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The writer of the letter “Trail etiquette for snowshoers” [November/December, 2014] seems to feel that cross-country skiing should be given preeminence in the use of a foot trail once ski tracks are laid down. I could certainly agree while using established and signed ski trails throughout the Adirondacks, but when on multi-use foot trails during…
Having just spent a couple of days canoeing and camping on the Essex Chain Lakes, I was interested to read “Should fires be banned at Essex Chain Lakes?” [It’s Debatable, November/December 2014]. Both commentators make some good points and some that strike me as off the mark. Joe Hackett’s rhapsody about “a blazing campfire” and…
At recent hearings on the plan for the 120-mile Adirondack Rail Corridor, the state Department of Transportation’s presenter, Ray Hessinger, said that DOT had been “doing their homework” since the listening sessions in 2013. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that the railroad’s business plan was on the list of “required reading,” even though it is a…
Thanks for your article about salt being a serious problem for our environment [“Cutting down on salt,” November/December, 2014]. Few of us stop to realize it, but it’s important. Neither your article nor the editorial mentioned beet juice as a de-icer for highways. The New York State Department of Transportation and the Thruway Authority were…
The article “Cutting down on Salt” [November/December 2014] brought up several good points. One idea not discussed is the use of no salt on roads. Use salt only on hills and intersections. My wife and I lived in western Montana for several winters. We lived on a ranch in a very rural area. No salt…
Essential trail etiquette for snowshoers to ensure safety and harmony with skiers, including staying to the right and avoiding ski tracks.
The dilemma is clear: residents and visitors to the Adirondack Park rely on safe roads in winter, yet de-icing methods have caused a steady increase in sodium and chloride in the Park’s sensitive waterways. But do we really face a choice between pavement safe enough to send school buses over, on one hand, and protecting the environment from a growing threat, on the…
Perhaps our experience with a rail trail can be of some value as we consider such a trail for the Adirondacks. Wayne County owns a three-mile section of a former rail line that ran from the coal fields of Pennsylvania to a coal trestle in Sodus Point. The county sold off the track and converted the line to a recreational…
To provide a glimpse of what a bike-able trail can be, look to P’tit Train du Nord in the province of Quebec, a trail our friendly neighbors to the north have turned into a great draw for cyclists from all over. My wife and I, along with thirteen friends, rode this route through the low-lying hills of the Laurentians north…
I have been a reader and subscriber to the Explorer for a number of years. I enjoy the recreational, environmental, and local community coverage that you provide for the Adirondacks. I am writing to you now about a recent incident. A permanent sign was placed on the summit of Grace Peak (formerly East Dix) in the Dix Mountain Wilderness. The sign…