Is a diminutive, soft-voiced recent college grad really the answer to the over-crowding problem in the Adirondack High Peaks?
She might be part of it. Naomi Hodgson is one of the new, home-grown “front country stewards” stationed at critical spots on busy hiking weekends. Their job is to direct hikers to right-sized hikes for their experience and skill level, recommend necessary gear and preparation, and provide critical pointers and friendly advice.
“I don’t get so many flip flops here,” she said. “Just sneakers, which is not so bad, really. I haven’t seen a person with flip flops in a while. “
The hikers are coming … but how many?
In 2020, the Adirondack trails were overwhelmed with hikers looking for Covid-safe recreation. People were lined up long before dawn for trails in the High Peaks. Highways turned into parking lots, and wilderness rangers into meter maids.
Then in 2021, with Covid still a presence in the Northeast, the hiker crisis evaporated.
The crazy busy hiker weekends were gone. Keene Supervisor Joe Pete Wilson says he towed only one (ONE!) car from the Garden trailhead in 2021. That place is usually a combat zone.
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