Adirondack Peeks Winter 2023

2023 ADK 46er Trailmaster Report Mark Simpson, #6038V W e need to start out with a huge thanks to those who came out and made 2023 a very successful season! We welcomed a new Trailmaster at the beginning of this year, Michele McCall. Next season, we will welcome Victoria Challingsworth as a new Trailmaster. Both are ex cellent additions to the leadership. A total of 102 individuals (an increase of 45 over 2022) will have worked 2,344 hours (an increase of 212 hours over 2022) on 20 work days. On the herdpaths, volun teers logged 211 additional hours. The year started with our blowdown sweeps and drain age clearing of our regular trails in the Dix Range as well as Giant and Whiteface mountains. We ran in too much snow on Dix Mountain, and this made a thorough sweep impossible. This annual work takes four days to complete.

The blowdown was less than last year, but we once again made a difference and removed over 100 trees from the trails. The shed at the A-frame at exit 29 continues to work out quite well. We access it almost every weekend to transfer tools, etc., in and out as well as stage projects. Late last year, Michele McCall cleaned and organized the shed. It is still in good order after the summer work. Thanks, Michele! Several times this year, we mustered at this location. The owner put a new roof over the structure, so our tools are in a much better-protected space now. We had another work day on the new Cascade/Porter trail that will replace the existing trail when finished. We received personal instruction and training from the DEC Forester on the accepted trail hardening methods in the High Peaks.

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