Adirondack Family Time™

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.

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.

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

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

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.