Posts Tagged ‘hiking’

Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Recent Adirondack Forest Ranger Missions

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks.
» Continue Reading.


Friday, September 28, 2018

Featured Hike: Rock Lake Trail, Blue Mountain Lake

rock lake trailRock Lake Trail, part of the Blue Mountain Wild Forest, extends 0.8 miles from the trailhead on State Route 28/30 to the shore of Rock Lake, dropping only 80 feet in elevation in that distance. Rock Lake is not only scenic, but provides paddling and fishing opportunities as well. The lake contains brook trout, smallmouth bass, and panfish. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, September 27, 2018

Adirondack Fall Foliage Report – Leaf Peeping Etiquette

Fall Foliage ReportsThe leaves have begun changing and are expected to change dramatically over the next several weeks. Autumn leaf color is already happening at higher elevation areas of the central Adirondacks. Color will broadly widen through the rest of the Adirondack Park in the next few weeks, ending along the Lake George and Lake Champlain valleys.

If driving on busy roads, do not slow down to look at the leaves. This is unsafe for traffic behind you. Find a safe pull over to view the leaves.

If you are headed into the woods or onto the waters, help protect the Adirondacks by learning and practicing the seven Leave No Trace principles.

» Continue Reading.


Thursday, September 27, 2018

Current Adirondack Outdoor Recreation Conditions (Sept 27)

CompassThis weekly report of outdoor recreation conditions in the Adirondacks is compiled each Thursday afternoon and fully updated by Friday afternoon.

Contribute Your Knowledge: Add a comment below, or send your observations, corrections, updates, and suggestions to adkalmanack@gmail.com.

Learn and practice the seven Leave No Trace principles. Carry out what you have carried in. Do not leave gear, food, or other items at lean-tos and campsites. Do not litter. Take the free online Leave No Trace course here.

BE PREPARED! Start slow, gain experience. Always carry proper safety equipment – including plenty of food, water, flashlights, space blanket, emergency whistle, first aid kit, fire making tools, extra clothing layers and socks, and a map and compass – inform someone of your itinerary, and be prepared to spend an unplanned night in the woods in cold temperatures. Just before entering the backcountry or launching a boat check the National Weather Service watches, warnings, and advisories here. Follow Adirondack weather forecasts at Burlington and Albany and consult the High Elevation, Recreation, or Lake Champlain forecasts.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2018 – SPECIAL NOTICES » Continue Reading.


Wednesday, September 26, 2018

Orra Phelps: With Us on Every Trail

In the passages below, excerpted from a 1942 article appearing in a regional newspaper, there is a glaring error. Can you spot it?

“Dr. Orra A. Phelps, Fort Plain School Physician, was the principal speaker at the initial meeting of the Burroughs Nature Study Club…. He spoke on Guide to Adirondack Trails. In his talk, Dr. Phelps outlined various trails leading to the most picturesque spots in the upper Adirondacks from information gleaned first-hand by the speaker, who is an enthusiastic mountain climber.

“He called particular attention to Mt. Colden, located between Mt. Marcy and Mt. McIntyre, one of the few points, he said, that has been preserved in its original state and which he characterized as the heart of this wilderness of nature. Dr Phelps also described the scenic beauty discovered on a visit to the Ausable Club in the vicinity of Keene Valley. The speaker is chief author of the book, Guide to Adirondack Trails.” » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, September 25, 2018

A Weekend of Adirondack High Peaks Searches, Rescues

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks.
» Continue Reading.


Sunday, September 23, 2018

Access To Cascade, Pitchoff Limited During Columbus Day Weekend

Cascade Parking closures mapThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) have announced plans for managing use associated with the popular Cascade Mountain Trail this Columbus Day holiday weekend.

The trailhead parking lots and the shoulders of State Route 73 in the vicinity of the Cascade Mountain and Pitchoff Mountain Trailhead will be closed to public parking beginning in the late afternoon on Thursday, October 4, through Columbus Day. Hikers will be directed to the Cross Country Parking Lot at ORDA’s Olympic Sports Complex beginning Friday morning and throughout the holiday weekend. Only designated shuttles from the Sports Complex will be allowed to enter the Cascade Mountain Trailhead area.

» Continue Reading.


Friday, September 21, 2018

Featured Paddle: Essex Chain Lakes

Essex Chain Lakes MapThe Essex Chain Lakes Complex contains 18 water bodies totaling 785 acres that range in size from 3-acre Chub Pond to 216-acre Third Lake. Paddlers can carry their canoe or kayak 0.25 miles to Deer Pond from the Deer Pond Parking Area at the end of the Cornell/Deer Pond Road. The 0.5-mile carry from Deer Pond to Third Lake is located directly across the pond on its southern shore.

Once in Third Lake, paddlers can access Second Lake by water and from there travel to First Lake using a 0.1-mile carry trail. On the northern shore of First Lake near its western end is the 0.4-mile carry to Grassy Pond. » Continue Reading.


Thursday, September 20, 2018

Current Adirondack Outdoor Recreation Conditions (Sept 20)

CompassThis weekly report of outdoor recreation conditions in the Adirondacks is compiled each Thursday afternoon and fully updated by Friday afternoon.

Contribute Your Knowledge: Add a comment below, or send your observations, corrections, updates, and suggestions to adkalmanack@gmail.com.

Learn and practice the seven Leave No Trace principles. Carry out what you have carried in. Do not leave gear, food, or other items at lean-tos and campsites. Do not litter. Take the free online Leave No Trace course here.

BE PREPARED! Start slow, gain experience. Always carry proper safety equipment – including plenty of food, water, flashlights, space blanket, emergency whistle, first aid kit, fire making tools, extra clothing layers and socks, and a map and compass – inform someone of your itinerary, and be prepared to spend an unplanned night in the woods in cold temperatures. Just before entering the backcountry or launching a boat check the National Weather Service watches, warnings, and advisories here. Follow Adirondack weather forecasts at Burlington and Albany and consult the High Elevation, Recreation, or Lake Champlain forecasts.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2018 – SPECIAL NOTICES » Continue Reading.


Tuesday, September 18, 2018

Recent Adirondack Forest Ranger Missions

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks.
» Continue Reading.


Sunday, September 16, 2018

Poetry: The Hiker

The Hiker

As the hiker capers through
an unpainted gallery of birch
logs, the crackling of chipmunks
on sticks carries no weight.
Captured by the sculpted breath
of a grey-lyre like wind-his love
of the trail corresponds to inter
rupted questions: the cadence
of candy apple brown pine cones,
and the moon hiding its migration
within the amber colored glass of
monarch eyes. Yes, the hiker walks
towards unborn steps, since before
his seed heart began pumping in
the silent chamber of the placenta.


Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Recent High Peaks Searches, Rescues

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents in the Adirondacks. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people from the Adirondack backcountry.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers in the Adirondacks.
» Continue Reading.


Sunday, September 9, 2018

‘Fest to Fest’ Hike Showcases Viall’s Crossing

Katherine Preston leads the way on the Vialls Crossing TrailChamplain Area Trails (CATS) is set to host a ‘Fest to Fest’ hike to coincide with the Third Annual Adirondack Harvest Festival on Saturday, September 15. Hikers will begin and end at the Festival on the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport, New York. The hike starts at 10 am; hikers should come early to check in at the registration desk near the main entrance.

The hike showcases the new Viall’s Crossing Trail where, to ensure permanent legal access to a critical railroad crossing for the trail connecting Westport and Essex, CATS “spent some serious money,” according to a CATS announcement.  All proceeds from this year’s hike will help pay for the Viall’s Crossing Conservation and Trail Project. » Continue Reading.


Friday, September 7, 2018

Featured Hike: Cedar Lakes Trail, Indian Lake

Cedar Lakes Trail mapCedar Lakes Trail, extends 2.7 miles beyond the 1.6-mile start of the French Louie Trail making this a 4.3-mile one-way hike to Cedar Lakes in the West Canada Lakes Wilderness.

The Cedar Lake trail connects the French Louie Trail in the south and the Northville-Placid Trail in the north. It drops 80 feet in the first 0.75 mile, then climbs 305 feet in the next 1.9 miles and drops 60 feet in the last 0.6 mile to the intersection with the Northville-Placid Trail. » Continue Reading.


Friday, September 7, 2018

Lake George Bear Activity Prompts DEC Enforcement Warning

black bearWhat follows is a notice from the NYSDEC:

Due to number of residents still feeding birds and failing to secure their garbage, and the amount of nuisance bear activity in the Town of Lake George, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) is shifting from an educational mode to an enforcement mode.

Residences with bird feeders and other bear attractants will be given a written warning. If they fail to heed the warning they will be issued a ticket that could result in a maximum penalty of $250 fine and 15 days in jail. » Continue Reading.



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