cascades Trail has a very visible sign marking the parking lot, the Powerhouse Trail does not have a sign marking the parking lot, but the lot is very obvious and is just across the bridge and hard to miss.

Saturday, March 11, 2023

Tales of babysitting a coon cat, fat flying squirrels, and unpredictable weather

by Gary Lee

2 Comments

This week stayed more like winter…or at least the ground was white. I did blow out the driveway a couple times, but after the first snowstorm there was nothing but a misty rain the following day which froze [and created] a sharp crust on the snow that night. I had a couple runs to Utica this week and one day it was 33 degrees the whole way with light rain but when I got to Deerfield Hill it was a whiteout. Then going down the other side I could see all of Utica. Coming home that night it was the same [temperature] (33 degrees) and light rain until I hit Old Forge. Then it went [down] to 29 degrees and [I had] an instant freeze on my windshield at the top of the summit. I’m glad it wasn’t that way all the way home.

Thursday, March 9, 2023

Common Ground Alliance Announces 2023 Blueprint for the Blue Line

The Adirondack Common Ground Alliance (CGA) is a diverse network of stakeholders focused on addressing issues that affect the Adirondack Park – specifically, though not exclusively, environmental protection, economic development, and community vitality. Our goal is to facilitate dialogue and identify collaborative solutions that improve the Park and its communities for generations to come. Since 2007, CGA has organized an annual forum, yielding an agreed upon set of recommendations for state action referred to as the “Blueprint for the Blue Line.”

In the summer of 2022, more than 190 citizens participated in the 15th annual CGA Forum at Gore Mountain in North Creek. Below is a set of recommendations within five priority themes: housing, vibrant communities, community policing, recreation, and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Old Forge: Snofest on tap for March 10 & 11

Old Forge, NY – Snofest 2023 will be returning to the George T. Hiltebrant Recreation Center on Friday and Saturday, March 10 and 11. The popular event offers visitors the only chance in the North East to see new 2024 snowmobiles and gear featured by Arctic Cat, Polaris, and Ski-Doo. Special deals on sleds and accessories will be available, as well as demo rides sponsored by Arctic Cat (weather and conditions permitting.) The hours of operation for this year’s Snofest are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days, when the North Street pavilion will be filled with snowmobiles, sled accessories, vendors, raffles, and food and beverage specials.

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Inlet’s Frozen Fire & Lights a snowy success despite lack of wind

by Gary Lee

Well, we had our sixth January thaw this week as the temperature got up to 51 [degrees] on Tuesday [Feb. 21] and 49 [degrees] on Wednesday [Feb. 22.] [The temperature] dipped down, so it could snow Thursday [Feb. 23] morning about six inches. Then the temperature went up all day, and hovered right around freezing. When Karen came home from the library, it was 28 degrees and raining which put a razor-sharp crust on what snow we had. Then it zipped down below zero and didn’t get much above zero all day Friday [Feb. 24]. We got a couple more inches of snow and then right during Inlet’s Frozen Fire & Lights activities it snowed more, but not a wisp of wind for the kite fliers [on] Saturday afternoon [Feb. 25].

Thursday, March 2, 2023

Silver Bay YMCA holds annual Winter Weekend event

SILVER BAY – Silver Bay YMCA hosted its annual Winter Weekend celebration Feb. 17 through Feb. 20. Despite the lack of snow, the community showed up in full force to partake in the winter-themed fun.

The fun started Friday evening with rock climbing and S’mores in Fisher Gymnasium where there was lots of laughter, memories, and sweet treats to be had and a Paint n’ Sip class in Gullen Lounge.

The excitement continued into Saturday with Broom Ball, arts and crafts, a mini disc golf tournament, cookie decorating, and an ice carving demonstration. The night ended with a community concert by “Uncle Juan’s Band.”

“I love Silver Bay,” Holly Kocher, a 10-year-old from Pennsylvania, proclaimed.

Monday, February 27, 2023

Northern Forest Canoe Trail recognizes recent thru-paddlers

Virtual discussion set for March 2

WAITSFIELD, Vt. — The Northern Forest Canoe Trail (NFCT) has announced its roster of 2022 thru-paddlers.

A total of 11 individuals — and one dog — completed the 740-mile waterway trail connecting New York, Vermont, Quebec, New Hampshire and Maine, and a family of three finished a four-year effort to paddle the entire canoe trail. The NFCT will host a virtual discussion with several of these paddlers on Thursday, March 2.