Adirondack Peeks Winter 2024

recreation to house-dwellers. It is with considerable pride that we look to the Division of Lands and Forests which provides these facilities, and we are pleased to hear that additional campsites are planned for the postwar era. Contrary to popular belief, climbing in the Adiron dacks is not difficult. It was a 15-year-old girl who made the first ascent for fun of which we have record. Esther Mc Comb ran away from her home at the foot of Whiteface and bushwhacked up that mountain, only to arrive on the wrong bump. By that time it was too late in the day to reach the mountain of her choice and it was much too late to return home, so she spent the night in the woods. Esther never did get to the top of Whiteface, but she had done a pre posterous thing for a gal to do in 1839—she had climbed a mountain,—and for fun! Recreational climbing in the Adirondacks first came into its own when the Marshall Brothers climbed the 46 major peaks. Many people today climb for fun, and some summer camps even rate their youngsters on the major peaks ascended. It is true there are only 31 persons in 23 years who have joined the Marshalls and that select group called the "46-ers," composed of those who have ascended the Adirondack summits which are 4,000 feet or over in elevation, but the number is growing. Easy? I have "done it," and I have not carried camping equipment over any of the mountains. Yearly the number of hikers is increasing. No lon ger can one follow trails comparatively alone for a day. Mar cy Dam is the Adirondack's "42nd Street and Broadway," while Mount Marcy, even in the most inclement weather, is as popular as Jones Beach in proportion to its accessibility. Everyone wants to see Lake Tear of the Clouds, the Hudson's highest source, and struggle through rock strewn Avalanche Pass. To suggest that a neophyte climb anything but the State's highest mountain is rank treason! The time may come when more trails will be needed to re move pressure from the High Peak region, but in the mean time, a good promotional campaign calling attention to little-used trails and regions is important. Already there exist in the Forest Preserve 574 miles of foot trails, (452 in Adirondacks and 122 in Catskills) well-marked with the colorful red, yellow, or blue discs of the Conservation Department. It is the opinion of those who tramp them with any regularity and are familiar with their scope, that there are enough. An increasing number of people are finding "pleasure in the pathless woods." Once they know the existing trails they prefer to push into some pathless region through knee-deep fragrant fern, tall trees, and shin-barking cripplebrush. It has already been stated that lean-tos provide shelter in a proper woods' setting. Nothing can be said against them except there aren't enough of them. For in stance, we could use a few more along certain trails and especially in the Indian Pass region. However, we recog nize that a lean-to can only be built where there is a source of water supply and that already there are certain areas where lean-to accommodations abound. But once the exo dus from cities into the woods starts again, there will be unprecedented pressure for shelter for the night.

It is also time to again embark on an education campaign. In the past both the Conservation Department and the Adirondack Mountain Club have engaged in such a campaign and during the last few years, together they compiled, printed and are still distributing a "Souvenir" folder which not only records the hiker's trip, but lists rules for correct camping manners. The need for extreme care with fire cannot be stressed too much, and keeping our woods and mountain tops clean is a subject that should be pushed to the front if the more conjested [ sic ] areas are to remain attractive. For the most part, even Marcy after a picnic day, has never looked like the plain which is a stone's throw from the summit of Katahdin, but there are those who are so used to throwing their papers around for someone else to pick up that it never occurs to them to carry their debris down the mountain, burning it at the first fireplace or burying it in some secluded springy mountain duff. It was a source of great satisfaction to me to find tacked on the lean-to walls this summer, especially in the very popular Lake Golden region, these etiquette rules of the "Souvenir" folder. The real woods’ lover expects the trails to be kept clean and free from littered papers, cans, orange peels, and chewing gum wrappers. Furthermore, he will help by picking up the papers he sees and setting a good example for those who follow in his footsteps. We heartily commend any educational system that includes woodcraft and camping in its curriculum. Such a course is offered at a Lake Placid Public School where stu dents are taught how to live in the woods. Those men and women of tomorrow will have a keener appreciation of our natural resources and wilderness values. Skiing has never been very popular in the Forest Preserve mainly because wilderness or cross-country ski ing does not appeal to the majority. While more than 111 miles of ski trails (62 in Adirondacks and 49 in Catskills) are maintained for the skiing enthusiast, these are enjoyed by comparatively few. Most skiers can only go for the day. Fur thermore, they prefer wide-open slopes and ski tows, both of which are out of keeping with the wild forest character of the Preserve. It is a source of encouragement therefore to note that ski centers on private lands in the Parks are being enlarged, and especially encouraging to find that a new, well-planned development is under construction in Lewis County near Boonville. It is our belief that skiing should be promoted in New York State near population centers where many, rather than the few, may enjoy the invigorating thrill of this sport. From opposition at the time of the Whiteface Ski Trail Amendment, it is evident that the people of New York State are not going to relinquish their Forest Preserve land for any grandiose developments thereon. Whiteface was already marred with its nine-mile winding road, the castle and summit house, I believe that those who opposed the measure did so on the "opening wedge" and commercial ization basis rather than from the point of view that White face was to be despoiled. In fact, I was one of this group. The Whiteface Ski Center is now inevitable. With judicious planning it can become the State’s winter sports

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