Adirondack Peeks Summer 2025

TG: Yes, today cell phones provide hikers with more assurance than in the past. Given the crutch of electronics, they tend to call for help sooner when they could probably solve the problem on their own. Rangers consider cell phones a double-edged sword. It can alert them that there’s a problem earlier so they can begin the rescue sooner— they don’t want people to be charged for calling for help, otherwise they won’t call until the situation is desperate. Then the rescue will be more dangerous, and they personally will be more at risk. SR: When did you start writing the “Accident Report” in the Adirondac ? TG: I started writing the column in the mid-1980s. Neal Burdick was the editor of Adirondac and asked me if I was interested in taking on this column, saying that the DEC thought it could be useful in educating hikers. I went to the DEC and talked to the captain to understand the limits of what I should be reporting on and what I shouldn’t. Then I was handed this thick folder of incidents, and I just sifted through them and picked out a couple of interesting ones. I can’t report on them all, so I’ve tried to pick incidents where a series of decisions were made that led to the problem. If a hiker falls, twists an ankle, and is evacuated by the rangers, it’s difficult to evaluate the hiker’s training regimen and their fitness level. However, if it’s a rescue that takes a particularly long time, I’ll include that just to remind people that rescues don’t happen quickly. SR: Your report does shed valuable insight on what not to do! I know plenty of hikers who’ve sworn they would rather die than show up on your report. That alone helps hikers to think twice before doing anything foolish. You’re an icon in the Adirondacks. It’s a big deal for the average hiker to get

to meet you. One of my friends showed up to the trailhead one morning and asked, “Guess who I met last weekend?” We all screamed when he said, “Tony Goodwin!” He told us that you gave him a ride on the Lake Road. Are you in the habit of picking up hikers on that road? TG: Especially in the spring I’ll pick up anybody or at least talk to them and ask, “What did you find for trail conditions?” This helps me to get a little heads up on where the blowdown is and where it isn’t. It’s interesting, I’m turned down almost as often as I’m accepted when I offer a ride. I suspect some hikers feel that it won’t count if they take a ride. If I think that’s the case, I say, “Grace could ride the bus!” SR: So, it’s official, it’s not cheating to take a ride on Lake Road if it’s offered? • • • I never had the pleasure of meeting Jim Goodwin. He passed away in 2011 at the age of 101. During a recent visit to the Adirondack History Museum, I saw a memorial sign paying tribute to Jim as a pioneer of the High Peaks Region. It described him as a quiet and modest man, who knew the high peaks better than anyone alive in the twentieth century. I sense Jim’s spirit throughout the Adirondacks; foremost in his son, Tony, who embodies the same modesty, knowledge of the high peaks, and dedication to preserving the land. Tony sustains the Goodwin family tradition as trail developers, maintainers, and educators, promoting physical fitness, enjoyment of nature and wildlife, and providing the masses with access to places of solitude. As numerous people echo online and on trail, thank you, Tony Goodwin! TG: Correct!

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