Adirondack Family Time™

National Weather Service Windchill Chart Weather channels and news organizations are still making reference to the "old" wind chill formulas. Wind Chill describes the rate of heat loss on the human body resulting from the combined effect of low temperature and wind. As wind increases the internal body temperature is driven down at a faster fast, quickly reducing the exterior and interior body temperatures.   The "old" wind chill formula was first instilled in the 1940s and based on the research from Antarctic explorers Siple and Passel. The Siple and Passell formula was implemented through a series of observations on freeze times of plastic cylinders filled with water and placed in differing temperatures and wind speeds.  This old system did not take in consideration that the human body produces its own heat, unlike the plastic containers. In addition, weather stations measure wind speed, the basis for the WCT index , at a height of 33 feet where it is oft

My family used to use the short “spur” trail known as “The Pines,” as a shortcut to a friend’s house. It was our path to a walk around beautiful Moody Pond and a road walk to Baker Mountain. The Pines was always a bit of a tangle with herd paths making it more a maze than a direct trail. We always managed to take a bit of a wander around, seeing the road beyond but always exiting with more of a bushwhack than easy stroll. Read the ADE FamilyTime column  Thankfully last year local Boy Scout Matthew Adams made The Pines his Eagle Scout project. With many trail improvements including water bars, benches and trail signs, the path is an easy wooded loop walk with no confusion over trespassing.  The 12-acre plot is owned by the Saranac Lake Voluntary Health Association (SLVHA) and deeded in 1937 to the organization while still under the name of “Saranac Lake Tuberculosis Society, Inc.” It seems fitting that The Pines is owned by the SLVHA.  Since 1897, the

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.

We haven’t been back to Adirondack's Marcy Dam since Tropical Storm Irene hit in late August 2011. We had climbed Marcy just a few days before the storm, resting at the bridge on our way back to our car, snapping pictures that now show an area changed by the storm. We couldn’t have known that it would be the last time we’d see Mt. Colden’s reflection in the pond at Marcy Dam.   A few days later Irene hit, the wooden dam breached and the bridge washed out changing the iconic area forever. The snow is still plentiful as we drive in the Adirondack Mountain Club’s Adirondack Loj area and park at the far lot. We enter past the tent platforms, which looks like a ghost town in winter, using the Old Marcy Dam Trail.    Adirondack Family Time™ guidebook series: Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, Tupper Lake and the High Peaks with over 33 easy hikes, 19 swimming holes, snowshoe, ski trails trivia, maps and four season activities.  The beginn