All Over Albany

Here are a few ideas for Adirondack autumn hikes that probably won't be so crowded

The view from the Spruce Mountain fire tower.

It seems like each year more and more people are on the trails in the Adirondacks. And with peak foliage season quickly approaching, it's about to get a lot more crowded.

While the DEC grapples with how to handle the increased traffic -- a recent move included trying to drastically reduce the amount of parking at one of the most popular trailheads -- it's probably a good idea to check out some less crowded hikes in the meantime.

Scrolling through the #adirondacks hashtag on Instagram, you might think there were only a handful of hikes in the region. The familiar v-shaped vista of Indian Head, people holding up fingers for the number of High Peaks they've hiked, and the panoramic views from Cascade dominate.

But there are literally hundreds of other hikes in New York, many with views just as good -- and you don't have to leave your house at 4 am to get a parking spot.

Here are some hidden gem hikes in the Adirondacks that are likely to give you fall foliage views without the crowds...

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The High Peaks are crowded, so the DEC would like to promote "sustainable tourism" in the Adirondacks

The summit of Mt. Marcy. / photo: Casey Normile

The Adirondacks -- the High Peaks especially -- have been a very popular spot for hikers over the last decade or so. And that's resulted in all sorts of related issues, from crowding to trash to parking problems.

This week the state Department of Environmental Conservation announced it's taking up "a multi-year, comprehensive effort to promote sustainable tourism, and address public safety in the Adirondacks." Press release blurbage (emphasis added):

Popular destinations on DEC lands within the Adirondack Park such as the High Peaks, Dix, Giant and Hurricane Wildernesses, Baxter Mountain, and the Saranac Lake 6'er peaks, are attracting an unprecedented number of users.

To improve public safety and reduce impacts to natural resources in the area, DEC held four focus group meetings this past winter to generate ideas and information to support recommendations, particularly to address overuse challenges in the High Peaks region and the Route 73 corridor between Exit 30 of the Northway and Lake Placid in the Adirondacks. The meetings were held in partnership with the towns of Keene and North Elba and involved a wide range of stakeholders. With input from DEC land managers, the meetings helped the agency identify specific strategies and actions to be taken in 2018 and 2019.

Actions along the Route 73 corridor are scheduled to start during the July 4th holiday week and are being implemented with state agency partners and municipalities. The first phase of actions include:

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Noted: Bears can now open car doors

The video embedded above was posted on the I Love Old Forge Facebook page this week. And, yep, that's a bear opening the doors of a minivan. There's a second video where the cubs mosey on out and into the van to explore.

Something that's obvious from this video: The bear uprising is approaching and a full on Planet of the Bears situation awaits us.

Seriously, though, bears are intelligent, curious, motivated, clever creatures. And they have collectively learned how to how operate car door handles during the last 10-15 years. From a Guardian article last year about bears opening doors in Yosemite:

According to Kirsten Leong, an expert in animal/human interactions and behaviours at the national parks service, the ability to open car doors is the latest in a long line of adaptations by bears to the presence and behaviours of humans. "They learn very quickly, if there's a reward, how to get that," she said. ...

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Fish from the sky

From the "Jobs We Didn't Know Existed" file: Aerial fish stocking.

The short clip embedded above is state Department of Environmental Conservation video about its work stocking lakes and streams in remote parts of the Adirondacks -- sometimes by helicopter or plane.

From the DEC's website:

Each year DEC releases approximately 900,000 pounds of fish into more than 1,200 public streams, rivers, lakes and ponds across the state. These fish are stocked for two main purposes-- to enhance recreational fishing and to restore native species to waters they formerly occupied.

Raising these fish is a big task that requires precise methods and specialized equipment and facilities. The DEC runs 12 fish hatcheries, each specializing in raising one or more species of fish, including brook trout, brown trout, rainbow trout, lake trout, steelhead, chinook salmon, coho salmon, landlocked salmon, walleye, muskellunge and tiger muskellunge.

Here's the 2018 list of the bodies of water in which the DEC releases fish.

Earlier: There's a moose... and there's a moose... and there's a moose...

Forever wild: The advocacy of Verplanck Colvin

A few dozen miles south of Tupper Lake is some of the most rugged and remote wilderness in New York State.

This is where Seward Mountain stands. Named after Secretary of State William H. Seward, it's the 24th tallest Adirondack High Peak at 4,347 feet in height. After walking for several miles through a flat, dense forest, climbers can expect a very steep and challenging hike up the mountain's exposed bedrock in order to reach the tree-covered summit. And in 1870 it was an Albany native who became the first person to record a successful ascent of this formidable peak.

Verplanck Colvin was a lawyer -- but he'd become known as the Great Surveyor of the Adirondacks and an advocate for the preservation of the six million acres that now make up the Adirondack Park.

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Moose spotting

The state Department of Environmental Conservation is doing another aerial survey of the moose population in the Adirondack Park. And, of course, there are photos -- that's one of them above (more at the link).

See also: DEC's Flickr gallery of moose photos.

DEC says that early results point to the moose population being about 400 in the park.

Here's an info page on moose in New York, along with details about how to report a moose sighting.

By the way: moose are very big and strong and should be given plenty of distance.

Earlier:
+ There's a moose... and there's a moose... and there's a moose...
+ Mesmerizing moose

The 46ers set to make its local debut on WMHT

That documentary about the Adirondack High Peaks and the people who hike them -- The 46ers -- is set to run on WMHT December 4 at 7:30 pm. Blurbage for the doc, which was directed by Blake Cortright:

The film seeks to discover what transforms ordinary men and women into the legendary 46ers. The project began in the summer of 2012 when Blake first experienced the commanding view atop the lofty summit of Mt. Marcy, NY's tallest mountain.

Over the last two years, the filmmakers interviewed more than twenty 46ers and aspiring 46ers, hiked over 100 miles, and filmed over 100 hours of footage. The crew summited several High Peaks and many shorter hills carrying camera gear to capture the film's breathtaking scenery. The mountains provide an incredibly vast and wild backdrop for the documentary, inspiring a sense of scale and wonder.

The project in the works since at least 2013 when it raised more than 14k on Kickstarter, and it's now being distributed nationally by WCNY in Syracuse.

In addition to December 4, The 46ers will also air on WMHT December 10 at 5:30 pm and 11 pm.

(Thanks, Tim!)

The earth beneath our feet

Friday afternoon geology*: Check out this US Geological Survey map showing the topography and geology of New York State and nearby areas. We clipped this section from a national map -- see that link above -- which is really worth a look.

The map colors correspond to the age of the rock. The purple area dates back to about 400some million years ago. The pink dates back to around 500some million.

And then there are the Adirondacks, which (literally) just stick out. So we looked up a little bit about their geology. From an Adirondack Park Agency explainer:

The Adirondack Mountains are very different in shape and content from other mountain systems. Unlike elongated ranges like the Rockies and the Appalachians, the Adirondacks form a circular dome, 160 miles wide and 1 mile high. Although the Dome as we know it today is a relatively recent development, having emerged about 5 million years ago, it is made of ancient rocks more than a 1,000 million years old. Hence, the Adirondacks are "new mountains from old rocks."

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*What, when is your day and time for thinking about geology?

[via Kottke]

Recommendations for summer weekend stuff in the eastern Adirondacks?

Sean emails:

My friends and I are meeting up for the weekend at a lake-house just east of Keeseville this coming June. Having never stayed in that area, I was wondering if any of your readers might have recommendations for things to do, places to eat, etc. Thanks!

Keeseville is on the Clinton/Essex county line along the Ausable River. It's roughly about as far north as Burlington (but, you know, on the New York side of Lake Champlain.) We're guessing there's a bunch of good summer stuff to do around there.

So, got a suggestion for Sean and his friends? Please share!

photo: Casey Normile

DEC: Avoid high-elevation trails in Adirondacks for the moment

Mount Colden viewed from Marcy Dam -- among the places DEC is asking people to avoid right now. / photo: Cristin Steding

The state Department of Environmental Conversation is urging hikers to stay off high-elevation trails in the High Peaks region of the Adirondacks because the paths are too wet and muddy. Press release blurbage:

Spring conditions are present throughout the state and the lower elevations of the Adirondacks. However, backcountry trails in the highest elevations are still covered in slowly melting ice and snow. Steep trails with thin soils can become a mix of ice and mud as the ice melts and frost leaves the ground, making the trails slippery and vulnerable to erosion by hikers.

DEC asks hikers to help avoid damage to hiking trails and sensitive high elevation vegetation by avoiding trails above 2,500 feet, particularly high elevation trails in the Dix, Giant, and High Peaks Wilderness areas in the northern Adirondacks.

That link above includes a list of specific trails the DEC is asking hikers to avoid. And it also includes a list of suggested alternative trails to hike.

Earlier: A handful of Adirondack fall hiking suggestions that are not the High Peaks

Pulled from the snow

The state Department of Environmental Conservation posted this video clip of the helicopter rescue of the two hikers from Niskayuna who got lost in the snow near the summit of Algonquin in the Adirondacks. It gives a sense of the conditions up there.

Also: Be sure to read Ned Campbell's article in the Daily Gazette about the rescue -- he talked with one of the hikers, and some of the details are intense.

A handful of Adirondack fall hiking suggestions that are not the High Peaks

The Blue Mountain Lake area. / photo: Flickr user bobistravelling (CC BY 2.0)

Soon after my look at how to get started hiking the High Peaks this past summer, the state Department of Environmental Conservation publicly suggested that people should think about hiking some different mountains this fall because of overcrowding in the High Peaks.

And that's understandable -- this time of year, at the height of leaf-viewing season, the High Peaks can be insanely crowded. Like hundreds of people on the trail kind of crowded. Besides killing the serene vibe, too many people on the trails can lead to degradation of trails, garbage, and a variety of other problems for the environment.

The High Peaks are great, but they are by no means the only or best hiking trails in the Adirondack region.

So here are a handful of less-crowded alternatives to consider...

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Instead of the High Peaks this autumn...

Maybe leave the High Peaks for another time. / photo: Casey Normile

Autumn is a prime hiking season -- the warm sun and cool air makes for comfortable weather, and of course, there's the foliage.

But this fall the state Department of Environmental Conservation has a request: Think about not hiking the popular High Peaks in the Adirondacks. From a DEC press release this past Friday:

This autumn hikers should properly prepare for hikes in the Adirondacks and hike on trails less populated than those in the High Peaks Wilderness, an opportunity that offers fantastic scenes of fall foliage for a more enjoyable backcountry experience, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Basil Seggos urged today.

"Autumn is a great time to enjoy the Adirondacks," Commissioner Seggos said. "As more people continue to enjoy the incredible outdoor excursions offered throughout the Adirondack Park, we encourage visitors to explore the hundreds of lesser known trails that offer the same high quality natural experiences as the more popular trails, and to be prepared to safely enjoy the Park's changing conditions."

Toward that goal, DEC is offering a dozen different hikes in the Adirondacks as alternatives.

We've taken the DEC's suggestions and put together a clickable map with with brief descriptions of each -- have a look.

Earlier on AOA: How to get started hiking the High Peaks: Part I and Part II. Many of Cristin's suggestions hold for non-High Peaks, too.

(Thanks, SM)

Get started hiking the High Peaks (Part II)

There are paths to follow. / photo: Flickr user stillwellmike (CC BY-SA 2.0 cropped)

Now that you're all fired up about becoming a 46er, let's get down to business -- the actual hiking.

No matter how prepared you are, how many trip reports you've read and how many flights of stairs you've climbed in practice, nothing prepares you for tackling big mountains quite like getting out there and hiking.

Here are a few places to start...

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How to get started hiking the High Peaks

Mount Colden viewed from Marcy Dam.

Once you start looking, you begin to see them everywhere. On Subarus and Honda SUVs, small and understated, the small, round sticker is easy to miss. The bubbly, hand-drawn font reads simply: 46er.

For the uninitiated, here's the short version: There are 46 "high peaks" in the Adirondacks, giant, looming mountains over 4,000 feet in elevation. Those brave or crazy souls who choose to hike all 46 of them form an exclusive club, called The 46ers.

For many of us, especially those without a lot of experience hiking, becoming a 46er seems completely unattainable. Like only the Bear Grylls type would be able to do it. But in reality, lots of regular people complete the 46.

And here's how to get started...

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Kid-friendly summer activities around the Lake Placid area?

Sean emails:

I was wondering if any of your readers have any advice for fun things to do with kids in the Lake Placid region. My family and I are heading up there in a couple of weeks and would love some extra input.

There are a bunch of things to see or do around that area, and we're guessing a fair number of them will work with kids.

So, got a suggestion for Sean and his family? Please share!

Earlier on AOA: The Wild Center (2011)

photo: Bennett V Campbell

There's a moose... and there's a moose... and there's a moose...

From the "Jobs You Didn't Know Existed, But Now That You Do, You Really Want That Job" file: The state Department of Environmental Conservation posted photos on Facebook today from helicopter survey flights of moose in the Adirondacks (that's one of the photos above). It's part of the agency's ongoing effort to study the state's moose population:

Nine additional cow moose were recently captured, collared and released as part of a multi-year moose study. There are now a total of 21 moose, including 18 cows, fitted with GPS/radio collars. Their locations are monitored weekly.

DEC wildlife staff also flew helicopter survey flights throughout the #‎Adirondacks to locate and observe moose. ...

In 2015, more than 165 moose sightings were reported by the public. The map indicates the towns in which moose were reported. DEC encourages people to continue to submit moose sightings and moose sign, (tracks, scat and scrapings) using the form at the bottom of the Moose web page

Here's a DEC map of public moose sightings in 2015. You can see they're largely concentrated in the Adirondacks. But the animals do show up in the Capital Region from time to time, especially in Rensselaer and Saratoga counties. There was that moose in Halfmoon a few years back, and the moose spotted at the Saratoga Race Course a few years before that.

DEC has reported in the past that scientists have collected evidence indicating moose populations in New York State have grown considerably during the last few decades -- from as few as 50 to 500 or more in recent years.

Earlier on AOA: Mesmerizing moose

photo: NYS DEC

Mesmerizing moose

Some real things are so fantastic that seem unreal.

We were thinking about that while watching this video clip of an enormous moose in the Adirondacks. The scene is from Helldiver Pond in the (apparently aptly-named) Moose River Plains Wild Forest and was posted by Youtube user Steve Barnum. It's from 2013 -- we just happened to come across it today via a @NYSDEC tweet. (Here's an earlier video clip.)

The state Department of Environmental Conservation estimated there were 500-800 moose in New York State as of 2010. The agency is currently study the state's moose population, in part via radio collars it attached to a dozen moose last winter.

Early fall is breeding season for moose in this part of the country, and they often end up roaming places they wouldn't otherwise go -- like... Troy, where a moose wandered this past September.

[via @NYSDEC]

A tiny place (almost anywhere) in the Adirondacks

This made us smile: There's a tiny, mobile cabin that you can via Airbnb for use in the Adirondacks.

From the listing for "The Green Lantern":

The Green Lantern is a timber frame, mobile cabin that we will transport anywhere in NYS's Adirondack Park so you can camp in style and comfort. Cabin has bed platform, windows, shelving and electricity. NYS campsites are equipped with bathrooms. ...

The Space Cozy cabin that smells like pine. Skylights, screen windows and Dutch door afford plenty of light and yet ensure privacy.

Guest Access This is a private mobile cabin that we will transport anywhere in the Adirondack Park in NYS that offers thousands of campsites. We can also deliver to a private property if you've got friends or family in the Park.

The cabin rents for $200 a night with a two-night minimum -- or $550 for a week (and $1800 for a month).

[via Nicole]

photo via Airbnb

Summer camp for adults is a thing now

A thing we didn't know existed: Summer camp for adults.

Camp No Counselors is offering three such weekends this summer at a camp alongside Paradox Lake in the Adirondacks. Blurbage:

Camp No Counselors is an all-inclusive sleepaway camp for grown-ups. Gather your crew of friends, forget about work for a weekend and create memories that will last a lifetime. Your days will be spent swimming in the lake, or bouncing above it on their incredible blob! You'll participate in every classic camp activity you can imagine, from wakeboarding and dodgeball to friendship bracelet weaving at Arts N' Crafts and even our own take on slip 'n slide. Since there are 'no counselors' and we're all grown-ups here, when evening falls, it's time to hit the open bar and shred the dance floor.

An article over at Fast Company has the backstory -- the idea started out with an informal gathering in 2013 and it's now turned into a business with camps at a few locations around the country. (The Adirondack camp seems oriented toward people from New York City -- the website details that buses will pick people up in the city.) Apparently there is a whole summer camp for adults category now.

Quickly scanning the CNC website, it looks like a weekend costs about $500, depending on how and when you register. And about registration: "For each Camp No Counselors getaway, we curate a group of 100+ adults to ensure a diverse environment and an unforgettable experience. If this is your first time registering, your acceptance is contingent upon the review of your application." Here's an interview with the founder that touches on the selection process.

So, it really is like being a kid again -- because some people won't get picked to play.

(Thanks, Jessica)

photo via Camp No Counselors website

Three reasons why bringing the Olympics back to New York State is a bad idea

Lake Placid still has the facilities from the 1980 Winter Olympics -- and that's great. But it doesn't mean the games should return.

Every now and then the idea of New York State hosting the Olympics pops up. And it's done so again this week, with leaders in the North Country banging the drum about bringing the winter games back and both Chuck Schumer and Elise Stefanik offering generally supportive statements. [Lake Placid News]

This is not a good idea.

Let us turn our attention to the medal stand of reasons why not...

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The quiet is close

One of the good things about the Capital Region is that you don't have to travel all that far to go hiking, experience some natural areas, or just kind of get away from it all.

We were reminded of that recently by the map above. It estimates noise levels on summer day around the country. The deeper the blue, the more quiet the place. And as you can see, both the Catskills and the Adirondacks (especially) offer some rather deep quiet.

The map is the creation of the National Park Service Division of Natural Sounds and Night Skies. Researchers have been gathering the information and making the models to study noise and light pollution, and how it affects animals (including humans). The map was presented at the recent annual AAAS conference (it's a big science conference). [AAAS] [Science] [AAAS]

The map's not really that surprising -- it appears to match up relatively well with maps of population density and light pollution. And in the Northeast, the Adirondacks are one of the least-populated places, and they have some of the darkest nighttime skies. And they're rather quiet, too, apparently.

Earlier on AOA: The closest darkest place

Grace Peak

East Dix, one of the 46 Adirondack High Peaks, was recently renamed Grace Peak in honor of Grace Hudowalski, one of the original 46ers (she was #9). Here's the mountain on a map.

Hudowalski lived in both Troy and Albany, and Paul Grondahl recently had a nice story about her legacy and what she's meant to many Adirondack hikers.

From an Adirondack Forty-Sixer bio of Hudowalski, in reference to her first hike up Mt. Marcy:

Reflecting on that trip years later she said,

"It was tough. I was on all fours sometimes. I didn't think I was going to get there. But I had to get to the top - there was some reason. God knows what it was but I had to go on. And on the top just for a fraction of a moment, the clouds lifted while I was there and I looked down and there a mile below me was Lake Tear of the Clouds, the Hudson's highest source. And you know, that did something to me. I had seen something - I felt it. I never forgot the mountain and I never forgot that trip."

From that point on she said, "I never talked about anything but mountains. I talked about them, I wrote about them. I gave speeches about them."

Hudowalksi passed away in 2004 at the age of 98.

As Douglas Arnold, the Forty-Sixer who led the effort to name the mountain in honor of Hudowalksi, said to the Syracuse Post-Standard: "Everyone has a mentor, a coach, a parent or grandparent, friend, or teacher who influences the outcome of their life. These angels are remembered but rarely honored. Grace Hudowalksi was a mentor to thousands of people as she shared her enthusiasm for the Adirondacks with everyone."

Earlier on AOA:
+ The Winter 46ers
+ How to hike the High Peaks and not be That Guy

photo via The Adirondack Forty-Sixers

The 46ers

Check out this trailer/preview for The 46ers*, a documentary about people who hike the Adirondack's High Peaks. The cinematography is beautiful.

Film blurbage:

"The 46ers" is a documentary feature about the men and women who hike all of the 46 High Peaks (over 4,000 ft elevation) in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate NY. The filmmakers set out to answer the question, "what transformers ordinary men and women into the legendary mountaineers known as the 46ers?" ...

The idea for the project came about in July, 2012 when director Blake Cortright summited Mt. Marcy, New York's tallest mountain. As he took in the surrounding view, he was amazed that this area hadn't been given better cinematic treatment. After an exhausting weekend hiking Marcy, Tabletop, and Wright Peak, Blake began to ask "why do people do this?" That started the idea for the project.

The film's executive producer is Dan Swinton, who's been involved in a bunch of local projects, including William Kennedy's Prohibition Story and The Hard Places: The Tom Little Story.

The project raised more than $14,000 on Kickstarter last year. The filmmakers are aiming for an "early 2015" completion, according to the project's website.
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* There are 46 of the peaks, thus the name for the people who hike them all.

Earlier on AOA:
+ The winter 46ers
+ How to hike the High Peaks and not be That Guy

Planning a Capital Region wedding: eloping

Sita and Nick

Lauren and George are planning a wedding in the Capital Region, and they're chronicling the planning process here on AOA. But this time, Lauren's talking with a couple about going a different direction...

When planning a wedding, not everyone decides to do a big bash in a ballroom with all of their family and friends. Some couples forgo a traditional wedding and opt to elope instead.

Local couple Nick and Sita chose to "sorta-elope" to Lake Placid -- and say they couldn't be happier with their decision.

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