On Location Series #49–Adirondack Park

Adirondack Park is a park in the northeastern section of New York guarding the Adirondack Mountains. It was established in 1892 and is one of the largest parks in the United States. The park is currently controlled by the Adirondack Park Agency, and the Adirondack Forest Preserve was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1963.

The Adirondack Park contains 46 High Peaks, 2,800 lakes and ponds, 30,000 miles of rivers and streams, and a projected 200,000 acres of old-growth forests.  It is also home to 105 towns and villages and numerous farms, businesses, and a timber-harvesting industry. The park has a population of 130,000 permanent and 200,000 seasonal residents and sees over 12.4 million annual visitors.   One of the towns, Upper Jay, is where my friend and I stayed for the weekend hike.  The room was a hiker’s spot; basic needs, such as a full kitchen and several bedrooms with maps of nearby local trails, were met.  Upper Jay also has a few restaurants that, in my opinion, have some of the best coffee and maple syrup I ever tasted.

The 46 highest mountains in the park, known as Adirondack High Peaks, were thought to be over 4,000 feet.  The Blake Peak, Cliff Mountain, Nye Mountain, and Couchsachraga Peak are just under 4,000 feet. Some hikers try to climb all the original 46 peaks, and there is a Forty Sixers club for those who have done so (maybe one day I can join the club??).

We only climbed the Marble Mountains and ventured into the Grand Basin for this excursion.  The beauty of the trails was stunning, and that word does not give it the justice it deserves by description.  The winding paths were covered with unforgiving, bitching rocks and weather-torn trees.  Fall debris of branches and hollow-out stumps decorated the outer edges of the trek, and at times, chipmunks visited us, the welcome observers of Adirondack Park. 

One thing to note: We experienced a literal change in climate while walking the trail. Let me explain: The bottom half to the midpoint was somewhat warm and sometimes lowered to a cool temperature. As we neared the entrance to the peak walk of the mountain, snow was all around us. We met hikers from Canada who said that if we continued to walk further, we would need ice picks and other winterized items to climb parts of the trail.

To which we had neither…

We quickly turned around and descended from the trail.  This was the time to use caution and not become a statistic of lost hikers who dared too much with forethought.  The overall time was at least seven hours, and our legs felt it the next day.  Still, the determination to come back again to hike such a path, explore the other ranges, and, of course, bring the damn ice picks!

Lastly, going in reverse order, we ventured into the family theme park of Ausable Chasm. We had to pay to get in, but it was a nice walk, not too difficult. I would say it was mainly a scenery location for novice walkers and children. The water stream, waterfalls, wooden stair trails, and chasm made this a chilled adventure. I will let the pictures detail more of this location. 

There it is my exemplary people.  This on-location series is a first in the upper part of the United States.  Oh, we will venture further north as well as west.  I feel a revisit to Minnesota is in order, or maybe Maine is calling us home…