Arts are a vital component of the Schroon Lake Region’s summer calendar. As a matter of fact, the oldest summer music school in the United States has its home in Schroon Lake. The beauty of the landscape and the clean mountain air could have a little bit to do with inspiring artists, whether they reside here or visit. Some of America’s most acclaimed painters have spent time capturing the Adirondack landscape and fallen in love with the region in the process. One of the most well-known, impressionist Winslow Homer, spent a great deal of time painting Adirondack landscapes and personalities in the mid-1800s. The Winslow Homer painting below depicts two Adirondack guides, which was completed around 1875.

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People flock to the Adirondacks, especially in the summer, to enjoy hiking, the outdoors, boating, and the cultural offerings that have attracted so many before. For those wanting to be entertained we have several ongoing programs in the summer months.

SEAGLE MUSIC COLONY

2015 is an important year for Seagle. It’s their 100th anniversary this year and they’re celebrating with a blockbuster performance schedule! Locations include Seagle’s home stage in Schroon Lake, as well as performances throughout the Park during the summer season. Seagle’s forte is opera and they do it incredibly well. A couple of the opera performances this season include Rossini’s The Barber of Seville and the children’s opera, The Ugly Duckling. Other performances include Stephen Sondheim’s Into the Woods and Schönberg & Boublil’s Les Misérables. There are several more you won’t want to miss, so check out the full schedule for dates and times.

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Below: ADIRONDACK SHAKESPEARE FESTIVAL'S historic Scaroon Manor outdoor amphitheatre

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SHAKESPEARE IN THE ADIRONDACKS

The Adirondack Shakespeare Theatre also has a full schedule, with many performances on their outdoor home stage at Scaroon Manor State Campground on Route 9 just south of town. From The Merry Wives of Windsor to the locally-inspired Songs of the Iroquois: Turtle Island, you’ll want to check out their performance schedule in our events lineup so you don’t miss something truly awesome.

ADIRONDACK ARTISTS & CRAFTERS

Every Thursday on the grounds of the Schroon Lake Town Hall, right in downtown Schroon Lake, you can find some of the Adirondack's finest artists and crafts people gathered in one spot selling their wares at the Adirondack Artists and Crafters show. From now until September 3 this gathering of talented folks will give you the opportunity to shop for that perfect souvenir art piece to take home for yourself or as gifts. What the heck, get a little early Christmas shopping in! Don’t miss this weekly event.

JAMMIN’ ON THE LAKE

For some really great, laid-back music jam, stroll on down to the Schroon Lake Boathouse Theater right in downtown Schroon Lake and take in the weekly Monday Night Acoustic Music Jam. Every week some of our most talented musicians gather for this fun and always changing jam session. Have an early dinner on Main Street and plan to join in. From now until Sept. 7, on every Monday evening the air is filled with great music.

A LITTLE FOLK MUSIC

One of the most anticipated events in Schroon is the Annual Adirondack Folk Music Festival, now in its 26th year. The Adirondacks are full of folksong writers and musicians, including Roy Hurd, Frank Orsini, The Jamcrackers, and many more. Many of these talented folks will fill the stage for this highly acclaimed music event. Don’t miss it on Sunday August 9th.

There’s a lot more happening in the arts world in Schroon, so make sure you check out our events calendar for all the events. Stay a few days and enjoy the lake activities while you visit our attractions and restaurants. Hope to see you at one of these great cultural events this summer!

The Pharaoh Mountains

If seven-packs actually existed, this would be a forerunner in the Adirondack Park. My chum Jim and I had no idea what we were in store for when I dreamed up this wilderness traverse. The only thing we knew was that one of the hills would be at least a decent payoff, according to what we have read and researched, but the other six were total mysteries.

The Dam Hill to No. 8 Hill to No. 7 Hill to Franks Hill to No. 6 Hill to Orange Hill to Pine Hill: that’s how it would play out. Of course, the route was a bit different at the start of the day, but you can’t tunnel yourself in; you need to be able to make decisions on the fly and make your day pliable, especially when bushwhacking. Oh, and yes, it’s actually named The Dam Hill.

We met in Schroon Lake early the morning of and caravanned over to the Pharaoh Lake trailhead and stashed Jim’s car there; as I mentioned, this would be a two-car traverse. We then drove over to the other Pharaoh Lake trailhead that accesses Mill Brook. The prior thought was to do this traverse from west to east, but we opted for the reverse — it just seemed like less car jockeying, even though it really wasn’t.

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Stepping out of the car, we were welcomed by a cluster of deer flies. I actually used bug repellant, or bug dope to us old-school outdoor enthusiasts. I figured I would put some on my bald spot; I mean what’s the worst that could happen — I grow hair?

Off we set, following the old forest road that would lead us through the wilderness abyss of trees, wetlands, ferns and rocky terrain.

Adirondack Mountain Wilderness

We followed the narrow and soft-topped trail as it passed by an original wilderness sign, beat up by time and a .22 caliber rifle. Soon we stood slightly above Mill Brook looking up at the Dam Hill and over the vast field of speckled alder. We needed to get around this beaver flow and cross Mill Brook to access the hills we wanted to explore. When we finally stood next to the brook, we quickly came to the realization that we would not remain dry. It was time to ford the fast-moving waters. The recent rain seemed to have made this small stream closer to that of a raging torrent, but at least it was a narrow crossing. Jim went first, mainly because I feel he wanted to record me falling in; I was happy to disappoint. Abby, my four-legged hiking partner, was not so ambitious. As a boxer/pit-bull mix, she is not all that fond of water. Through a bit of coaxing and a little nudge, she finally found herself on dry ground once again.

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Almost immediately, we started our ascent of the Dam Hill; open forest greeted us and a soft forest floor cushioned our seasoned feet. We climbed in hopes of a reward, and as we switchbacked over the steeper slopes we saw open rock to our left; we had to check it out — our first view, and on the first mountain, too. We had decent views back to the south and Park Mountain resting high above us. The summit would be only a short distance away but would not add to our prize; we were satisfied. Now onto No. 8 Hill. Our descent into the valley below was minimal and we soon found ourselves at the steep slopes on the south side. Our rather old USGS map had what we call stacked contour lines, meaning steep slopes and possible cliffs; we went right for them without hesitation. It didn’t end up being anything vertical, but more of a boulder-strewn rock slide area. Making course up the steep terrain, we hopped from boulder to boulder and blueberry field to blueberry field, finding ourselves at different views around every corner. Up slightly higher, we could see the rock forming what we thought was the summit, only to find it to be a continuation of the rocky ridge with the true summit even farther away along additional viewing platforms. The summit, well, that was a different story — open rock with Pharaoh Mountain right there to grab and the High Peaks jagged the skyline in the not-so-distant background. The white flowers of the mountain ash trees added a bit of white to the deep greens of the forest and the blues of Pharaoh’s mountainside. The High Peaks were layered in different shades of blue depending on how far they were away, adding layer upon layer of rugged features.

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We stayed about as long as our time would allow us. We could have napped and hung out even longer if this were all we had planned, but with five peaks left for the day, we needed to push on. Off to No. 7 Hill, almost directly west of us. Well more than 200’ lower than our current position, we knew we had a large descent ahead of us, and it was a steep descent. The cliffs and odd rock outcropping not only distracted us with more views, but we had to take it very slow to make it down safely; efficiency was not our friend. Finally down, we started a mellow climb through more open hardwood forest stands and atop a shallow ridge. We then stood atop No. 7 Hill. No views were to be had here, but if we had no more views for the day, that would be OK too; No. 8 was our trophy.

An unexpected view

Franks Hill rested only 0.3 miles away along an obvious gentle ridge, we figured we would be there in less than 30-minutes; it ended up being more like 15. The going was cake with nothing slowing us as we approached and passed over the wooded summit to a surprising vista back to the south. We could look right over no. 6 Hill (our next destination) to Park Mountain, once again as the backdrop. It was time for a short break as it was nearing noon, and the lunch monsters in our bellies were getting restless.
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After our break, we descended toward No. 6 Hill, which was a tad over a half mile away in a straight line. No. 6, as with the other two numbered hills, was named after the townships they resided in at the time. We didn’t have high expectations for No. 6 to give us any views, but already today we had been proven wrong. We could see on the map what looked to be a rather sizable pond below; we figured why not add to the day’s adventure and check out a pond rarely visited by human eyes. The pond ended up being a beaver creation, rather sizable, and quite attractive. Massive frogs and a colony of beavers seem to be using this as their No. 6 Township; the local pileated woodpecker broke up the silence with its deep thumps against a nearby snag.

After our short hiatus from the mountains, we started up No. 6. The climb was nothing more than a short stroll from the ponds below, even with being slightly off course. There were no views, as we suspected, so we snapped a couple pictures of the treed summit and off we went toward Orange Hill. Our previous plan was to reclimb Franks Hill and use the upper ridge to access Orange, but rather than add an additional climb just to descend the other side of it, we went right back down to the pond — this time the western side — and headed directly toward the summit.

Not much to tell here. The climb was a typical bushwhack through open forest over steep terrain with some usual rocky suspects in the way. But how did it get its name? Orange is such as interesting name. We didn’t get to enjoy any views on this one either but we still had one more to explore: Pine Hill.

Pine Hill, a destination in itself

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Again we altered our traverse a bit and, rather than going over two smaller bumps in between, we went right for the summit. The summit wasn’t all that far away, just over 0.8 miles. The forest remained open as expected and as we made course for Pine, we stayed high on the contours as to not lose too much elevation. Finally we climbed steeply to the wooded summit — foiled again, we thought — as we stood amongst closed forest. Then, as we started to make our final descent to Jim’s car, we found a couple peekaboo views from small rock outcroppings in the blankets of Red Pines. We descended a bit farther and there it was, some serious open rock. We couldn’t pass it up, even though we were a bit tired. We felt like we had to take a detour to the rocks, even if it meant we had to climb a bit to reach it. The shelves of open rock gave us an area perspective and a close second in views for the day. Overlooking Schroon Lake and the western portion of the Pharaoh Mountain Wilderness, we were again in awe of our surroundings. The blueberry bushes were now nearly knee deep, especially on Jim, and we had a ball working out the ledge puzzle of how we would safely descend the cliffs. One ledge to the next, one narrow shelf to another, one 5-foot butt slide over a lip to another, and one rock boulder hop to the next, we made our way down to the open hardwoods and onto the Pharaoh Lake Trail, just a mere 0.5 miles from the trailhead.

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This called for a celebration, of sorts. We didn’t have any champagne — heck, we didn’t even have a can of Genesee — but what we did have was a Stewart’s right in town, and they had hotdogs and chocolate milk; that would do. The long ride home for me actually doubled up the Stewart’s stops as a cup-of-caffeine-induced alertness was required to make the final stretch home. Thank you, Stewie’s!!!

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Save your knees and gain two extra feet

“What should I look for in a trekking pole? Do they really make a difference?”... I get questions like this a lot while out on the trail. While trekking poles are relatively simple to use, they can be confusing to purchase. Not only are there several different brands out there to choose from, but you have key features to consider like materials, basket size, suspension or no suspension, grip ergonomics, weight, etc... What I am going to attempt to do now is give you a bit of an overview and a lesson in trekking poles.

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Brands of trekking poles:

There are too many brands to list, especially since every outdoor retailer and company seems to slap their name on a pair of trekking poles. Most all snowshoe makers have their own trekking poles as well, designed mainly for winter travel. For today, we will talk about a few that are truly in the limelight as being the best and most dependable. Many of these are inexpensive, heavy and very basic. Komperdell, Leki and Black Diamond create the most widely used trekking poles in the business. They are also some of the best with warranty as well. Komperdell is reasonably priced and often the company that will slap another name on the stem as advertising. Once you get into the Leki and Black Diamond brands you can drop a bit more pocket change, but you'll get a set of poles that will last a very long time if you use them as intended.

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2-section vs. 3-section:

A two-section pole is much stronger three, typically made of aluminum, and better for skiing or in situations where durability is a factor. A three-section pole has the advantage of collapsing to a much smaller, portable piece of equipment. The third section however is much less durable due to its smaller diameter. I use two-piece poles for backcountry skiing and snowshoeing because I need durability for when I face plant on a downhill section of the trail. I use three-section poles when I am hiking and even bushwhacking (on occasion). If I find they are too cumbersome while bushwhacking they collapse small enough to fit in my pack out of the way.

Materials:

Aluminum – is much heavier, and much stronger, and is a great choice for skiing due to better durability. Aluminum is the least expensive option.

Carbon fiber – is much more expensive, but is super light. The durability isn’t as high, but they can take some light abuse.

Fiberglass - is similar to carbon fiber but a bit less expensive. The durability is also similar to carbon fiber and should be treated as such. You find fiberglass in cross-country ski poles quite often.

Grip:

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This is a personal preference I have found to be somewhat important. While many grips are made of rubber some are made of cork. The biggest complaint of cork is how fast it gets dirty and they seem to gain an odor after many uses (I can attest to this). Some grips are slightly bent for a more ergonomic feel with less strain on the wrists. Rubber, depending on the quality, is the most popular grip. If the quality is low, you can end up with black hands after a long day of white-knuckle hiking.

Basket size:

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There are two basket sizes available, and some poles come with both so that they can be switched out for different uses. The smaller one is for non-snow conditions and the large one is for winter (snowshoeing and skiing). Some hikers prefer no basket when snow is not in the mix, but with no basket you won't have a stopping point in soft terrain. The larger basket in summer can get in the way and get hung up on rocks and roots.

This may sound silly but… a common error is a hiker placing the large basket over the small one, this is not correct. One must be removed first. If one is not removed the other will fall off during the course of the day.

I prefer no basket during non-snow months and especially while bushwhacking. The basket, no matter the size, seems to get hung up on rocks, roots, and branches. In winter I highly recommend the big basket or a snow basket, the added floatation will be an immense help.

Suspension:

Many poles now have a spring suspension built into the shaft or a cushion just below the grip. This suspension helps on the descent to take a bit of pressure and shock off the arms, legs, knees and back. This is also a personal preference, but the suspension does come with a higher price tag.

On some poles the spring suspension can be turned on and off with a half twist on the body. The cushion suspension is always on. Some find that suspension on the uphill climb hinders the power production your arms give you, and often lock it off.

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Locking mechanisms:

There are two locking mechanisms on poles.

Twistlock – this is the original method of adjustment. The largest downfall to this is the internal locking sleeves tend to get worn out and become smooth. To fix this you can replace the sleeve or use a bit of sandpaper to roughen it back up so it will grip. In the field, use course sand or a rock to roughen up the surface temporarily.
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Flicklock – this is a simple locking adjustment where only a flick of the thumb locks down the pole section. The tightness can be adjusted in the field with your thumb nail or a dime. The flicklock simply pinches the two poles together to keep them from collapsing.

Do you have more questions on trekking poles? Go online to get them answered or stop into a local gear shop, maybe while you’re there, pick up a set. Many places rent trekking poles, so you do have the option to try before you buy. Need a good place to use them? The Schroon Lake Region has a ton of places to go.

The Science of Pack Fitting

Fitting a backpack can be very hard work and quite frustrating outside of a well-experienced gear shop. However, many of your best deals can be found online and that is why it’s very important to get some basics down before you take that chance and order something from across the country (which you may just end up having to return). It also helps to know what you are looking for before you head into a gear shop so that you can answer the questions that will be thrown at you.

Pack Size

First off, you need to figure out what size pack you want. Essentially this will be determined by what you are going to be doing. If you are looking at a rucksack or small daypack, you might be out of luck for custom fitting. Many come as a one-size-fits-most option - and in many cases that translates to one-size-fits-a-few. However if you want to go with something slightly bigger than a book bag type daypack, there are some moderately-sized rucksacks out there with sizing of XS-XL. They may not be able to be adjusted any further, but some may have a small varying range of adjustment. Essentially this sizing will at least get you a fit within that wider category or torso length.

Are you a long-day hiker? A weekend explorer? Maybe you are a multi-day backpacker? This will raise the size of the pack as well. A long-day hiker may need a slightly bigger pack or a larger rucksack as explained above. A weekender is slightly bigger and has better opportunities for a nice fit and has the options to carry overnight gear. A backpacker or someone who is out for many days may need the largest of packs - and these have lots of bells and whistle for a nice fit, if chosen correctly. With overnight bags it is even more important to get the right fit.

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Now winter time is another story, but typically the pack is slightly bigger than one you use in summer - but there is no specific fit for winter. One of the important things to keep in mind when buying a pack for all seasons is the way it will fit with many layers on under it.

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Brand

Don’t get hung up on brand, most companies have a wide variety of options and price ranges. Find one that fits correctly and is anatomically correct for your body. With that being said, different brands have different fits, so shop around if you can. Don’t be too narrow-sighted, the latest and greatest by company X just might not be best for you (no matter how awesome it looks in a picture of the perfectly fit outdoor hiker). One model of Northface for instance might not fit the same as another model. Even models of a different year fit differently. Maybe you had a 2009 model rucksack you loved, chances are the 2013 model may have been totally redesigned and fit better, or worse.

Comfort Rating

Not all companies have a comfort rating for their packs. Gregory is one that does, and it can be quite helpful in finding a place to start. A comfort rating is the number of pounds that the pack will handle and still be considered comfortable for the wearer. This rating is of course not a scientifically-proven system, but it's a good guideline to start with, and quite honestly, I feel pretty accurate. If you are going to carry 50-pounds on a long weekend, don’t get a pack with a comfort rating for only 30-pounds; the best fit in the world won’t alleviate 20-pounds of dead weight. You may have a 5 pound variance in the rating, which is quite significant.

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Measurements

You have to know your torso length before you can go any further. “How do I figure that out,” you may ask? Measure from your C7 vertebra in your neck (it’s the one that sticks way out when you bend your chin to your chest), down to your iliac crest or the top of your hip bone (same thing). This measurement will put you in a range from XS-XL. While each company has their own range for pack size, they usually won't vary by all that much. Now you know where to start looking. If you find yourself right on the edge of one size or another, this can be a bit more time consuming because you are going to want to try both on. Typically I find that it’s better to size down and be at the max end of the smaller size.

Sex

Now that I have your attention, are you a man or a woman? This is very important, as you might have guessed, but I am still talking about pack fitting here. In most cases, a woman’s shoulders are much narrower than a man’s. Because of this, a woman’s specific pack has narrower shoulder straps and in many cases they're placed a bit closer together. Sizing is also different than a man’s as far as the XS-XL range is concerned. Straps are shorter and the pack width is a bit narrower. You should shop within your gender specific pack, if you can, and if they are available, before you venture outside of it. Women’s specific packs are much easier to come by online than in retail shops. A woman may need to size-down in a man’s pack, and a man may need to size up in a woman’s pack, but it’s not all that out of the ordinary — essentially they look very similar, in many design and color cases.

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So many straps!!!

Once you get your pack size figured out, and it’s adjusted to your torso length, you will need to put it on for a final fit. You need to put on a pack that is filled with the approximate weight that you will be hauling - otherwise the straps will sit funny and you won’t get an accurate fit. Load up that pack even with a bit more, just to test it out. There is an order for strap closure and adjustment. Start with all the straps loose and open. Then go in this order:

1.Waist strap – hike it up onto your iliac crest and tighten it down to a comfortable level. You should have about 3-5 inches of strap left on each side of the buckle, it should not be all used. If it is all used that means you have too large of a waist strap and many companies will swap them out free of charge. It could also mean that your pack is too big. Some companies like Osprey offer heat-molded options, but many retailers don’t.

2.Shoulder straps – Pull these down equally on both sides. The buckle should end somewhere under your armpit. If you max them out with no extra strap then the shoulder straps are too big. Some companies will swap these out free of charge, or the pack is just too big. If the buckle is out in front and near your chest, the strap could be too small, again maybe they can be swapped out or you need a bigger pack. There should be no gap between your shoulders and the shoulder strap; they should wrap your shoulders perfectly.

3.Sternum strap – get this buckled and comfortable, this one is very simple, you just need to be able to snap it.

4.Load lifter straps (shoulder) – these straps connect your shoulder straps to the top of your pack. Pull these in to pull the load in closer to you and off your shoulders. This will put more of the weight on your hips and off your shoulders. You should notice a huge difference in how the pack sits and you should rightfully say “ahhhh.” The angle of the strap should be around 45-60 degrees.

5.Load adjustment straps – these are located on the waist strap and bring the bottom of the load closer to your waist. These are good for small adjustments, and over long distances they are very handy. Some pack do not have these, but most overnight packs will.

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Packing your pack

A science in itself, follow this packing order rather than just throwing your stuff in:

• 1. Light and bulky on the bottom (sleeping bag, down jacket).
• 2. Then place medium-weight stuff on top of this area if needed.
• 3. Heavy stuff should be in the middle closer to your back (bear canister, stove, and food).
• 4. Outside-middle should be lighter items - you don’t want the weight pulling you back. Use clothing pieces to fill any gaps.
• 5. Top can be lighter stuff and things you want to be able to get to quicker.
• 6. The brain of the pack is the top lid and should be the essentials, but not too heavy and over loaded (headlamp, snacks, knife, gloves, hat, etc...).
• 7. Lastly, don’t strap too much stuff to the outside even though you may have ample straps to attach the kitchen sink, a full-sized chainsaw, a small child, goodies from your favorite local eatery, and who knows what else. The more you strap to the outside the more awkward the pack will feel and the more out of balance it will become. Leave the outside straps for your bed roll, a jacket and maybe a tent.

As you can see backpack fitting can be very time consuming and kind of like a jigsaw puzzle. There are many different factors so please feel free to get in touch with me if you need help or need some questions answered. I don’t claim to know it all, but time has been a good teacher of mine and the best lessons learned are through experience and trying. You can also stop into a local gear shop and get fitted as well. Good luck and have fun with it!

Buck Mountain

The Adirondacks are just loaded with "Buck Mountains" and "Buck Hills," and today’s short stroll was one that I had not yet visited. Saturday was one of those days where I had a few hours to get in some fun and adventure before I had to get back to the daily routine and get some work done in the garden. I set off in the borrowed puddle-jumper that I am using while my car is being repaired, and wasted no time in getting to the starting point. Buck Mountain is located off the access road to the Vanderwhacker Mountain Trailhead and in the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest.

Vanderwhack Mountain Wild Forest

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The access road, which I believe is also called Moose Pond Road, was in okay condition - at best. My low clearance vehicle had to maneuver around the higher exposed rocks with care to not rip off what’s left of the muffler. I located a starting point along the road, almost directly north of the mountain, where there just so happened to be a parking spot for one car. Located at the back of this parking location was an old trail, slightly messed up from deadfall, but easy to see and follow. “Excellent,” I thought. I figured I could use this, what I assumed was an old fisherman’s trail. It didn’t lead me in the right direction, but it did get me along the brook to a nice location where I could cross it. Several decent sized boulders, lined up perfectly across the babbling brook, aided my crossing immensely. The sun beaming down on the green brook moss made for a glorious early morning atmosphere.

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I was now in the wilds of the Adirondacks and was at the base of this particular Buck Mountain. A bit of scratchy balsams blocked my quick passage, but for only a couple hundred feet before the hardwood forest opened up the world in front of me. The forest floor was lined with Dutchman’s breeches, not yet flowered, and Canada lilies also waiting to do the same. It was like this mountain was still waiting for spring, and the wildflowers were still a bit behind. The forest remained very open and then came the steep slopes of the mountain, which I could see on the map and hoped would create some viewing opportunities. The scattering of duff-covered rocks gave me a landmine of deep holes and loose rocks, but the steep slopes never gave me more than a glimpse through the trees.

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Some views of the High Peaks

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I could see a bit to my right that there might be possible viewing areas, but I decided that I would summit first. The top was what appeared to be a small cleared mound. “Do others climb up here?” I wondered. I wasn’t so convinced, but the summit was a bit odd. It was time to check out the steep slopes a bit more to the west. I worked my way down to them, but the slopes, while steep, still offered no views over the much taller trees. Peek-a-boo views existed through the leaves and as I made my way along the steeper slopes I got decent glimpses of Vanderwhacker Mountain and eventually the High Peaks. I was intrigued and convinced that I would get a view, so I stayed atop the cliffs and worked my way around. Up and down over the contours I eventually found myself back just below the summit, I had made a complete loop almost all the way around the summit cone. But, to no avail. Alas, I started my descent. Staying on the same course as my route up, the descent was flawless and I popped out right at the brook crossing I found on the way in.

It was short, and it was good - would Buck Mountain make the cut of best views in the region? Probably not, but it was a fun little adventure and you never know what’s up there unless you go find out. Maybe Buck Mountain is too short a hike for you, but there are many other trails in the Newcomb area that just might suit your needs. And heck, it’s only a stone’s throw from Schroon Lake and all they have to offer!

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How to pack your pack...

The question of what to bring on a summer hike is much more in-depth than one might think. Before you even try to answer it, first you have to hammer out a few details. Ask yourself: Where do I plan to hike? What’s the weather supposed to be? etc...

I have spent countless hours and miles in the High Peaks (and on much smaller outdoor excursions) and I think that I have a pretty good lock on what to carry. Also, as an Adirondack guide I have seen many times what works and what doesn’t. The impossible situations I have encountered along the trail are nearly countless. I am amazed that more incidences don’t happen in the backcountry than already do. I see hikers 4-miles down a trail wearing flip-flops, others on a 12-mile hike on an 80 degree day with only an 8 ounce bottle of water in their hand, others without backpacks, and some wearing cotton jeans in a rain storm. I have seen women pushing baby carriages in to Marcy Dam, and others in heels. I have even seen a man in shorts and Nike running shoes at 4000 feet in elevation in April, because it was 60 degrees in the valley. His legs bled from the icy crust of the remaining 2 feet of snow tearing them to sheds, and against my advice he pushed on to the summit, yet over a mile away.

Up to this day I get odd looks from people who ponder at the size of my day pack, and even question my motives. I don’t expect everyone to understand or follow my lead, but I want to offer an educated voice for interested hikers to read about what they should consider carrying. I am not saying that if you carry these items nothing will happen, things happen. Having this key gear can help remove some of the potential problems, and in some cases aid you if something does happen.

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My feet hurt

First off you should look at your feet: you need to have on wool or synthetic socks. Cotton absorbs moisture and over time this moisture can cause friction and then blisters. Next you should have properly fitted and broken-in hiking boots, not steel-toed work boots. These boots don’t necessarily need to be huge, bulky, backpacking boots - but they can be if you like them. They should be comfortable and the proper size. You can opt for trail running shoes, which is close to that of a sneaker - essentially trail running is just hiking at a fast pace, you are on the same trail. Your shoes should be broken-in before you set off on any long extended outing. They don’t need to be waterproof, althought that is an option you may decide on. If you have sore feet, you will not enjoy your day in the woods, your feet really do call many of the shots.

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What about cotton?

Cotton is a very touchy subject among the hiking world, and there is proof that cotton can kill. This is truer in the colder months and especially winter, but the same can be true during the right conditions during any month of the year. While in summer this is much less of a threat, and cotton actually works well in keeping the body cool, it can still be a danger. If you see threats of a rain storm or a cooling pattern during your day of hiking, I recommend leaving the cotton clothing at home and going with a merino wool or synthetic or polyester clothing line. If you are in soaked cotton clothing overnight, you could be in danger of hypothermia or worse. Temperatures in higher elevations can easily drop into the 30s during the height of summer.

So what’s in my pack?

Pack fitting is a totally different ball of wax (and I will help you out with that in a future blog) so for now let’s focus on what should be in the sack. First and foremost, your pack should be sized correctly, or at least comfortable to use - the shorter the hike, the less important a perfect fit becomes. In your pack:

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Rain jacket - this can also be used as a wind barrier while on the bald summits or while taking breaks to stay warm.

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Headlamp - I recommend this over a flashlight. Headlamps are hands-free and you may need your hands to descend a peak. This is also an emergency gear item to help for location or if an unexpected night in the woods is required. Having extra batteries and a backup headlamp is not a bad idea either.

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Food - this includes snacks and meals. Keep in mind the length of the trip and always carry a bit extra just in case you need it. Don’t overeat as this can weigh you down and make your stomach upset, at times even causing cramps.

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Water - the rule of thumb is 1-liter of water for every two hours you are out. If you don’t want to carry that much water, think about having a water purification or filter to fill up when you can. But don’t depend on water being at a source you see on a map.

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Safety kit - this is your kit for unexpected circumstances that cause you to take extra measures and possibly spend a night in the woods. Use an old Nalgene bottle as a waterproof container. Pack it up with: matches and lighter, tinder (dryer lint works well), small candle, multi-tool, mirror, whistle, garbage bag, duct tape, emergency blanket.

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Dry socks and shirt - in a zip lock bag or dry bag, just in case you get wet and need to change.

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Map and compass - this is an obvious piece of trail gear. But you need to know how to use it.

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First aid kit - one per group is fine on this one. It should have some of the essentials, no one expects you to be a surgeon in the field. Be sure it has: bandages of all sizes, gauze, sling (coat will work too), antiseptic, anti-bacteria ointment, compression wrap. A “Sam Splint” is also a nice addition.

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Toilet paper and trowel - do I need to explain?

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Optional gear - rain pants, bandana, sun screen, bug repellent, cell phone (don’t depend on it, it doesn’t always work), camera, hat, GPS, trekking poles, gaiters, sun glasses, tarp, pack cover

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Not that this is an end all, be all, for hiking in the Adirondacks but I would like to think that everyone has some combination of the above when they go on a day trip.

For Pete’s sake, leave a note!!!

Even with all the gear in the world, if no one knows where you are and something goes wrong, it might not help you. Make sure you leave a note at home, with someone you trust, on the dash of your car, or even with the receptionist at the hotel, cabin, or campground that is acting as your cozy home away from home! Make sure to let them know where you are headed and check back in with them later. Remember to have fun and be safe and enjoy the Adirondacks so many of us call home. Further questions on gear, give me a shout, talk to a local guide or gear shop—someone is bound to know the answer, and don’t forget to check back on how to size up that pesky backpack - and maybe even learn a bit about trekking poles, camp stoves, sleeping bags, and much more.

The Start of a Pharoah Mountain Wilderness Adventure

It has been quite some time since I wandered about in the Pharaoh Mountain Wilderness Area. My last trip brought me to a couple of remote peaks in some pretty deep snow, I might add. Late spring brings the warm smell of decaying pine needles and leaves from the autumn coat. Wildflowers start to emerge, waters start to warm up, tributaries are easier to cross, mud isn’t quite so deep, and colors finally start to open up your eyes to the warm weather settling in... ah, the joys of spring. I like to look at the positives of spring and not the negatives of the blackflies that so often comes with the territory. Sure they can be an annoyance, but it’s not that hard to overcome, and quite honestly, I believe the more you play in the spring the more you get used to them and you start to ignore them. The more you swat and pay attention to them, the worse they are.

That’s enough on the insect population, now more on the mountains. We started out mid-morning with 6-peaks on our radar. Our group ganged up in Schroon Lake to spot a car for this interesting and long traverse. We stashed one car at the Gull Pond Trailhead and carpooled a bit further south to another access to the wilderness area. This southern access was west of Leland Hill along East Shore Road in Schroon Lake. It was a bit of a chore to find a good spot to get off the road; we did manage to get most of the car on the shoulder - good enough we all agreed.

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Leland Hill

Leland Hill at just over 1300’ would be the first small peak we would work on. The forest was open, but parked right on the shoulder of the hill. We started climbing immediately, unlike many of the Adirondack Mountains where you have a long flat approach. We started at under 1000’ in elevation and climbed that initial 350 feet in no time flat, my fast pace might have played a part in that. The summit wasn’t much to talk about, it was open hardwood with no views, but a splattering of star flowers made it pleasing to the eyes.

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Quackenbush Hill

From here we headed just east of north to approach Quackenbush Hill, sitting at an elevation of 1486’. We didn’t really have to descend much but we did lose nearly 200 feet in the process. As we climbed we looked to our left and saw what looked to be an area where views might welcome us. The steep slopes on the west side of the mountain opened up some great views of the Vanderwhacker Mountain Wild Forest, Hoffman Notch Wilderness, and Schroon Lake. We poked around a bit more but without much success, so we moved on with high hopes and dreams of some great views from the summit, which didn’t come.

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Spectacle Pond Hill

Now we were off to the summit of Spectacle Pond Hill, resting nearly 1.5 miles away and resting at over 1600 feet in elevation; not the tallest of the day, but getting there. Looking over my map in days prior, I didn’t have a whole lotta confidence that it would be a huge payoff. The descent was long, but the forest was wide open. We would continue losing elevation until we were again at less than 1000 feet; everything we gained from the road would be gone, all but about 50 feet of it anyways. In the valley we had a visitor, no not a local or another climber, but a turtle. It was a painted turtle I think, I’m not really up on my reptile identification skills. Abby was having a good time with it, not so sure what to make of its existence - it was the first one she had ever seen. Sniffing and walking in circles around it, only to be startled by a leaf she overturned, the turtle had won the stand-off. The over 600 foot climb might not seem like much too many of you but when it’s in just a half mile, it gets to be steep. Again we were skunked at the summit, and not even a peekaboo view from the shoulder was awarded for our efforts.

Spectacle Pond Trail

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We now had a slight dilemma, should we descend to Spectacle Pond, Coffee Pond, or just go right in between them to reach Desolate Hill? We left that decision up to the terrain, I suppose you could say. We wanted to stay high above the ponds to avoid losing too much elevation in the course of the traverse. The terrain, as I mentioned, had other plans. We kept getting pushed left. Well, I kept getting pushed left that is... since I was leading I guess I can take responsibility. We ended up heading right at Spectacle Pond’s western shore.

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Off to Desolate Hill

Spectacle Pond got its name from its shape as a pair of spectacles. We hit the trail and felt a sudden pleasure in being on a solid and stable surface. We knew it wouldn’t last long, we needed to hit the forest again to reach Desolate Hill. The trail was eaten up fast by our limber pace and as the trail ended we found ourselves in an open evergreen forest along the top of an attractive esker above the pond. The esker ended in a depression with a small drainage and what appeared to be a small beaver village up above. Desolate Hill was the one I felt would be the rewarding one, and with Pharaoh Mountain so close, it could be a killer payoff. We moved along through the open forest and as we started to climb we came upon some decent-sized cliffs. We went right for them. Scrambling very steeply at times, we had to boost up Abby, and Corenne even took off her pack to help her get up over the small ledge. We could have gone around them, but we love scrambling hand over fist. Atop this was the best view of the day, one for the books, one to be remembered - fantastic!!! The summit wasn’t much higher, but again wooded. We searched hard and heavy for something of a view - a decent glimpse of the cliffs of Pharaoh - but nothing really. The joys of spring have also brought us leaves on the trees, and this veil of green has created a barrier for views.

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It was lunch time now. It had to be - my stomach alarm was going off. A healthy lunch and a PBR, to bring down the healthiness a bit, was in order. An extended break did however help the black flies find us for their dinner hour as well, and it was soon time to go.

Smith and Leland Hill

Smith and Leland Hill was next, number five for the day. This one was the highest of the mountains at around 1725 feet in elevation, still nothing crazy tall, but fun anyhow. We wouldn’t have to descend much on this one, but the climb back up was very, very steep. Additional cliffs dotted the side of the hill, but none that would give us any additional views. We summited only long enough for a couple of pictures.

Gull Pond Trail

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The next would be a surprise for Jim and Corenne. I was sure they didn’t want to do a sixth peak but I was persuading them that it would be worth the effort. A descent into a deep valley of hemlocks delivered us to Bottom Brook which was a wide swath of a brook in this deep valley. The final 200+ foot climb would be about all our legs could afford for the rest of the day, but we did it in great fashion. Through boulders and scattered rocks, we meandered through the small cliffs and occasional spruce, to the open views off Gull Pond Hill. The hill is not officially named as such, but we gave it that - it seemed to fit. The cliffs of Gull Pond Hill had taunted me for years, and every time I visited the pond I wanted to go there. Well, today I did. Out of curiosity I wondered if I could throw a stone into the pond - and strangely enough it reached.

We followed the herd path off the summit which leads around the pond to the west. The path was apparent most of the time, others not so much, but it was easy enough to keep the pond close to our right. Once on the trail and upon the peninsula of the pond, we had a secondary break in a shallow breeze, which awarded us a relaxing retreat from the bugs as well. The half mile trail back to the car clicked away very fast, and before we knew it, we saw the gleaming white of Jim’s truck through the trees, and our escape from the forest. The cool breeze of the open car window cleaned away the black flies we felt were nesting in our hair, and smiles lighted upon our faces with the realization of this successful six-pack traverse. We were already throwing around more ideas of a future adventure in the Pharaoh Mountain Wilderness.

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I WAS BITTEN BY THE CAMPING BUG

So, I’m admittedly crazy about car camping. My husband and I camp regularly. We have a 3-tiered shelf of camping supplies organized in our garage. There's something for every situation. The planning and packing is every bit as good as the experience once on site. I guess it's the anticipation of another wonderful experience in the Adirondack Park that makes the planning every bit as fun as the adventure! There's one particular car camping expedition that I start anticipating in late winter (and I know most of my friends who participate do the same).

Each year in June several of us get together for almost a week of camping. We start planning in March, just about the time winter is making us long for our annual gathering. This year will mark the 16th edition of an amazing girlfriend bonding week we’ve dubbed “Tramps at Camp.” We have three rules: no men, no pets, no kids. We’ve bent all of them a tiny little bit over the years, but for the most part those are the hard and fast rules. We’ve left all our husbands, boyfriends, pets, kids, and the things we consider responsibilities, behind, and we have pure, unadulterated fun with no cares in the world! Or so we thought at one time or another!

Camping comes with its challenges - even car camping. We’ve had to adapt to bad weather, extreme heat, bugs, wet wood, wet tents, wind and a host of other inconvenient issues. And we’ve learned a thing or two about innovating and rigging things.

LEARNING THE HARD WAY IN THE EARLY DAYS

During our first years of this crazy little expedition we were pretty green when it came to how to ‘survive in the wilderness.’ Our very first outing was in 2000 when several of us decided to spend one night at Polliwog Pond. Polliwog is a pond on Floodwood Road near Upper Saranac Lake. Our plan was to paddle to one of the outlying campsites for the night. We all arrived and took a look at everything we brought and were unanimous in our conclusion. “No WAY are we transporting all this to that campsite in our kayaks!” So, we ended up on one of the first-come-first-served campsites on the shore of Polliwog. Luckily, there was an empty site, this isn’t always the case with first-come sites. It was a primitive site with a nice sandy beach and perfect for what we were looking for. Our supplies on that inaugural outing included coolers full of food and drink, tents, kayaks, lawn chairs and more. We seriously laugh every time we remember the lofty idea that we could transport all of our supplies in our recreational kayaks!

CREATURE COMFORTS MAKE FOR HAPPY LADIES

Fast forward to 2015. We’ve extended our little overnighter to nearly a week now and we travel with a LOT of stuff. A few years ago one of the rangers checking us out at the campground asked if we were sure we had all our stuff. He remarked, “I’ve worked here for 15 years and I’ve never seen a group with so much STUFF!”

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As the years have gone by we’ve accumulated a lot of things to make camping almost downright luxurious - glamping, really. Of course, we also bring lots of accoutrements as well. We have a theme every year, so that requires more stuff. And, of course, women need their creature comforts. We’ve also graduated from those primitive, first-come sites to reserving sites (usually 5 or 6 together) at one of several NYS campgrounds within an hour to hour-and-a-half of home, which is Lake Placid for most of us. There’s an awesome site on Harris Lake in Newcomb, with most sites right on the water we’d like to try next year (see below for more Schroon Lake Region camping options). Minimum requisites these days include hot showers and flush toilets. And most of us have also graduated from tents to hard shell campers, vans or trailers.

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There are still a couple of hold-outs with tents. I salute them, but I love my little teardrop-style pod camper (below). It keeps me off the cold or wet ground, secures my stuff from wind and rain, and it’s cozy, dry and comfortable with a real queen size bed, DC or AC power, lights, roof vent with fan, and lots of storage space.

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HACKING IT UP

Which brings me to my first car camping “hack.” Teardrop campers are great, but they allow little privacy for changing clothes, etc. I solved the problem by erecting our 10’ x 10’ EZ Up tent directly over the camper, extended up to its highest setting which just clears the roof of the trailer and allows us to open the roof vent. The EZ Up tents come with nylon side panels that zip on. One panel has a zipper in the middle which is perfect to put on the hitch side of the trailer, zipped up far enough to allow the hitch to extend outside so you can get the edge of the tent close to the front of the trailer. Then we put the two sides on and leave the back of the tent open. Most campsites are wooded at the back so you'd have built in privacy on that side anyway. The open side allows me to open the galley hatch fully as well, but I can put on the rain panel if the weather is really inclement. The tent sides extend about 2 1/2 feet beyond either side of the trailer so the trailer doors open fully and we have space to move about. This arrangement not only protects from the weather, but gives very good privacy as well. The tent also allows us to use the top of the camper for storage of miscellaneous ‘stuff’ without worrying about the weather (there we go again with the ‘stuff'). The tent prevents condensation on all that ‘stuff’ at night, as well as protection from rain, which is a definite bummer when getting in and out of a teardrop during a torrential downpour.

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THE ALL-IMPORTANT CAMPFIRE

This isn't so much of a 'hack' as an instructional. Fire starting while camping is one of the most important things you can master. And don’t think you only need a little newspaper and some kindling. When it’s all very dry it works. Most times the ground is damp and so is the wood. Make sure you really know how to lay a fire and you’ll never have a problem.

1. Put a fire starter on the bottom of the fireplace. If the fireplace doesn’t have any kind of grate on the bottom, use a couple of small logs to help elevate the kindling you’re going to place on top.

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2. Above your fire starter, form a small teepee with some kindling. Leave an opening in your teepee on the side the wind is blowing against. This will ensure that your fire gets the air it needs and will blow the flames onto the kindling.

3. Continue adding kindling to the teepee, working your way up to pencil-sized twigs.

4. Create a larger teepee structure around your kindling teepee with some small pieces of wood. The key to getting a fire to burn is to make sure there is good air circulation around all the wood. Then add your fuel wood at the top.

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5. Place a match under your tinder. Because this technique directs the flame up, the flame should rise to the kindling, and then on to the fuel wood.

6. The teepee structure will eventually fall, and at this point you can simply add some more fuel logs to the fire. Just remember, air flow is key!

Don’t use an unspilt log to start a fire. It doesn’t work very well. Bring a plastic tarp to cover your dry (dry is the key) firewood to KEEP it dry after you pile it up next to the fireplace. Make some fire starters to take with you - easy peasy. Go to your local lumberyard and ask them for a box (bring the box with you) of sawdust. They’re happy to get rid of it. Get some paper egg cartons. A good source is a local breakfast place that serves lots of eggs. Commercially packed eggs come in flats of 2 1/2 dozen in a nice big square crate. They will also be glad to get rid of them.

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Get some paraffin wax, melt it, fill the crates with sawdust and pour on the melted wax, let harden and then you can break or cut off chunks to use in the bottom of the fire for starters. Paraffin burns hot and long. Be careful when melting the wax while making them. It’s highly flammable, so don’t let it get too hot, as it will ignite. This is a good project to do outdoors for safety, using a camp stove. Using a double boiler is even safer as the pot with the parafin isn't in direct contact with the flame.

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Keep your kindling and fire starting supplies at your campsite in a plastic bucket with a cover. I keep work gloves, butane lighter, matches, kindling and newspaper in my bucket. And don't forget a hatchet to split the smaller stuff if needed. I also use birch bark for fire starting. It burns very hot and long. There is often birch on dead and downed trees in the woods, so look around for it. If you have any split birch firewood at home, peel off a bunch of bark. NEVER take it from a live tree.

OUT-BUG THE BUGS

When it comes to bugs, smoke is one of the best insect repellents. Lately I’ve been seeing posts on Pinterest telling people to put bunches of sage in a campfire to keep bugs away. I always laugh when I see this. Any kind of smoke keeps bugs at bay. Sage doesn’t do anything more than the smoke from the campfire would do, and it’s expensive, so save your money and don’t bother with the sage. Your local dollar store sells “bug coils” which are excellent to move around with you. I use them all the time in the summer. Dollar stores also sometimes sell a pottery container with a perforated lid you can burn them in.

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They come as a package with the coils as well as a little metal stand on which to center the coil. And honestly, if you can’t find the coils with this burner, just use an old plate or flower pot saucer. They work just as well. Get several and put them all around the campsite. You can move them around depending on the direction of the breeze. Put them under your lawn chair or on or under the picnic table. Putting them on the ground keeps the smoke at leg level as well. They’re cheap and they’re effective and they burn for a long time. But remember, the best bug repellent for your campsite is also a smoky fire.

THRIFTY PURCHASES AND AN OLD BELT

Some of the best camping hack ‘stuff’ I’ve gotten is from the local dollar store and thrift shops. Utensils for cooking, dish washing supplies and wire hooks for hanging things, as well as paper products and storage containers. One of my favorite cooking area tricks is to take an old leather belt and fasten it around a tree. Use several large s-type hooks found at the dollar store and hang them around the belt on the tree to use for hanging things like pots, pans, utensils, and some of that Dollar Store stuff. A bungee cord around the tree also works, but it tends to stretch if you hang too much on it. A leather belt works best, and you can find lots of them at thrift shops.

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SHOE ORGANIZERS - BUT NOT FOR YOUR SHOES!

Another trick is to buy a couple of shoe organizers with hooks to hang from a belt attached the same way to a tree. You can store all kinds of things in the pockets - soap, utensils, salt & pepper, bug spray or anything you can fit in them. Many are made of see-through plastic so you can readily find what’s what in the pockets. The shoe bag is also useful for toiletries and more of that “stuff” in the camper or tent. You can even roll it up and take it to the shower with you. I hang one on the outside of my teardrop just outside my door to keep all those little things handy and visible, like flashlights, bug spray, candles, batteries, etc.

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ON THE WATER

One of our Tramp camping musts, wherever we camp, is that our sites must have water access. We all love to paddle and most all of us have kayaks. We do a fair amount of touring around and exploring, but we also love to just sit in our kayaks and have cocktails and sun ourselves on the water.

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It’s easy to tie off to the shore, but sometimes we like to be farther out in the water, so we decided a couple of us should have anchors. An easy-to-make anchor consists of a small coffee can, a large eye bolt, and a small bag of Quikcrete concrete mix. Mix up enough concrete to fill the coffee can and insert the bolt in it just up to the end of the grooves on the screw end. Let it harden, attach a long rope and there you have it! An anchor for your kayak! Easy peasy. Tie all the kayaks together and you have a stationary raft of fast friends floating. :)

FOOD STORAGE HACK

When it comes to food we could probably feed an entire village with what ends up in everyone’s coolers and storage bins! Yes, we tend to overdo it but, heck, we LOVE to eat! Food storage can make or break your experience when it comes to camping. One of the most important things is proper cooler packing and maintenance of below 40 degree temps in the cooler. One of my favorite ‘hacks’ for cooler packing is ice. I make my own ice packs with either 1/2 gallon or gallon plastic milk jugs. Wash them well, fill ‘em up with water and freeze. Do this several days in advance as it takes them a bit of time to freeze. Use these in addition to commercial freezer packs in your coolers. As they melt they provide great fresh drinking water.

Another good thing to use is one or two of those metal shelves you can buy at Walmart that fit in the bottom of the cooler.

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They will keep your food off the bottom and out of any melting ice water that inevitably ends up there. Put your ice packs and bagged ice under the shelves and the food on top. Take food out of their original containers and store in Zip Loc bags and plastic storage containers to further keep them fresh and dry. Zip Locs are my favorite. I use them for everything. You can never have enough extras either, so bring boxes of quart and gallon sizes for leftovers, etc.

The most important thing about food when camping is to make SURE you have put everything away at night or when leaving your site, out of reach of those hungry visitors - like the very clever raccoons and bears. If it’s left out it will attract them to your campsite. Shut them inside your cars!

Dry foods are best transported in big plastic bins with lids that can also be closed up and kept dry if it rains. Also make sure these are in your cars when leaving or going to bed. And speaking of bins, they’re great for everything from clothing to cooking supplies as well.

SO YOU'RE PROBABLY ENTICED ENOUGH TO MAKE A RESERVATON

Now that I've filled you in on some of our great camping "hacks" and tips, you're ready for your own adventure. The Schroon Lake area has some awesome options for car camping. Be sure to look at the selections on our camping pages, many of which are family-friendly, and some of which even having swimming pools if they aren't on the water. Be sure to look at our events schedule as well, for some options to get out of the campground and join in some fun local happenings.

Add some of your own "hacks" for camping below. Would love to see some more creative ideas, especially for families. See you at the campfire!

 

Where do I start?

There are hundreds of companies out there in the outdoor retail industry, and just about every one of them has come up with a tent design that looks cool, unique, and even has a planned use, but which one is right for you? Surfing the net for a tent is tough, and a Google search will give you a headache with its hundreds of options. However, the web is a great place to check stats, feedback, and ratings on many of the tents you are checking out. Customer feedback is the best avenue for an accurate description of the tent's qualities and uses. Many who leave feedback are very honest, but you also need to be able to read between the lines and know that not everything is honest - it could be someone just going on a rant.

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Variety and selection is what customers want, but how much is too much before it becomes overwhelming? You can go to a variety superstore and buy a tent for $20, will that suffice? It might last for a weekend or maybe even a season if you take care of it but don’t expect the world from it. But in some cases it could be just what you are looking for - especially if camping is a once a year adventure. Should you order a $500 tent online, thinking it will get you an entire backpacking career? You could, but let me tell you, you don’t always get what you pay for. A tent's life is all in how you treat it, maintain it, store it and sometimes baby it. I have had tents from all over the price range and the ones someplace in the middle have been the best. What I want to do is give you a brief overview of what’s out there and what features to look for.

Tent size is very important

This might sound kind of like a no-brainer but correct sizing is very important for overall comfort and use. First off, a three-person tent is just that, for three people. In most cases there will be no extra room for gear or the family dog. If you need that extra room, think about a three-person tent for a two-person outing. That way you can have room to store your gear inside so it doesn’t get wet in case of a rain storm.

If you are a tall individual you might have to shop around a bit for a longer tent with added leg room. The footprint dimensions are what you'll want to explore.

In the winter a two-person tent should be for two people, 3-for-3, 4 for 4, etc... Do not worry about your gear in winter, unless it has to stay warm (camera, GPS, medicines) leave it outside. The less dead space inside the tent the better; dead, unused space is hard to heat.

Remember too, you will have to carry this tent, don’t get anything bigger and heavier than you are willing to lug along.

Tents for all seasons

There truly are tents that are better for one season than another. This is less important during the warmer months, but during colder times of year you need to think about this a bit more. Warm season tents tend to have much more mesh on the walls and better ventilation and are much lighter weight. This might be great on calm 60-degree muggy nights, but not on a night that it drops to 10 degrees.

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Winter tents have little to no mesh and much thicker walls, sure this makes them heavier, but it also protects you from the elements. There are many other smaller features to a winter tent, but to keep it simple – if you are camping in winter, get a winter tent. Camping in summer, get a three-season tent. In spring or fall, get a three-season tent with less mesh windows, or windows that zip closed.

Family tents

These massive shelters are built for car camping and not so much designed to be carried long distances. They can have several smaller rooms for added privacy and canopies built onto them for rain and sun protection.

Bivy Tents/Sacks

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These tiny structures are for solo camping or emergency shelters. They are typically built for one person but two-person ones can be found as well. The designs on these are close to a glorified sheet that goes around you and may have one to two short poles for a small dome over your head. These are very light weight and considered a minimalist approach to backpacking. As I mentioned, many day hikers will carry a bivy, especially in winter, as an emergency shelter for an unplanned night in the woods.

Cost of a tent

The cost of a tent is based on its different features, as well as the brand name - even if the materials are no different. The quality of the material, craftsmanship, type of material and size of the tent all play a part in the cost. Supply and demand also plays a roll, and if a tent is new to the market and getting amazing reviews, you will pay a bit more. Of course, as mentioned, don’t forget the name; a manufacturer's name holds a ton of weight when it comes to price variances.

Shopping around

There is not a huge turn over in the tent market. Outfitters don’t sell a ton of tents, mainly because a tent is not a disposable piece of gear, it’s an investment. Watch for discounted items, discontinued items, holiday or weekly sales, and overstock blowouts. These will get you a better tent at similar prices.

Tent rentals

Rent a tent before you buy. Many outfitters have current or like tent models for you to use, and some retailers will allow you to use the cost of the rental toward the purchase of a new tent at their shop.

After you buy your tent

After you have made the leap into buying a new tent, you need to do a couple things before you head out. First off, set it up and make sure all the parts are in the package. Manufacturers make mistakes too, and you want to make sure they didn't forget a vital piece, like a pole, I have seen it happen. Pieces can also get lost at the outfitters when being set up for a display or to show an interested customer. Once up, make sure there are no factory defects, rips, stains, etc... Damage during shipping can also happen whether shipped from a warehouse to a store or directly to you by a carrier. There’s not much worse than getting out camping and finding you can’t use the tent due to some unforeseen circumstance.

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Once the tent is up, seal all the seams. Buy seam sealer right at the outfitters, the easiest to apply has a sponge applicator. There is a seam along the top of the tub of the tent and some that might run up the side and around the windows, hit all of these. The tent also comes with a rain fly that goes over the body of the tent, seal that along the seams as well.

Putting up the tent a few times before you get in the field is also a great idea. This gets you practice and makes you more efficient. You want to be efficient especially if you are trying to put it up in ill weather conditions.

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Tent protection and upkeep are two completely different balls of wax. Check back soon for more details on camping gear care and storage.

Need more information on tents, stop into a local gear shop for details and ask for a trained, knowledgeable representative. Looking for the perfect place to try out your new gear, the Schroon Lake Region has plenty of opportunities for you.

So many sources, so little time ...

The Hudson River has quite a history and is hailed as one of the major defining natural features of New York State. The river spans hundreds of miles from Keene to the Atlantic Ocean. The river is revered by many, and those admirers tend to visit often for all sorts of recreation reasons from photographing to swimming, paddling to motorboating, and fishing to tubing.

Did you know...

This river, known by New Yorkers as a major source of their drinking water, starts right here in the Adirondacks. Where, though? Have you ever wondered where those first few drops originate? You see, while in some spots the Hudson's width expands out to over a mile, at the source you can literally jump across with a solid leap. And, unlike the magical pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, we can help you actually find it.

The Hudson River was named after Henry Hudson. The Englishman captained several sailing vessels in the 1600s and was one of the many who tried to find the myth of the Northwest Passage, and in doing so he sailed the Hudson. The river was once called North River, which is the given name to a small hamlet that rests along its shores in the central Adirondacks. While the river doesn't officially start until the waters converge near a bridge at Upper Works, it can be seen as smaller sources much higher in elevation.

So, get out your hiking gear and include this adventure on your next trip to the Adirondack Hub!

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Lake Tear of the Clouds

The Hudson being as massive as it is, you can only imagine how many tributaries and drainages feed it. However, the most famous is Lake Tear of the Clouds which rests on the shoulder of Mount Marcy, the highest peak in the state of New York. Lake Tear sets at over 4300’ feet in elevation making this also the highest permanent water body in New York State; this is the highest source of the Hudson River.

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Lake Tear of the Clouds flows from its spring-fed water body down Feldspar Brook where it joins up with the Opalescent River. The Opalescent River is a rather impressive river itself as it stretches out for many, many miles. Its source alone rests on the side of Little Marcy at over 4200’ in elevation, as a small trickle fed by an underground spring. By the time it converges with Feldspar Brook it is a wide train of water rushing westward toward Lake Colden. It flows out of Lake Colden on a gentle course at it reaches the stagnant waters of Flowed Lands where it seems to disappear. However, it forges on and continues its cascading pattern down over Handing Spear Falls and continues to pick up force and additional water on its way to the Hudson River just south of Sanford Lake.

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Calamity Brook

What I hesitated to mention is that part of the Opalescent River is also drained even further west along famous Calamity Brook. Calamity Brook is much more of a gentle flowing water, but its body drains to the start of the Hudson River near that bridge I was talking about. As if flows gently down along the hiking trail to Upper Works the sounds mesmerize visitors as it widens into Calamity Pond.

The brook and pond are named after a “calamity” that happened to David Henderson at that very spot. Henderson staked claim to an iron ore vein which is now Upper Works and the home of the Tahawus mine. He had the idea to dam up the Opalescent River to flush water down his blast furnaces, but he never had the chance to see his dream come to fruition. In 1845, Henderson, his son, and guide John Cheney were scouting for places to join the Hudson and the Opalescent when they reached a small pond inhabited by some ducks - known today as Calamity Pond. At this location Henderson put his gun in his backpack after hunting, which he soon set on a rock causing the gun to go off, fatally wounding Henderson — the calamity.

Calamity Brook continues to flow from the pond and builds up power as it makes its way south toward the Hudson River. Cascading through several smaller waterfalls and a couple small beaver habitats, it ends as the Hudson starts.

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Lake Henderson

Henderson Lake is fed by Indian Pass Brook which comes directly from Wallface Pond - resting at around 3150’ in elevation on the side of the MacIntyre Range. Henderson Lake is fed of course by many tributaries that come in from all sides to create this gorgeous back-country destination. At 1814’ in elevation, Henderson Lake has only one major outlet and that is into the Hudson River where it converges with Calamity Brook as well.

Lake Harris

Lake Harris, residing in Newcomb, is also an excellent source of the Hudson River but it doesn’t do it alone; it is just the last stop before the river. Lake Harris continues to get fed by several larger lakes further east and north by way of Catlin Lake, Rich Lake, and Fishing Brook. At this point the Hudson River leaves the region and continues to travel south as it makes its way through Minerva and North River, and beyond to the mighty Atlantic.

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Exploring the Hudson River

Up to the point where the Hudson hits Harris Lake and just slightly beyond as it goes beneath Route 28N in Newcomb it has many areas of mellow paddling opportunities. Some sections can be very boney and even a few rapids exist, but the area near Sanford Lake, Harris Lake, and Route 28N are some of the most scenic flatwater paddling areas you can expect to find anywhere. The birding is phenomenal, and the fishing is pretty darn good too. Also, don’t forget to paddle one of the sources on Henderson Lake; this short carry to a true gem is one you will never likely forget.

However, if you are looking for a bit more of an adventure and want to do some whitewater rafting, the Hudson River is famous for it, and several guide services offer an exhilarating ride that you will leave you wanting for more.