A Note About Email

I get a lot of email from people asking about places to go camping or hiking. Folks, the Adirondack Park encompasses 6 MILLION acres. You can camp pretty much anywhere on the 2.5 million acres of public land, with only a few restrictions (no closer than 150 feet to a body of water or trail, not above 4,000ft elevation, etc). There are literally thousands of miles of trails throughout the park. Although I recommend against it for less experienced parties, bushwhack opportunities abound: for example, there are no trails in the Pepperbox Wilderness Area, and only a few in the Five Ponds Wilderness. My suggestion is to get a guidebook, a map, and a compass, and go find a spot for yourself. The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) publishes a series of guidebooks covering the entire Park; these guides each come with a topographic map of their respective region. These guides can be found in many bookstores and most outdoor gear shops and are typically priced around $17. If you can't find them locally, you can either wait until you arrive in the region, or you can order them directly from the ADK, either online or by phone. Check their website for details. Barbara McMartin also has a series of guides, similar to that of the ADK. While I haven't used her guides as extensively as the ADK's, they seem to be excellent and much more detailed than the ADK books. I have hiked with many people who swear by them. In fact, I have done several hiking and camping trips with Lee Brenning, who is partly responsible for updating these guides.

What I'm trying to say is, I cannot and will not serve as a guidebook for the masses.

I prefer spots that are relatively untrammeled by man, and I would hate to see any of my favorite spots trashed. Several people have asked me if I have a "secret" spot I would like to share with them. Well then, it wouldn't be a secret anymore, would it? Also, I love solitude, and it would be hard to come by if I advertised my favorite spots.
Second, I discovered my favorite spots by buying and using a guidebook and getting out to explore. I've had a tremendous amount of fun along the way and I've seen a lot. I would encourage everyone NOT to shortcut the process.
Third, what appeals to me assuredly does not appeal to everyone else. Yes, I like climbing mountains, but I love pristine lakes and fast-moving streams. Many people wouldn't consider it hiking unless they climbed a mountain. It goes back to the solitude issue: I prefer to climb in the winter, when there are less people around and when the views aren't nearly as hazy. I usually go to lakes in the summer, while everyone else is climbing the mountains. Or I try to climb mid-week in the summer. Again, less people.
Finally, I have no idea of the abilities of the people in question. For example, while descending the trail from Algonquin Mt. to Lake Colden, I passed a party of 5 hikers ascending the trail. This was at 6:00pm on July 3rd (yes, I did actually find solitude on the summit of a High Peak - Iroquois - on July 4th weekend); they had around three hours of light left with about 6 miles and 2000 feet of climbing to go. It had taken them seven hours to cover the seven miles from Adirondak Loj to Lake Colden, going through Avalanche Pass. I won't even go into the fact that they had no water, no food, and no flashlights, or that they were using a road map to navigate; that's an exercise in stupidity, not physical inability. I would have had no trouble doing that hike in a day: I covered 21 miles with 5500 feet of climbing that day. When I hiked Avalanche Pass it took me about three and a half hours to cover the same distance that had taken them seven. I could have easily sent them on this hike had they emailed me for a trip suggestion; if they had read a guidebook for a description of the trails they were about to hike, they probably would have realized that they were in over their heads.

Now, this doesn't mean that I don't want to receive email from anyone. If you are interested in knowing something about the Adirondacks besides where to go, such as something about the B-47 that crashed into Wright Peak in 1962, or where the hermit French Louie lived, feel free to drop me a line. See below for details.

A fast-moving stream: Sucker Brook, near Raquette Lake

A pristine lake: Lower Gull Lake, near Big Moose Lake

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