Category: High Peaks

Climate Change, Chainsaws & a Camping Chronology This piece begins with a question: How many folks out there have spent ten days or more at a single stretch with family in a remotely pitched ADK camp? I’m not talking about “going into camp”, sitting in hunting camp playing cards...

Why do some people think defacing our beloved Adirondack lean-tos is acceptable? For many folks out there; hunters, hikers, campers, explorers, outdoorsmen and other Adirondack souls of like ilk, these lean-tos are more than just cedar log structures providing a convenient stopping point on our trek through life’s wood....

MIDDLE SARANAC LAKE EDITION It was an early Saturday morning in the middle of July. My brother Ray & I were camped in our usual Middle Saranac Lake Bull Rush Bay lean-to spot. I arose from lean-to embraced slumber, stretched, and went down to the lake to inhale the...

Could the earth’s shifting magnetic poles impact lake effect snow patterns? Let me be crystal clear. This piece is not about climate change or global warming. Nor is it in any way, shape, or form an attempt to deflect blame for their escalating impact from the true culprits. This...

I was out along one of my back trails on my afternoon walk yesterday. I love walking my network of trails. It’s so tranquil and quiet. Whether it’s the fluttering flush of a frantic ruffed grouse, or a crisp set of critter tracks breaking trail through fresh fallen snow,...

A Pre-Civil War Bean Pot & Mysteries Surrounding an Early 1800’s Ale Bottle Researching a Pair of Early Adirondack Artifacts My Ongoing Quest for “Before” ********** “Before” That’s a powerful word. The desire to discover it is in large part what drives me. I just love finding old bottles....

An Anniversary Day Trip Celebration of September’s Early Fall Colors ********** As August’s Summer Sunset Slowly Fades September’s Sunrise Ascends Mountain Marsh Paintbrush Horizons Hint Fall’s First Bright Splashes of Red Morning Sun’s Misted Dewdrop Rays Glisten Falling Leaves Drift the Winds Mother Earth’s Arboreal Timepiece Autumn’s Onset Portends...

There’s a spot on the deacon’s log Near the end of the lean-to Where I like to sit Soaking in the rising sun’s first warming rays Listening to our propane fueled pot percolate As I watch morning coffee’s slow drip Contemplating today’s yesterdays and tomorrows Breathing in that fresh...

There’s always something magical about that first night in camp. Our family’s first foray into camp came a bit later than usual this year. That was in large part due to the upper locks rebuild, but also in part simply because of how our effort to make camp reservations...

The Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Cottage My Cottage Caretaker Guided Photography Tour Followed by a Presentation on the Renowned Author’s Life & Works Hosted by the folks at Historic Saranac Lake ********** I grew up in the shadows of the Robert Louis Stevenson Memorial Cottage. We called it the...