The only independent, nonprofit news organization solely dedicated to reporting on the Adirondack Park.
The Adirondack Explorer is a nonprofit magazine covering the Adirondack Park's environment, recreation and communities.
By Adirondack Explorer
March 1, 2002
When the Explorer asked me to write about two of my favorite ski trips, I didn’t have to rattle my brain long before I hit on the two gems below. Both should be great skiing in late winter, when there is (or should be) lots of snow. If you love the winter wilderness and enjoy backcountry skiing, you won’t be disappointed with either of these trips.
By Adirondack Explorer
March 1, 2002
You think you’re physically ready, braced for the worst. But no matter how many times you’ve clung anxiously to a raft catapulting and careening down the wild upper Hudson River during spring runoffs, there’s no way to be really prepared for that first heart-stopping plunge into a wall of frigid water.
By Adirondack Explorer
March 1, 2002
Carl Heilman knows snowshoes. He made and sold them for 15 years, always out of hand-split ash, and he’s used them for much longer. Although he got out of the business a few years ago to devote his energies to photography, he still goes out on snowshoes two or three times a week when conditions permit.
By Adirondack Explorer
January 1, 2002
By Phil Brown Back in 1979, Almy and Anne Coggeshall published 25 Ski Tours in the Adirondacks, the first guide to cross-country skiing in the North Country. They dedicated it to John Apperson, an ardent conservationist and the first person to climb Mount Marcy on skis.
By Adirondack Explorer
January 1, 2002
This is how it was meant to be. The wax is holding firm as we ascend the mild uphill behind Pitchoff Mountain and settle into a comfortable kick and glide through the still woods, slow enough to maintain conversation but fast enough to know we’re getting somewhere. By Rick Karlin
By Adirondack Explorer
December 1, 2001
By Jeff Schmidt The roller-coaster ride through the krummholz was exhilarating and unlike any skiing I’d ever done. I had just come through the Romper Room, a magical section on the shoulder of Mount Marcy that epitomizes the best in Adirondack trail skiing. The trail rolls, dips, turns and twists. Blind corners lead to blinding…
By Adirondack Explorer
December 1, 2001
Comforts of home in a wild setting By Robin Ambrosino The first person I spoke to at Garnet Hill Lodge’s ski shop said, “Oh, no. You’re not going to tell everyone about our little spot, are you?” She was joking, for the most part, but this place does have the feel of a well-kept secret.…
By Adirondack Explorer
October 1, 2001
Let’s face it, there comes a time when some of us figure out that we aren’t going to become 46ers. Not in this lifetime. I come to that realization when I find myself ad-mitting that I am only a 2er—a 3er, if you count climbing Marcy twice. By Elisabeth Merrett
By Adirondack Explorer
September 1, 2001
Most of the tourists have gone, but the loons haven't. Their eerie calls echo off the hills, and the yellows, golds and oranges of the changing leaves reflect off the water, so each time you dip your paddle, you set in motion a swirl of color. Ah, the fall is a great time to canoe. Of course, it's also a great time to hike. No matter how good the view is from a summit in summer, it's always better when the forest is awash with autumn hues. So what's an outdoors lover to do? That's easy: both. By Phil Brown ...
By Adirondack Explorer
September 1, 2001
Looking for a laid-back jaunt along streams, through the woods and over a mostly open ridge? A hike that offers some of the best views of the popular High Peaks, yet is well removed from the crowds that frequent them? By Dick Beamish