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Showing posts from 2014

Lake Placid's Skate into New Year 2014

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(as seen in the Adirondack Daily Enterprise) By Diane Chase We seem to be the family that tries to do it all, a little bit of First Night Saranac Lake ($12 for buttons purchased in advance, free for children under 13 years of age) and a tad bit of potluck with friends. The one thing we did last year that will be added to our New Year’s Eve tradition is “Skate into the New Year” at the Lake Placid Olympic Speed Skating Oval. The eighth annual Skating into New Year will take place on Thursday, December 31   at the Lake Placid Olympic Oval from 10:30 pm – 12:30 am for those searching for a healthy non-alcoholic event. Admission is a modest $5 fee for adults (children and any student with a valid ID are free) and request of a nonperishable good all benefits the local food pantry. There is music, a bonfire, hot drinks and sweet treats all in a substance-free setting.

Picture Quote: Peace on Earth

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Merry Christmas!  PEACE ON EARTH © Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activities™ guidebook series, Adirondack Family Time™guidebooks have easy Adirondack family hikes, Adirondack swimming holes, Lake Placid Olympic activities, Adirondack trivia, Adirondack horseback rides, Adirondack snowshoe family trails and more. Look for the Adirondack family guidebook online or bookstores/museums/sporting good stores. Diane is currently working on the next Adirondack Family Activities™ guide.

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Snowshoe or Hike to Long Lake's Buttermilk Falls

By Diane Chase Buttermilk Falls in Long Lake is a wonderful place to stop and stretch your legs, have a picnic or just enjoy the view.  From the village of Long Lake, take NYS route 28/30 south for 3 miles to North Point Road. There will be a sign here that says "Buttermilk Falls." Turn right (west) onto North Point Road, and follow it for 2.1 miles. 

Picture Quote: The Environment

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"It is horrifying that we have to fight our own government to save the environment." ~ Ansel Adams

Taylor Haskins Quartet to play at Dogwood Bakery December 14

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Picture Quote: Winter

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"Write it on your heart that every day  is the best day in the year." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Craft: Felt Christmas Trees

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Jenny B Harris from Allsorts has done it again. She truly makes the most delicious felted holiday crafts. I've got my advent calendar all ready to go and now it is time to make these simple Christmas trees as part of our mantle center piece.

FREE Family Winter Film Series with the Champlain Valley Film Society

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The Champlain Valley Film Society and I have a special relationship. There are opportunities in this world that are in our neighborhoods and we just can't be bothered taking advantage of it.  I had read about Film Society showing the Oscar nominated film "Captain Phillips." As it turns out the real Captain Richard Phillips had a connection to Essex, NY and the Champlain Valley Film Society. Not only was my family able to watch the film on the big screen, but we were able to participate in a Q&A with Phillips. My children still talk about the experience today.  Now the Film Society is doing something for families. Throughout the winter months, CV Film Society will be hosting three family-friendly films for free at the Whallonsburg Grange location.  December 7, Sunday, 2 pm: "Babe" i s based on the Dick King-Smith's book "The Sheep-Pig" in which an orphaned piglet is brought home and raised by border collies. When Babe helps stop a pac

Ten (10) Charity programs: Donate money without spending an extra cent!

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Earth in Hands design by Kat as  turp.deviant.com Adirondack Giving Tuesday Can Happen All Year Long! Even though #GivingTuesday is officially the Tuesday after Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, I always hope that the act of giving will remain an everyday occurrence for my children. It is wonderful that such huge event remind us that giving is much more important than getting. It is also important to remember that it doesn't always have to be a grand gesture. Sometimes the small gestures are the ones that count the most.   Since #GivingTuesday only happens one time a year, here are 10 other programs that make the act of giving an everyday experience every time you shop, do an internet search or play a game. The programs listed below do not cost you one penny. These are all corporate affiliate programs that allow a percentage of your everyday purchases to go to the cause of your choice. Keep in mind these suggestions are in no way  a substitute for

Picture Quote: Snow!

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"Snow provokes responses that reach right back to childhood."  ~Andy Goldworthy, artist

Small Business Saturday in the Adirondack High Peaks

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Holiday shopping can be stressful, but I like to look at it as more like a treasure hunt. I want to find the ideal present. Around the Adirondacks many local merchants will be offering discounts and sales throughout Thanksgiving weekend. The wonderful thing is that these local businesses have handpicked each store item.  Here are a few things on my “To Do List.” Gift baskets are popular items for my extended family. I fill the baskets with local cheeses, Adirondack-made condiments, candles and maple products from Nori's Village Market and Green Goddess Natural Foods . I add packets of original notecards from artists at various galleries or Adirondack  made chocolates such as Barkeater Chocolate in North Creek, Adirondack Chocolates in Wilmington or Lake Placid Chocolatiers .    One family member enjoys complex puzzles and card games. A stop at Goody Goody’s or Imagination Station allows me the opportunity to talk with a person that has actually played the games and can a

18 Holiday Festivals around the Adirondacks and Beyond

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Around the Adirondacks local stores and businesses aren’t feeling the pressure to celebrate early. They are saving their energy and pulling out all the stops for a Black Friday and Small Business Saturday weekend that is uniquely Adirondack.   These events give you enough time to let your turkey dinner settle down while festive enough to gesture in the Christmas spirit.  As you can see from the schedule at the end of the page, various towns stagger the events so you can attend one or all! Children will be able to make crafts to give as gifts, enjoy horse wagon rides or participate in free puppet shows, movies and treasure hunts. We always took advantage of those free activities to slip away and get a bit of our holiday shopping completed.  Speculator is hosting its Holiday stroll  on November 28 with gift certificates, give-aways and discounts topped off with Victorian carolers while Lake George plans on making the village glow with over 15,000 lights on November 29.   I

Mount Pisgah (Saranac Lake) Multi-Use Trails

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It seems like this is finally the time that the snow may stick around. Some ski mountains are able to make snow so we can get on those trails as quickly as possible while others wait until Mother Nature helps with that base layer. I am still in autumn mode, even with shoveling snow. I am not so quick to pass up that beautiful time of year. I like the chilly nights and warmish days. That is why I live here. Every season is so different and I enjoy each one. Yes, even mud season. Look for more 33 easy hikes, snowshoe/XC trails swimming holes and over 300 activities in Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks (covering Lake Placid, Saranac Lake and more) Recently my daughter and her friends had suffered through my list of errands and really needed a place to run around.  I didn’t want to get into a long hike and they didn’t either. My husband recommended the new trails behind the tennis courts at Mount Pisgah, Saranac Lake. What started as a quick jaunt, turned into a w

Ski or Ride FREE with NYS Third and Fourth Grader Passport

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This Adirondack Mama always thinks that I have stumbled upon the deal of the century, only to find that everyone is already in on the family fun. So just in case I am not the last person to find out that New York State is once again offering the FREE Ski and Ride Passport Program to all third (3rd) and fourth (4th) grade children, I’m here to let you in on the secret. The program was first established in 2000 to introduce children to skiing and promote a healthy lifestyle choice. The passport offers free lift tickets to 31  New York ski mountains including 7 Adirondack ski resorts and other discounts like soft drink coupons. Personally, the beverage option seems to cancel out the healthy lifestyle choice. On the other hand, perhaps it may help encourage a child to get off the couch and onto the slopes.

Easy Short Adirondack Family Fun Hikes: The Ladies' Mile at the Ausable Club

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By Diane Chase, Adirondack Family Time™ There are so many options for families and kids to hike in the Adirondack woods. Though my husband is a  Adirondack  46er a couple times over and still enjoys hiking the High Peaks, he also likes to share simple trails. One  favorite  place is  the Ausable Club's  “Ladies Mile.” My first thought was he was joking. There is such a thing as a ladies’ mile? Have I been walking a man-mile all this time and not knowing it? I am going to run a 5K and I’m not in shape. So if a ladies’ mile is shorter, I plan on requesting a few of them.  No such luck.  The Ladies’ Mile is a beautiful path, part of the private Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR) and  Ausable Club . Though the public has permission to hike in the AMR it is still private land and has strict rules to follow in order to have access. No dogs, camping or swimming. (Please do not leave the trails and carry out anything you bring in.)

“Red Army” Documentary skates into Lake Placid Film Forum November 7-8

The Lake Placid Film Forum performed quite a coup in grabbing Gabe Polsky's film "Red Army" before its official national opening in New York next week. This award-winning film will be shown at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts for this weekend only, before being released to all major commercial movie houses.  Director Gabe Polsky, “Red Army” goes behind the Iron Curtain and tracks the Soviet Union’s hockey team domination to its unraveling at the Lake Placid 1980 Winter Olympic Games to its ultimate demise.  Co-Founder and Artistic Director Kathleen CarrolI first saw the ”Red Army” at a film screening during the New York Film Festival. She knew immediately that this would be an important film to show in Lake Placid with its focus on the Cold War Russian dominance of hockey, ties to the 1980 Winter Olympic Russian hockey team and the United States Olympic gold medal win, dubbed “The Miracle on Ice.” “I knew this film’s conn

"Pippi Longstocking: A Family Musical" Brings Adventure to Saranac Lake's Pendragon Theatre

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(Saranac Lake) This year’s Rising Star Productions has found a new home for its fall children's musical at Pendragon Theatre . Over 30 area kids will be on stage to dance and sing their way through the pages of the classic 1945 Swedish book series “Pippi Langstrump” by Astrid Lindgren. This family-friendly show is a fun kids' activity, appropriate for all ages. The book series was adapted for the stage by Sebastian and Staffan Gotestam and became “Pippi Longstocking: The Family Musical.” This two-act play is directed by McCayla Quinn and focuses on the free-spirited adventures of the red-haired, self-reliant character Pippi (played by Robyn Rutgers) who lives with her horse and pet monkey in the Villekulla Cottage while her sea captain father (Simon Thill) is out at sea. “There are all sorts of hijinks throughout the show,” says Quinn. “Pippi stops thieves from stealing her pirate gold. She takes over the circus where she is stronger than Mighty Adolf, the strongest

Five (5) Spooky Adirondack Family Halloween Events

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Halloween is all about being scared so here are five ideas from mildly scary to an Adirondack fright night for all ages to enjoy! Enjoy these ghoulish ideas!  Halloween or All Hallows’ Eve is one of my favorite events. I love seeing all the costumes and creativity that goes into dressing up for a holiday that holds its roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain. Some sources state the name Samhain originating from two Gaelic words, “sam” and “fain” meaning “end of summer.”  The harvest festival was to bring an end to the harvest and gesture in the beginning of the cold of winter. With superstition and religious undertones, Halloween was also a time that people thought the divide between worlds thinned and the dead could return to cause mischief such as crop failure and famine. All Hallows’ Eve also precedes the Christian festival honoring its saints. Now we celebrate with candy, costumes and a bit of the harvest with numerous activities, some for the brave of heart, bu

Easy Short Adirondack Hikes: Inlet Raquette Lake (NY) hikes: Cathedral Pines

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Cathedral Pines Distance  0.1 mile Dedicated to the memory of  Malcolm L. Blue ,  a young navigator of the 8th  Air Force ,  is a plaque affixed a stone monument. The walk is relatively level with a few uphill treks but no significant gain/loss in elevation. Watch out for roots which are plentiful. The monument is just a few minutes’ walk from the highway.  This hike isn't just for  kids, but is an easy Adirondack family hike is  a quick wooded walk for all level of hiker including grandparents or with your dog. The plaque reads: “This tree, Created by God and  Old When Our Country Was Born , Fine and  Straight-Grained Like  the  Boy Himself , is Dedicated in Memory of 2nd  Lt. Malcolm L. Blue , Navigator of a  Liberation Bomber With Eight Air Force . Killed in  Action Over France June  2nd, 1944.  Few Men Have Earned  so Fine a Memorial.”  The treasure to look for is a small monument dedicated to the memory of a World War II navigator of the 852 nd Bo

Coping With the Death of a Pet:

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The Rainbow Bridge:  Norse Legends, Lost Pets and Natural Parks When our family dog, Ella, had a stroke she didn't magically disappear and reappear a few weeks later as a puppy. She died on a sidewalk at 8 pm during a busy weekend in Ocean Beach, Fire Island. There was no way to cover up that she had passed on. She did so right in front of my son. It was horrible and uplifting all in the same moment. My husband and I had to make quick decisions because the vet was off island and we had to bury her in my mother-in-law's yard that night. The police grabbed table clothes from nearby restaurants and got a trolley to wheel our dog to our house. My children and I followed behind while people shielded their own children from the site of our beloved Ella. My children were beside us when we wrapped her in the cloth and put her in the ground. My children got flowers from the neighbors and we walked to the beach and threw flowers into the ocean waves lighted by a full moon.

Easy Adirondack Hikes: Silver Lake Mountain (Silver Lake, Au Sable Forks NY)

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Silver Lake Mountain Ascent = 900’ Distance = 0.9 mile We were all getting a bit antsy and looking for something to do before a trip to Plattsburgh. We wanted a quick, easy climb with a beautiful view. Well, that isn’t too much to ask for, is it? Not in the Adirondacks! With the same ascent (900’) and distance (0.9 mile) as Saranac Lake’s own Baker Mountain, Silver Lake Mountain is certainly a family-friendly option. Located in the Taylor Pond Wild Forest, the trailhead to Silver Lake Mountain, as outlined in my second Adirondack Family Activities™ guidebook, Adirondack Family Time™: Champlain Valley from Plattsburgh to Ticonderoga: Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities ) is easy enough to find. We plan on making this a quick jaunt as my kids are old enough to make fast work of these smaller hikes.

Kids Nature Detective: What causes autumn leaves to turn color?

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What is the cause for all those beautiful, fiery colors that make people drive the Adirondack highways and seek out the fall leaves? Those Adirondack Leaf Peepers may not care but if your family is anything like mine, they question everything. So if you are taking kids for a walk or hike why not share a few tidbits about the process.

Adirondack Hikes: Climbing Loon Lake Mountain (Fire Tower)

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Loon Lake Mountain (Fire Tower) Vertical Ascent  = 1,642' Elevation = 3,335' Distance = 2.8-miles A friend of mine was describing her journey leading a group of boys up Loon Lake Mountain. She had gone in early summer and had experienced a wet trail and lots of mud. Though challenging, she described the trail with such joy that I had to bring my daughter along this rediscovered path. It may not be easy but Loon Lake Mountain is a great Adirondack family hike.   The 2.8-mile trail is accessed from a parking area on CR 26 in the Town of Franklin, north of Loon Lake. With an elevation of 3,335’ and a vertical ascent of 1,642’, the trail is well tagged with yellow trail markers. The path zigzags from woods to logging roads before reaching the base of the mountain. Even in late summer the trail is swampy in places. We discover that the most difficult part of the trail was about ½-mile from the summit. After crossing four plank bridges the trail started gaining

Hiking the 46 High Peaks for Suicide Awareness

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Suicide, depression and the effects of both are challenging and frightening subjects to discuss.  I know.  I was in my early 20s when I found a friend during her attempted suicide. What transpired was tragic and emotional, but she eventually received the help she needed. Not everyone is so lucky. This week, September 8-14, is  National Suicide Prevention week  and two Clarkson students are trying to do their part to raise awareness and funds by  climbing all 46 High Peaks . Adirondack 46ers Kolby Ziemendorf and Catherine Zarnofsky are currently in the Adirondacks to climb all 46 High Peaks again, this time to honor those lost to suicide. This time their goal isn't a patch, but to climb all of the High Peaks in one week to help raise awareness for suicide prevention. “I lost my friend Greg Lombardo when I was in high school,” says Zimendorf. “We played hockey. No one knew that something was wrong. I remember looking around at all the people at his funeral and thinking tha

Keeping track of Saranac Lake’s History

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It isn’t just nature, hikes and water activities that keep me active. It is an overwhelming interest in its vast history. Every summer I try to schedule in one of Historic Saranac Lake’s walking tours. Each Thursday a different section of the Saranac Lake story is unfolded. My daughter joined me last week for a tour around the American Management Association (AMA) property.  During school she’s learned about the contribution Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau made to the community and was interested to learn more about his influence. There is always so much more information given on these tours and not enough space to write about it. I learned from Margaret, our wonderful volunteer guide, that the AMA space was originally the Trudeau Sanatorium. Sanatoriums were institutions geared toward those that couldn’t afford the private cure cottages in town.   

Camp Pendragon Theatre presents "Little Shop of Horrors"

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Camp Pendragon, in collaboration with   Pendragon Theatre , is hosting a special  presentation of “the musical "Little Shop of Horrors”" by Alan Menken and Howard Ashman. Winner of a Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Musical,  Drama Desk Award for Best Musical, Outer Critics Circle Award  and Evening Standard Award for Best Musical, "Little Shop of Horrors" has become a cult phenomenon.   When “ a luckless florist shop worker, Seymour, starts raising a strange plant that feeds on human blood and flesh he starts becoming famous. Trying to impress Audrey, the woman he loves, Seymour keeps feeding the plant. (The musical is based on the low-budget 1960  black comedy  of the same name.) Chaos ensues as Seymour must find unorthodox ways to keep feeding his plant.    WHEN :  July 22 at 7 pm  and  July 23 at 1 pm WHERE : Pendragon Theatre in Saranac Lake, NY. COST :  $10 for Adults, $5 for Students

Tupperpalooza Warrior Run and Music Festival July 19

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You don't have to participate in the July 19 Tupperpalooza Warrior Run  at Big Tupper Ski Area to join in all the fun, but if you do here is the required information.  R EGISTER  EARLY AND SAVE! Individual: $50 Before 11:59pm on March 31, 2014 $55 Before 11:59pm on June 30, 2014 $60 Before 11:59pm on July 15, 2014 ( Online Registration Closes ) $70 Race Day Team: . (Today is the last day for online registration) $55 per person if registered before 11:59pm on July 15, 2014 ( Online Registration Closes ) $65 per person on race day Teams can be comprised on 3-10 people. All  members on the team will be eligible to compete as a team and as an individual. If you want to form a team, have your team captain sign up and form the team. Once the team is formed you can invite your friends, family, co-workers to join. Each individual member of the team will be responsible for their own entry fee. 15% Military Discount: for a ll active and retired military.  The Tupperpal

Long Lake NY Kid-Friendly Summer Activities

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The Town of Long Lake has a summer full of fun for children. From SUP experiences to hiking excursions, there are events to make children of all ages appreciate all that Long Lake has to offer.  Stand Up Paddle Boarding Experience The Town of Long Lake is sponsoring free Paddling Boarding at Raquette River Outfitters this summer on July 16th and 24 th .  Stand up paddle boarding has grown in popularity as a new form to experience the lake.   Preregistration is required.  Spots are limited to residents, second home-owners or visitors staying overnight in either Long Lake or Raquette Lake.  Sign up early by calling 518-624-3077.  Life jackets and instruction generously provided by Raquette River Outfitters! Ages 10 and up.   Feelin’ Long Lakey Kids Day On July 22, The Town of Long Lake is hosting an exciting new event for kids.  From 12pm-4pm a giant inflatable obstacle course will be available for exploration, free of charge.  A special tie dye workshop will be held from

Adirondack Family Time Champlain Valley Book Reviews

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I am so grateful to all that took the time to review the latest Adirondack Family Time guidebook. Reviews for Adirondack Family  Time  Champlain Valley Plattsbugh to Ticonderoga: Your Four-Season Guide to Over 300 Activities (with GPS coordinates) Adirondack Mountain Club's ADIRONDAC magazine: "A companion to the previously published Adirondack Family Time: Tri-Lakes and High Peaks Regions, this volume's subtitle explains its objective well: "Your Four-Season Guide to more than 300 activities." It's categorized by town and season with maps, helpful tips, entertaining trivia, and inside games. Included are 58 easy hikes, 33 swimming spots, 30 museums and historic sites, apply-picking, ice-skating, art venues, and many others. GPS coordinates are provided for easy location. The territory which is throughly  covered  extends from Cahzy to Ticonderoga. If you're looking for something to do in that area, turn to this book which seems to ha

Adirondack Events: International Sun-Day at The Adirondack Public Observatory

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photo used with the permission of APO It is almost summer, true summer. The summer solstice, which marks the longest day in the northern hemisphere, will be celebrated on the first annual International Sun-Day this June 22 from 4-6 pm at the Adirondack Public Observatory (APO).  APO wants to celebrate Earth’s closest star, the Sun, with solar observing, educational programs, games, prizes and many activities for all ages. The free event will take place on the property and within the Observatory. Picnic tables will be set up for anyone to enjoy. According to Gordon Duval, Tupper Lake Physics and Astronomy teacher and member of the APO Board of Directors, there will be telescopes with solar filters, lectures about the sun and possibly a camera to show the telescope’s findings on a TV. (Duval warns everyone that proper equipment is needed for observing the sun. He gives an example of a child using a magnifying glass to burn leaves, which is a similar effect that can happen to a p

Nature Detective: Thimbleberry

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When you are hiking in the Adirondack High Peaks you may come across a plant with wide leaves resembling a maple leaf.  The Thimbleberry or Flowering raspberry is native to eastern North American.  Other common names are White flowering raspberry or Salmonberry.

Adirondack History: Fire Towers in the Adirondacks and Catskills of New York

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In the late 1800s and early 1900s, enormous forest fires were threatening residents and landowners. New ways had to be looked at to try to protect and report how these fires could be managed. Two different fires, 1903 and 1908, which damaged over 1 million acres of woodlands, became known as the "Great Fires" leading to an organized system of forest fire management throughout the Adirondacks. The first Adirondack fire tower, made of wood, was built on the summit of Mount Morris (now known as Big Tupper Ski Area) with other towers being constructed over the course of the next five years. There have 120 fire towers at various locations around New York State with 57 of them within the boundary of the Adirondack Park. The log and wood structures were slowly replaced by steel towers between 1917 and 1930, which could be more easily maintained. A full-time work force from Forest Rangers to Fire Observers were organized to manage fire districts.

Easy Short Adirondack (ADK) Hikes: Catamount (Franklin Falls) Lake Placid/Wilmington NY

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Distance : 1.8 miles Elevation : 3,169' Vertical Ascent : 1,542' Catamount is a wonderful Adirondack family hike that takes children and families to a new level, behind easier hikes perhaps encountered previously. T his is a 1.8 mile hike (one way) is not for the meek though it begins as a flat wooded path for the first 0.5 mile before becoming steadily more steep. Follow the yellow painted slash marks through this private easement.  At about 0.5 mile  the trail bears right and begins to climb. Look for a small stream at 0.8 mi. and then the hike begins gaining in elevation and continues a mostly steep climb to the base of a narrow rock chimney at 1.5 miles.  

Adirondack Events: National Trails Day with the Adirondack Mountain Club

The American Hiking Society has designated the first Saturday of June as National Trails Day. Across the United States events take place promoting and celebrating the nation's extensive trail network. The Adirondack Mountain Club asks its vast volunteer base to help with trail maintenance and give a little something back to the area that is preserved for everyone to use. Volunteer trail work originally started with "Trails and Shelters" in 1923, but the focus transitioned from building trails to sustaining them. On June 7-8, 2014, the Adirondack Mountain Club is highlight the historic Northville-Placid trail for National Trails Day. The original entrance to the trail will be moved from its Benson Rd location to downtown Northville. This will be the first annual Northville Trails Day Festival with activities such as Smokey the bear, crafts, artisans, bounce houses, guided walks and local Adirondack cafe. © Diane Chase is the author of the Adirondack Family Activiti

Saranac Lake: Bicycle Safety and Free Helmets at the Rodeo

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A bicyclists making a stop hand signal  Yippee-Ki-Yay, it’s time for the rodeo. Well, not all rodeos are with horse and cowpokes, folks. It’s the annual Bicycle Rodeo at the Saranac Lake Civic Center. It still calls for a bit of a “yeehaw,” but instead of riding wild bulls, children will use their own power to ride around traffic cones and avoid obstacles, in the form of other bicyclists.    Last year my daughter got a refresher course on bicycle hand signals and bicycle road rules. While other children chose to go around the course as fast as possible, she took her time. There is a sense of relief to watch my young child cautiously approach the stop sign while attempting to use a bicycle safety hand signal.  Police volunteers are there to help coach children with proper technique. For anyone needing a refresher course, a bicyclist is supposed to go with traffic, but stay close to the painted line on the right side of the road. Use the left hand for all directional signals