Fishing in the Adirondacks

This blog has numerous very large blind-spots. I want to generate as much enthusiasm as possible for spending time in the Adirondacks with the articles that I write here, in particular among the group of people who will be joining us at White Pine Camp. In doing so, there is a strong bias toward activities and aspects of the Adirondacks that are particularly dear to me and gaping voids outside my typical sphere of activities. Probably one of the most famous activities in the Adirondacks that I have completely neglected until now is fishing.

Lower St. Regis Small Mouth Bass. Photo: adirondacklakes.com

With more than 3,000 lakes and 30,000 miles (48,000 km) of streams and rivers, the Adirondacks is said to be the premiere place to go for fishing in the northeastern United States. Our location at White Pine Camp is right in the heart of the Adirondack Lakes Region. Although not completely banned on Osgood Pond, the use of motorboats is not allowed at White Pine Camp. Still, the pond is seldom disturbed by motorboat use, and the few that we have seen were there for fishing, keeping the surroundings peaceful and comparatively quiet. The nearby St. Regis Canoe Area is guaranteed to be motorboat free:

The St. Regis Canoe Area is the only wilderness canoe area of its kind in the northeast, and the only designated canoe area in New York State. Closed to all forms of motorized boats and vehicles, it is a paddler's paradise, a place where anyone can seek renewal and inspiration in nature. 

The canoe area's expansive waterways are situated near the towns of Lake Clear and Saranac Inn, and include the headwaters of the west and middle branch of the St. Regis and Saranac Rivers, as well as 58 ponds, streams, lakes and rivers. Canoe routes are connected by carries, or portages where paddlers must exit the water and convey their kayak or canoe across land to the next body of water. Visitors can enjoy camping under the stars, fishing, paddling, hiking and swimming for free. There are 18 primitive campsites located around the shoreline, offering scenic views of the St. Regis Canoe Area's vast forests and distant Adirondack mountain peaks.

Free Fishing Guide

You can download a guide to fishing in the Adirondacks from the Adirondack Lakes website, here. If you don't want to sign-up to access the download (you need to register with your e-mail address), you can directly download the 2008 version of the guide (pdf, 48 pages, 17.5 MB) here.

Rules and Regulations

If you are over 16 years old, you will need to purchase a fishing license (available for 1 day, 7 days or for one year from date of purchase). The NY State Department of Environmental Conservation details the prices and regulations here. Near to White Pine Camp, you can purchase a license at:
- The Town of Brighton, 12 Co Rte 31, 12970, Phone: (518) 327-3202
- Blue Line Sports, 81 Main St., Saranac Lake 12983, Phone: (518) 891-4680

Fishing Guide Service

For those who want to benefit from expert experience and equipment, Ed Kanze recommends Russell Trieller of Adirondack Fishing, Inc. He caters in particular to White Pine Camp guests, offering to pick up clients directly from the boathouse dock at camp. As impressive as I am told that the fishing on Osgood Pond is, I am guessing that the picture of the Halibut from his website, that I have inserted below, is from another body of water.

Halibut Catch. Photo from adirondackfishing.net

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My Week's "To Do" List for White Pine Camp

In earlier posts, I have discussed that there are so many fun things to do at White Pine Camp itself, that you could spend a delightful week there without ever leaving the camp's grounds. My own personal preference is to find a balance between activities at White Pine Camp, climbing a few mountains and doing other activities around the park. We like to alternate each day's focus between physically demanding activities - typically mountain climbing - and more relaxing activities.

Until now, I have resisted creating a list of "priorities" or even worse, a week-long activity list. As much as we love having a nice long list of things to do on vacation, it is at least as important for us to free ourselves from fixed schedules, agendas and strictly defined goals while we are on vacation. Our vacation is OUR time, and it is closely guarded.

The last thing I would want to do in creating a list of activities is to leave the impression that it represents what I want everyone to be doing during our week. No. If anything I write here sounds interesting and you are inspired to join us, that's great. If your preference is instead to kick back, drop your feet into Osgood Pond, read a book, take in the pine scented air - that's equally great. As the tongue-in-cheek title of this blog is "90th Birthday Get Together …," we are facing the reality that we are starting to get on in years. Accordingly, your preference might be to do something more ambitious still, like tackling Mt. Marcy in a day hike (15 miles RT, 3166 ft ascent, 6 to 7 hours one-way for an experienced hiker).

Finally, in writing down ideas about how I might like to spend a week at White Pine Camp, I disavow any responsibility for spending the week as outlined here. I am equally happy to be inspired by others ideas as well!  So, for what its worth, here is how a week at White Pine Camp might be spent.

Several Times During The Week

Trips to the Snake Pit!! Confused? See my earlier post on this subject to find out more.

Saturday

Check in is at 4:00 PM, so some of the activities will be pre check-in (info.: White Pine Camp Policies and Procedures).

Depending on how far we travel to get to White Pine Camp, we typically don't do much more than grocery shopping and getting settled in at camp. This year however, we may come to the Adirondacks before the beginning of our week at camp, so in addition to shopping, we might get in a moderate hike. Baker Mountain seems to be a perfect combination with shopping in Saranac Lake. The trailhead is right in the village and gives us a nice peek at the neighborhood.

- Link to Trail description

Excerpt of Saranac Lake 6er Trail Map, saranaclake6er.com
Link to entire map (pdf)

Sunday

I am looking forward to spending a day on the water. We have previously made our way up the Osgood River and paddled the channel to Jones Pond, but we have not yet succeeded in getting to Church Pond. This is directly accessible from Osgood Pond via a series of canals. On our previous attempt, we were defeated by headwinds and were eventually pushed all the way back to the channel leading to Jones Pond. This time, the plan is to get an early start, before the wind kicks up.

The ambitious goal would be to then travel via canoe to Jones Pond, keeping a lookout for Loons, Mergansers, Beaver Dams (ok, we won't have to look out for those, we will have to cross over them on the way to Jones Pond) and Eagles.

An alternative plan may be to take the short drive in the car to Adirondack Swim and Trip Camp (ASTC) which is on the eastern shore of Jones Pond. The latter option may actually be preferable as I have long neglected visiting friends at ASTC, and I think that a visit might be in order that extends past sunset. Learn more about my experiences as a child at ASTC from my previous post.

Graphic from http://adirondackexplorer.org

Monday

I have long had my eye on climbing Pitchoff Mountain, but haven't done this hike yet as the best way to do it is via a one way trail, with a car parked at each end. The folks at ASTC consider it one of their favorite short climbs. As you can see from their picture below, the summit gives a very rewarding view.

Summit of Pitchoff Mountain, photo from ASTC website

Pitchoff Mountain
Distance to trailhead from White Pine Camp: 31 mi / 47 min
Elevation: 3500 ft / 1067 m
Vertical ascent: 1300 ft / 396 m
Round trip distance: 5.2 mi / 8.4 km

If we are a very ambitious bunch, we might actually consider also climbing Porter Mountain, which has a trailhead right across the street from Pitchoff. Typically, Cascade and Porter are done together as they share the same trail for most of the ascent, with the summit of Porter forking off the main path toward the top. In all honesty, Cascade has the better view of the two, but to date we have been atop Cascade and not Porter, so Porter is higher on the priority list. A friend at White Pine Camp recommends an alternative approach to Porter via Blueberry Mountain - which would turn it into a day trip in itself (more about that in my previous post).

Porter Mountain
Distance to trailhead: 31 mi / 47 min (same parking area as Pitchoff Mountain)
Elevation: 4059 ft / 1238 m
Order of height: 38
Vertical ascent: 1960 ft / 598 m (or 3275 ft / 999 m from Marcy Airfield via Blueberry Mt.)
Round trip distance: 5.6 mi / 9 km (or 9 mi / 14.6 km from Marcy Airfield via Blueberry Mt.)

Tuesday

Typically Ed Kanze gives a nature walk at White Pine Camp at 9:00. In spite of everything I have written about Ed here, here and here, I have yet to actually meet him. In just a few days, I will be able to start reading his book!! What I already know about Ed is that he is a great story teller and is very knowledgeable about the Adirondacks as well as the immediate area around Osgood Pond. And, I have every reason to believe that he is great with kids.

Ed Kanze, photo credit http://www.edwardkanze.com

In the afternoon, an additional activity could be to visit the Six Nations Indian Museum. I am sometimes critical of such museums as their authenticity can vary significantly. In this case, I am not concerned, as it it is family owned-Mohawk of Akwesasne. The description of the museum on their website is really interesting, and I believe that the story of the native peoples is an essential part of the essence of this park. The Museum is open until 5:00 PM.

Photo Credit: Six Nations Indian Museum

Wednesday

My biggest personal challenge is to climb Wright Peak. This is a task left undone since my childhood trip with ASTC. The planned climb was "A.I.W." which stands for Algonquin, Iroquois, Wright, all to be done in one day. These are the second, eighth and sixteenth highest peaks in the Adirondacks, respectively. Wright is a left turn off the trail to Algonquin, and Iroquois is reached by descending partway down the "back" side of Algonquin along a ridge to its peak. We managed Algonquin and Iroquois, and I have been longing to finish this set of mountains ever since.

I am still undecided as to whether I will be up to this challenge, much less extending it even more by proposing continuing on to Algonquin afterwards, much less Iroquois as well. Depending on how the climb on Monday went, we may instead decide to select one of the less challenging peaks among my list of suggestions.

Wright Peak from Mount Jo, Heart Lake, lower left, Algonquin, behind at right photo credit: Wikipedia

Wright Peak
Distance to trailhead from White Pine Camp: 31 mi / 51 min
Elevation: 4580 ft / 1396 m
Order of height: 16
Vertical ascent: 2400 ft / 732 m
Round trip distance: 7.6 mi / 12.2 km

Thursday

Wherever the trail takes us on Wednesday, there will be a strong focus on relaxation on Thursday, particularly considering everything on my list of 10 reasons not to leave White Pine Camp. Perhaps I can challenge someone to pool, table tennis, badminton, croquet or horseshoes. Maybe we can figure out what this game is that is called ladder ball. Depending on where our canoes took us on Sunday, I am tempted to head out in the respective other direction that we perhaps didn't get to before, including the waterway approach to ASTC.

Some of the sports gear at White Pine Camp

On this day I have one activity in mind that we would like to invite the entire group to join us for. I'll keep the details to myself though.

Friday

As our last full day at White Pine Camp, I would like to hit the trails again, but keep the focus family-friendly. Assuming that a significant portion of the group, young and old, are interested in hiking, I would like to set out for a destination that is interesting and achievable for the largest portion of our group possible.

Any of the following would be interesting:

Paul Smith's College Visitor interpretive Center

Very possibly, we have already maxed out the enthusiasm for major hiking by the time Friday rolls around. In this case, the Visitor Interpretive Center is a great nearby place to go for outdoor activities. There are a number of nature trails with interpretive information which make for a nice easy hike which is also educational. There are also naturist led hikes and other programs. Also, we can personally recommend the butterfly house.

Mt. St. Regis

This mountain is the closest to White Pine Camp among my suggestions, with less than a 15 minute drive to the trailhead. It is predominately a gentle climb, with a steep bit at the end. At a round trip distance of 6.6 miles, it is probably at the longer end of family-friendly suggestions.  One particular bonus about this selection is that Mt. St. Regis has an historic fire tower. This has been in disrepair and not open to the public, but a plan to restore it was approved this past November, with restoration work scheduled to begin next summer. We might have the opportunity to see these works in progress.

Summit of Mt. St. Regis

Mt. St. Regis
Distance to trailhead from White Pine Camp: 6 mi / 14 min
Elevation: 2874 ft / 876 m
Vertical ascent: 1266 ft / 386 m
Round trip distance: 6.6 mi / 10.6 km

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Azure Mountain

Azure Mountain is another peak with a fire tower. It is a bit farther away from White Pine Camp, and the substantially shorter approach compared to St. Regis indicates that the climb will be more consistently steep along the way. This one comes recommended from a university classmate of mine, who climbed this peak with a three-generation-group, including her small children.

Azure Mountain topo map, source: cnyhiking.com

Azure Mountain
Distance to trailhead from White Pine Camp: 21 mi / 42 min
Elevation: 2518 ft / 767 m
Vertical ascent: 1000 ft / 304 m
Round trip distance: 2 mi / 3.2 km

Other suggestions are detailed in my previous post. Here is a list in brief, ordered from less to more challenging:

- Baker Mountain (already planned for Sunday!)

- Mt. Jo

- Ampersand Mountain

- Porter Mountain

Saturday

Check-Out is at 10:30. On our last visit to White Pine Camp, we rounded out our week with a historic tour of the camp, which was fascinating. In 2011, we made a departure day climb of Mt. Jo, before continuing on to Ottawa. Any number of activities I mentioned for Friday, except perhaps the most challenging climbs, are also potential Saturday activities for us.

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I am curious to see which of these activities we actually end up doing. Regardless, two things stand out in my mind: we have a real luxury of options, and more important, we will be among friends and family.

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Adirondack Mountain Club Blog

By now, anyone who has been following my blog knows that I enjoy writing about how much I love the Adirondacks. I am quite happy if I have been able to communicate that love to you and entertain you with sometimes quirky stories about Adirondack Swim and Trip Camp, fun things to do, mountains to climb or just hanging around White Pine Camp.

Every once in a while, I am reminded that there are others who are more eloquent at sharing their love for the Adirondacks than I. The youtube video series by Ed Kanze and his most recent book are cases in point. Neil Peart also writes with an eloquence that I can only dream of approaching, but he writes about the Laurentians (among many other things), so we will just consider him out of competition when it comes to the Adirondacks. As I mentioned in a previous post, the Laurentians have a very strong geological relationship to the Adirondacks and are located just north of the border in Canada. Recently, another writer has come to my attention who does a great job of sharing the essence of the Adirondacks in prose.

Jacqueline Keating, Photo credit adkmtnclub.blogspot

Jacqueline Keating's post on the Adirondack Mountain Club blog struck a chord with me for a number of reasons. First of all, she is too far away to just hop over for a weekend getaway. Thusly, her post is entitled "Love from a Distance." For me, it has many elements of a great post about the Adirondacks...

…a dramatic opening with a self-effacing sense of humor:

It was love at first sight. When it happened, I was too young to have ever had been in a serious relationship before, but I knew it was the real thing. When we were apart, I thought about nothing else. When we were together, there was nowhere else I wanted to be. I would anxiously count down the days until our next reunion, my heart rate accelerated and my eyes filled will (sic) happy tears whenever I caught that first glimpse after time spent apart.

…she reminds us that the Adirondack Mountains are much smaller than many others on this planet, but still they transfix us:

When I returned to work my second season with ADK, the High Peaks that were a mere third of the size of the mountains I had spent the previous months on were more spectacular than ever.

…and, she conjures up images of places that I have a very personal connection with:

My second-to-last day on the east coast before moving to Kodiak, Alaska, in the fall of 2013, I climbed Mt. Jo for my last look at Heart Lake to reflect on all the places that landscape has inspired me to explore.

Heart Lake viewed from the summit of Mt. Jo

(Here is a link to my recent post about Mt. Jo.) 

She also mentions "a framed personal photo of Marcy Dam two weeks after Hurricane Irene," which is (hmm, was?) a dramatic gateway to the most popular destinations in the Adirondacks, including the crowned jewel, Mt. Marcy.

Here are our pictures from the site of Marcy Dam, before and after Hurricane Irene.

Marcy Dam, June 2011

Marcy Dam, June 2011

Post Hurricane Irene, August 2013

So, thanks goes out to Jacqueline Keating out there in cyberspace, for conjuring up memories about and emotions for our beloved Adirondacks in your lovely blog post!

Jacqueline has worked for the Adirondack Mountain Club, also known simply as "ADK." When we go hiking in the Adirondacks, ADK is a constant companion in ways which are visible and some which are not. They have interpreters that spend time at many popular locations in the park, including on the summit of Mt. Jo, to educate people about the wilderness and provide help when needed. They have a very strong mission to educate about conservation and safety. They perform trail maintenance, including the erection of a replacement bridge after Marcy Dam was destroyed, and they help mitigate the human impact on the park. Last but not least, they provide a wide range of services for hikers and campers, including maintaining the parking lot adjacent to Adirondack Loj, and they offer information about trail conditions, lodging, supplies and nourishment at their facilities. The five focus areas of ADK are:

• Conservation
• Advocacy
• Recreation
• Education
• Stewardship

Bridge constructed by ADK after the Marcy Dam Bridge was destroyed

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Dining Out near White Pine Camp

When we take our "big vacation" each year, we don't want to be compelled to eat out for the duration of our journey. That is another thing that we particularly like about White Pine Camp: a fully equipped kitchen which makes it possible for us to cook our own meals. To paraphrase one staffer: all you need to bring is your own food, and you are ready to go.

The typical White Pine Camp kitchen has everything you will need.

Accordingly, we are no experts on the finer points of the culinary establishments in the Adirondacks, as we only go out to dine in a few exceptional circumstances. These are typically one of three cases: on arrival or departure day, when we have expended all of our energy in the wilderness and want someone else to feed us, or if I am on a Holy-Grail-Pilgrimage to experience a part of American dining culture that I have been missing in Germany. My first recommended dining establishment falls into this third category.

Red Fox Restaurant, Photo from Red Fox Restaurant Facebook page

Red Fox Restaurant

5034 State Route 3
Saranac Lake, New York
Telephone 518-891-2127

on Facebook

Menu in PDF format

Over the years, I have found evolving options to find steak entrées and even dedicated steakhouse restaurants in Germany, but I continue to lament the fact that you can't get prime rib here the way it is classically done in the USA, oven roasted and served sliced, like this:

The American Classic: Prime Rib. Photo Credit: tasty days.com

So, invariably, when traveling in the States, I am on a mission to find my next prime rib dinner. On our last visit to White Pine Camp, we paged through their collection of restaurant information and stumbled on to the Red Fox Restaurant, just outside the village of Saranac Lake. When we asked the management at White Pine Camp about this restaurant, they gave it a lackluster endorsement. They did however mention that it had been a long time since they had been there. The restaurant was destroyed by fire in 2003, and it appears that they really took the opportunity to start out fresh. We were quite pleased by our experience.

Particularly those coming from Europe will want to experience this restaurant as a classic example of old-school American family-style dining. The restaurant includes a full bar and several different dining areas. American-style service includes someone "bussing tables," making sure your (ice)water glass is kept full, and tempting you to fill up on freshly baked bread before your appetizer is served. These may all seem like mundane details, but it is a different style of service than what is common in Europe. Also, these individually owned and operated restaurants, where "family-style" reflects both on the clientele and the management, have become somewhat of a relic in the American dining experience as well. Chain restaurants have taken an increasingly large portion of the market share. It was refreshing to dine in this one-of-a-kind establishment that has a pleasant atmosphere, professional and friendly service, and attention to detail. Oh, and the prime rib was to die for. My wife rated her lobster dinner as "very delicious." The only caveat I would put on this restaurant is that it might be a tiny bit too "adult-like" to be appealing to the youngest in our 2015 group. I believe that my next recommendation is ideal for that group.

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Tail O' The Pup BBQ, Photo from J.M. Greizis flickr stream

Tail O' The Pup BBQ
1152 New York 86

Ray Brook

Telephone +1 518-891-0777

www.tailofthepupbbq.com

In contrast to my recommendation above, this establishment merits mention not as a culinary highlight, but much more as a piece of Americana. As you drive through Ray Brook on Route 86, you can't miss this place, decked out in Red, White and Blue with large signs advertising the location's attractions and a huge statue of a lobster with its claws reaching out as if to flag you into the next empty parking space. In addition to traditional barbecue entries and pulled pork with barbecue sauce, you can also get lobster, clams, Fish N' Chips and everything you would expect to find on the menu of a "greasy spoon" diner. There is an indoor dining area which doesn't come highly recommended, but those who eat here typically sit outside at one of the many red picnic tables, many of which are covered by a tent-like canopy, vaguely reminiscent of Oktoberfest. Live music is regularly featured. The reviews posted online run the gauntlet ranging from heartfelt endorsements to dire warnings.

I have passed this place countless times during and since my childhood as it lies between the Paul Smiths area where ASTC and White Pine Camp are located, and the hiking trails in the high peaks. Ray Brook is almost exactly half way between the villages of Saranac Lake and Lake Placid. With its bright colors and carnival like atmosphere, it is a sight that you remember, particularly because immediately before and after, you were enjoying the serenity of the wilderness. I have never actually stopped to eat here until our 2013 trip to the Adirondacks.

We had a long, wet day on the trail and were covered beyond our knees in mud. We knew that our grime factor vastly exceeded the limits for admittance into any respectable dining establishment, even among the less fussy locations that abound in this region. Too spent to cook a decent meal, we pondered what our alternatives might be. As we began to near the village of Saranac Lake, The Tail O' The Pup beckoned out to us to stop for dinner, and we complied. Dinner consisted of a burger each, one order of fries and one of onion rings. The service was friendly and everything was passable in quality, with one unpleasant surprise. Apparently this place is very proud of their BBQ sauce, not only is it omnipresent, with a bottle of the stuff on every table, but is a standard ingredient on pretty much all of their grilled foods ... including to our surprise, even the cheeseburgers. Still, it is possible to make a judicious selection from the many offerings to find something tasty for most, even if it is not one of the most healthful dining options (grease is a central attraction).

In spite of my limited endorsement of the menu items, I recommend this place for a certain entertainment factor that it has, for the fact that you will never be too grimy to eat here, and I believe that it is a good place to bring kids. Tail O' The Pup gives you the feeling that you have just walked into a cartoon, you won't have to worry about children being on their best behavior or if something gets spilled, and the service is relatively prompt.

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Paul Smith's Campus, Photo from paulsmiths.edu

My last two recommendations are for two dining establishments that I have never actually been to. They are both on the campus and part of the curriculum of Paul Smith's College, just across Osgood Pond from White Pine Camp. So, why I am I recommending TWO dining establishments that I have never actually been to? Well, for one thing, they are very enthusiastically recommended by the staff of White Pine Camp. Also, it is very much an expression of the tradition that Paul Smith himself started on this very site back in 1858, when he built a hotel here. The hotel burned down in 1930, but his son Phelps provided for the creation of this college which was established through the funds left in his will. I discuss the history of Paul Smiths in detail in an earlier blog entry. I believe that eating at a teaching facility such as this is a good way to support future chefs and get good value for money. Finally, there is no place closer to White Pine Camp to go out for a fine dinner.

Dining at Paul Smith's College, Photo from paulsmiths.edu

Since I don't have any personal experience with either of the two restaurants, I'll just insert the basic data here, and I encourage you to visit the website of each, which does an excellent job of presenting their offerings, and includes the current menus.

St. Regis Cafe at Paul Smith's College, Photo from paulsmiths.edu

St. Regis Cafe

Paul Smith's College
7833 New York 30

Paul Smiths, NY 12970

http://www.paulsmiths.edu/stregis

Lunch: Monday-Friday. Seatings at 11:30 a.m., noon and 12:30 p.m.
Dinner: Wednesday. Seatings at 5:30, 6 and 6:30 p.m.

Reservations are required.
(518) 327-6355
Reservations taken Monday-Friday, 10:30 a.m.-2 p.m.

The Palm at Paul Smith's College, Photo from paulsmiths.edu

The Palm at Paul Smith's College

Cantwell Hall
7833 New York 30
Paul Smiths, NY 12970

http://www.paulsmiths.edu/thepalm

Friday and Saturday evenings
Seatings available at 5:30, 6:00, 6:30, 7:00, 7:30, 8:00 and 8:30 p.m.

Reservations are required.

For reservations: (518) 327-6443

EMAIL: THE PALM

Food preparation at Paul Smith's College, Photo from paulsmiths.edu

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Curiously Adirondack - Catch Our Drift: Why Adirondackers Love Winter, Sort Of

Here is the final new addition to the "Curiously Adirondack" youtube video series by Ed Kanze and Josh Clement.

In this episode, local residents hunker down for a snowy winter.

The entire series consists of eight episodes, which can be found online:

- Catch Our Drift: Why Adirondackers Love Winter, Sort Of
- Fifty Beds, Two Lakes, And An Otter: Bartlett's Hotel In Its Heyday, 1854-1884
- Intervale Lowlands: Biologist Larry Master Re-Wilds 135 Acres Near Lake Placid
- What Does The Moose Say?
- Adirondack Exercise Club
- Dirt, Food, and Friends: Fledging Crow Farm Celebrates The Harvest
- Asleep Beneath The Sod: Saranac Lake's Historic Pine Ridge Cemetery
- Slimed! Adirondack Kids Love Amphibians!

Ed Kanze, photo credit http://www.edwardkanze.com

You can also find a link to a longer interview of Ed Kanze in my previous blog post here.

And, one of Ed Kanze's books is among my recommended books about the Adirondacks, which I list in this blog post.

Those joining us at White Pine Camp will have the opportunity to go on a nature walk with Ed.

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Adirondacks Reading List

There are lots of great books about the Adirondacks. The ones I have singled out here are those I think will me most interesting and useful in connection with our get together at White Pine Camp.

The Adirondacks: A History of America's First Wilderness

by Paul Schneider

This book is the most comprehensive history of the park that I have read, going back to early colonial times. This book is has been a great resource for me, and I have drawn from it a number of times in various blog entries. It is also a great read.

available

- at amazon.com

- at amazon.de

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Adirondack Life and Wildlife in the Wild Wild East

by Edward Kanze

This book is on my current reading list, and I can't wait to get a copy!

It is a very personal account by Ed Kanze about establishing his homestead in the park, where his ancestors settled generations ago. As a lifelong naturalist, he weaves his own personal family story with that of the history of the area and also has lots of keen obesrvations about the wildlife in the park. In my recent blog entry, I have more information about Ed Kanze, including a video of Ed discussing this book, among other things.

I very much look forward to meeting Ed next summer while at White Pine Camp. We will do our best to make sure that a nature walk is coordinated with our time in camp.

Other books written by Ed Kanze are described on his website. It is also possible to order books, also autographed copies, directly from the Author by filling in your information and the name of the book you want here. (Those joining us at White Pine Camp can save shipping by asking him to bring a copy with him when he gives his Tuesday nature walk at camp.)

available
- at amazon.com
- at amazon.de
- at The Bookstore Plus (East Main St. in Lake Placid, NY)

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Adirondack Trails High Peaks Region (Forest Preserve, Vol. 1)

by Tony Goodwin

This is the quintessential guide to have with you on the trail in the Adirondack High Peaks. It is part of a series with eight seven volumes, the others being Northern, Central, Northville-Placid Trail, West-Central, Eastern, Southern, Catskills. With the exception of the volume on the Catskills, all of the remaining volumes are for other geographical areas in the Adirondacks. The book also includes a topographic map of the hiking trails covered in the book. The series is published by ADK, the Adirondack Mountain Club, which is dedicated to protecting the New York State forest preserve and promoting its responsible use. We have wanted to get a copy of the Northern Region guide as well, since this one covers the Paul Smiths area - but it appears to be out of print. Checking amazon.com, which is currently offering a new copy of the book for $106 and a used copy for $25, seems to confirm that suspicion. Luckily, the guide to the High Peaks region is a classic that will likely be available forever.

One critique that I have read about the 13th and 14th editions is that they are not as "trail friendly" as previous editions. The older guides had a quality stitched binding, a water resistant semi-stiff cover, rounded corners and a size that fits in a hiker's pocket. Starting with the 13th edition, which we also have, they have changed over to a basic glued binding, flimsy laminated cover, square corners and larger format which you can no longer conveniently stuff into your back pocket.

available
- at amazon.com (Caution: appears to be a marketplace offer for the previous edition only!)
- at amazon.de (I won't include the link because the price listed is prohibitive!)
- at adk.org

Note: Amazon.com only appears to be showing the 13th Edition, which is no longer in print. I still included the link to the amazon.com site as it has the handy "Look Inside" feature, giving you a good impression about what to expect from this book. I was only able to find the 14th edition directly at the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) website. ADK is also the publisher of the book.

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Discover the Northern Adirondacks: Four-Season Excursions from Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Points North

by Barbara McMartin & Bill Ingersoll

This book is complimentary to the High Peaks guide mentioned above, but centered around the White Pine Camp area. This one fills the void left by the ADK series mentioned above. It also gives interesting historical information and a reproduction of a topographical map in black and white, in a 15 page section of the book. It is a particularly good resource if you are considering the camping option I mentioned in my recent blog entry.

available
- at amazon.com
- at amazon.de (I won't include the link because it only references an old 1988 edition, which is currently not available)

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Kids on the Trail: Hiking With Children in the Adirondacks
by Rose Rivezzi and David Trithart

Great book to find hiking trails in the Adirondacks that are fun for kids and as well as parents and other adults joining them. The book also has ideas to help children learn to love hiking and get the most out of the experience, with special considerations for infants and toddlers (0-2), young children (2-5) and older children (6-12).

I first discovered this book as reference guide on hand at Adirondack Swim and Trip Camp (ASTC). I mention this in particular because the folks at ASTC really know the high peaks region, and took me into the high peaks on overnight hiking trips many times. I discuss my experience with ASTC in detail here, have listed the trails I have climbed with ASTC (and since) here, and discuss my first ASTC climb here.

This book is also published by the Adirondack Mountain Club.

available
- at amazon.com
- at.amazon.de

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Essex On Lake Champlain, NY
by David C. Hislop Jr.

Of particular interest for anyone approaching from the east, perhaps crossing Lake Champlain on the ferry. Read my blog entry about Essex on Lake Champlain for more information and links to additional resources.

available
- at amazon.com
- at amazon.de

Other Adirondacks Reading Suggestions

Also, check out the fall reading list listed on adirondack.net for more great book suggestions.

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Other Accommodations

Before I began writing this blog, there was this idea about inviting our friends and family to join us for a week at White Pine Camp to celebrate our cumulative 90th birthday. The bit about the birthday was admittedly a bit contrived, but our focus has always been on sharing one of our favorite places, the Adirondacks, with some of the people closest to us. So, we have been talking about this idea for three years now, and the most important details of the trip have since been settled: we have a confirmed group of people joining us, and we have reservations at White Pine Camp.

The logistics of the idea were daunting from the start. Our friends and family are spread out over several countries on two continents, some are teachers and some have children in school. We decided to choose a week that created the least number of conflicts with family and work schedules, but this meant that we are in the middle of the peak season. Many expressed interest, but a significant number weren't able to make a firm commitment in time for us to secure a place for them at White Pine Camp. We currently have three cabins reserved, all spaces are allocated, and White Pine Camp is otherwise fully booked for the week of our stay. For those still interested in joining us, there are still several alternatives.

There are three basic ways that you can be near to White Pine Camp while we are there: Camping, staying in an RV Camper, or finding other lodging accommodations in a rental cabin, nearby camp, B&B, inn, motel or hotel. We will be happy to help you sort out the details with regard to any of these options if you would like to join us. What follows is a general guide to each alternative.

Camping

Those in Germany and many other places in Europe typically aren't familiar with primitive camping which is common in the Adirondacks and other wild places in the United States. For them, "camping" is pitching a tent or staying in a camper on an organized campground that has a certain level of infrastructure, often including central sanitary facilities and even a kiosk/snack bar with things to eat and drink. The one European exception that comes to my mind is in Sweden, where there are broad rights to pitch a tent just about anywhere in the wilderness, including in many cases, on private property. With the exception of pitching a tent on private property, the idea of camping in the Adirondacks has a lot in common with the Swedish idea.

You are pretty much good to go, as long as you are familiar with the camping regulations of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (summarized in brief by the Adirondack Mountain Club, with more information about protecting your food from bears here).

If you are interested in planning a camping trip to coordinate with our get-together, then proximity to White Pine Camp is key.  As you can see in the map below, there are lots of nearby options. White Pine Camp is at the end of White Pine Road, so you will be closest to us if you can find a campsite on Osgood Pond. And if you have or rent a canoe, you can paddle over to visit us.

Excerpt from Adirondack Paddler's Map For Canoe & Kayak Travel
Published by Paddlesports Press

Tent or Lean-to?

The most common way to do primitive camping is pitching a tent in the wilderness. It will also give you the most flexibility of options to coordinate with our trip. In the Adirondacks, there is an alternative way to get shelter: a lean-to. Pictured below, a lean-to is a three sided structure with a solid roof above your head. In the event of rain, there is a better chance of staying dry in a lean-to than in a tent (with water seeping up from below), but the tent will give you more protection from mosquitos and the myriad flying insects that you will encounter while staying in the Adirondacks. Either way, bug spray should be in your list of things to bring. Other benefits of lean-tos are that they have a certain amount of infrastructure, including a fire pit, and they are often scenically located overlooking a nearby river or pond, as is the case on and near Osgood Pond. The biggest drawback to the lean-to is, for the most part, they are strictly first come, first served. Since these are public property, many smaller groups will share "their" lean-to with you, but you may or may not be comfortable doing that.

Around Osgood pond, looking at the map above, you will see that there are about four lean-tos, indicated by the red symbol with a structure on it that looks like half a house. If you are pitching a tent, there are "primitive campsites" indicated with a red "+"on the map. These are essentially small clearings, each with a fire pit. Sometimes there is a privy near to an established campsite or lean-to, but not always. The primitive campsite at the north corner of Osgood pond is easiest to reach via canoe. On the other hand, the campsite along Jones Pond Road on the far right of the map section above is very easy to get to, with drive-in access. That one is occupied relatively often, and not the quietest place to camp because of the proximity to the road.

Classic Adirondack lean-to, photo from White Pine Camp Facebook page

Regardless of lean-to or tent, you will want to get an early start when looking for a campsite, and be prepared with a few back-up plans. Those coming from Europe will probably not be able to bring all the camping gear they will need. The best resource I have found for this is St. Regis Canoe Outfitters. While we haven't visited the shop ourselves, they appear to have everything you would need, for example: tents, sleeping bags, cooking gear, rain gear, canoes, equipment to mount the canoe on your car and even packaged trail food items. For those leery about transporting a canoe on a rental car, they will even transport gear to your location. Gear can be rented per piece or in configured packages.

If you are coming from Europe, I would definitely recommend not trying to get off the plane, driving to the Adirondacks, picking up gear and heading into the woods on the same day. Plan at least two days in a B&B / Inn / Motel / Hotel, before heading into the woods.

RV Camping

Quite a number of our German friends had the idea to coordinate with our trip by renting an RV Camper. The biggest challenge that I see with this is logistics. If you are traveling from Europe and want to join us, you will want to find a company that will rent an RV that is both near to an airport and within a drivable distance to the Paul Smiths, NY area. From what I have been able to find, Cruise America / Cruise Canada appears to be the best option. Their closest locations to camp near to airports are in Montreal, Canada and Syracuse, NY. Montreal would be the most convenient as there are direct international flights to major European airports. It is possible to cross the border either to or from Canada, but the RVs must be returned to the same country they were picked up from.

The closest RV Campsite to White Pine Camp is Charlie's Inn, which is about a 15 minute drive from where we will be. They have all the necessary hookups.

RV Camper, Photo Credit: cruiseamerica.com

Lodging

In order to best coordinate plans, the closer to White Pine Camp you can get, the better. This will be a challenge because the week we have chosen is among the most popular to plan a vacation in the Adirondacks. Depending on the size of your group, the most attractive alternative could be to rent a cabin. There are a number of cabins on Osgood pond that are rented out by the week, three of which are listed online by "Adirondack 'By Owner'." I also have a few phone numbers for rental properties that are not listed online.

The next three pictures are of the cabins that are listed online. As of this writing, Twin Pines and Camp Brig O'Doon are showing vacancy during our week on their reservation calendar. The Gazebo instructs those interested to contact the owners during this time. The most affordable option among these are the two cabins at Brig O'Doon, with one unit for $600 per week (max 4 people) and one for $900 per week (rate for 4, or $1000 for 6 people). Click on the caption to see each property's detailed description and more pictures.

Twin Pines on Osgood Pond, listing on Adirondack "By Owner."

Camp Brig O' Doon on Osgood Pond, listing on Adirondack "By Owner"

The Gazebo on Osgood Pond, listing on Adirondack "By Owner"

Other nearby alternatives include Adirondack Swim and Trip Camp on Jones Pond (they generally confirm reservations in January and tend to fill up - send them an E-Mail early if you are interested; see my blog post about ASTC here), Lake Clear Lodge & Retreat and Charlie's Inn. In addition to RV campgrounds, Charlie's Inn also has rooms and a cabin to rent. The next option would be to look for lodging in and around the Village of Saranac Lake, which has a search engine with listings here.

Many of the lodging options will be fully booked during the week of our stay. If you are interested in joining us, please contact me directly, and I will be happy to help look for a place that fits your needs.

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Curiously Adirondack Series - Bartlett's Hotel In Its Heyday, 1854-1884

Here is another new addition to the Curiously Adirondack podcast series. Ed Kanze and Josh Clement have posted a new episode of "Curiously Adirondack."

This episode about Bartlett's hotel reminds me of Paul Smith's story a little bit, which I wrote about last week.

There are now seven episodes online:

- Fifty Beds, Two Lakes, And An Otter: Bartlett's Hotel In Its Heyday, 1854-1884
- Intervale Lowlands: Biologist Larry Master Re-Wilds 135 Acres Near Lake Placid
- What Does The Moose Say?
- Adirondack Exercise Club
- Dirt, Food, and Friends: Fledging Crow Farm Celebrates The Harvest
- Asleep Beneath The Sod: Saranac Lake's Historic Pine Ridge Cemetery
- Slimed! Adirondack Kids Love Amphibians!

Ed Kanze, photo credit http://www.edwardkanze.com

Those joining us at White Pine Camp will have the opportunity to go on a nature walk with Ed.

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A Short History of Paul Smiths

As I have mentioned before, the Adirondack Park is a place of beauty with unique dimensions. Including some 6.1 million acres, it is the largest park in the contiguous United States, and it is a matter of pride among New Yorkers that it is a state park, with a forrest preserve protected as "Forever Wild" by the NY State constitution, "and thus enjoys the highest degree of protection of wild lands in any state." The park easily merits a visit on the virtue of its sheer physical dimensions and beauty alone, to experience the mountains, lakes and streams, as well as the wildlife and vegetation. However, it would be a glaring omission to overlook the human history of the Adirondack Park.

The Adirondacks are a microcosm of the history of the United States. The park bears witness to so many elements of the American journey, from trading animal skins with native peoples, to the preindustrial activities such as logging and mining, to the rise of the "robber barons" in the industrial age, the scars left by the resulting pollution including notably acid rain, to the developing awareness of the need for conservation and protection of the wilderness. If you know where to look, it is easy to explore a cross section of these historical developments while visiting the Adirondacks, the hamlet of Paul Smiths and even White Pine Camp itself.

To properly explore the human history of the park, you would need to go back long before the time of the British Colonies here and learn about the Haudenosaunee, more commonly known as the Iroquois Confederacy, consisting of the Seneca, Cayuga, Onondaga, Oneida and Mohawk peoples. Early settlers came to trade furs with them, some with the intention to convert them to Christianity.

The European settlers were active in trapping, hunting and fishing in the Park. As the United States came into existence and its economy grew, the natural resources of the park were exploited, including logging for building timber and paper pulp. Mining also played a significant role in the park's history.

Miners in Joker Mine, Photo Credit: Adirondack Museum

These endeavors were intertwined with the rise of the industrial age and the "robber barons" who majestically capitalized on them. The Rockefellers, Vanderbuilts and J.P. Morgan are notable among many of the rich and powerful who staked a claim in the Adirondacks, commissioning the construction of great camps.

Much in the sense that the Adirondacks is a microcosm of American history, the hamlet of Paul Smiths is a microcosm of Adirondack history, and by extension, White Pine Camp is a microcosm of the history of Paul Smiths, named after Apollos (Paul) Smith, the decisive personality who shaped this area, its economy and the utilization of the park.

Map of Paul Smiths plus Osgood Pond and Jones Pond, from google maps

Smith, born August 20, 1825 in Milton VT and died December 15, 1912 in Montreal, Canada, was an inkeeper, a lumber baron, land developer, shrewd businessman and avid outdoorsman. At the age of 16, he left home to work on a canal boat on Lake Champlain and went hunting and fishing in the Adirondacks in his spare time. He gained a reputation as a hunting and fishing guide in the Loon Lake region.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia 

From his earnings, in 1848 he rented a house on Loon Lake which he ran as a small hotel that was frequented by doctors and lawyers and other wealthy guests. In 1852, he bought 200 acres near Loon Lake for $300 and opened "Hunter's Home," a fairly primitive operation. The ground floor consisted of a large living room, kitchen and a barrel of whiskey with a dipper. Drinks were self-service at four cents each, on the honor system. The upper floor consisted of ten small, simple sleeping quarters. The endeavor was hugely successful, and Smith's clientele, with whom he had developed relationships over the years, suggested that he build a more substantial hotel. Thus was born the Saint Regis House, known better as Paul Smith's Hotel, probably the most famous Adirondack hotel of all time. I highly recommend taking a look at the article on localwiki about the hotel, it includes numerous fascinating pictures.

Paul Smith's Hotel, circa 1892, Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Paul Smith's Hotel was opened in 1858 with seventeen rooms. Over the next three decades, it grew to five hundred rooms along the shoreline of Lower Saint Regis Lake. His clients were among the wealthy elite of the day who in turn wanted to build their own private Adirondack Camps, which furthered Smith's business endeavors even more.

Smith was a real estate developer on a huge scale. He purchased as much land as possible around his hotel, at one point owning up to 40,000 acres. He also knew the art of the deal, selling four acres (some accounts say five acres) in 1896 for $20,000, exactly the same amount he paid for 13,000 acres just a few years earlier. That's about $570,000 in 2014, adjusted for inflation.

Fun fact: how big is 40,000 acres anyway?

• 50 times the size of Central Park in NY City
• 3 times the land area of Manhattan
• 1/5 the size of Berlin
• a little more than 1/2 the size of Munich
• 87% the size of Nuremberg
• 1 3/4 times the size of the land area of Rochester, NY
• roughly 162 square km / 62.5 square miles
• roughly the size of the country of Liechtenstein (there are 30 countries and dependencies in the world that are smaller than Liechtenstein)

To put it into the context of the Adirondack park, Smith's holdings amounted to roughly 0,66% of the total area of the 6,100,000 acre park. By the way, there are 99 countries and dependencies in the world (out of 249 in total) that have a total area smaller than that of the Adirondack Park, including Belize, Slovenia and Israel. Bosnia and Herzegovina is slightly more than twice the size of the Adirondack Park.

Many of the most famous Great Camps of the Adirondacks were built on land purchased from Smith and constructed with wood from his mills.

One of the Boathouses of Camp Topridge, on Upper St. Regis Lake, Photo Credit: Wikipedia

One of Smith's many clients was Archibald S. White, a prominent New York banker, and his wife Olive. The Whites purchased 35 acres on what is now known as Osgood Pond, and in 1908, the construction of White Pine Camp began, joining the ranks of the Adirondack Great Camps.

The Old Boathouse at White Pine Camp

Smith's business ventures were highly diversified. Some of his operations were typical of what one would expect in the Adirondacks: logging, developing and operating a saw mill, stores and shops. However, his operations were much more wide ranging. He also built an electric railroad to make the seven mile connection to the Mohawk and Malone Railway. Another technological development was the creation of the area's first electric company, with several hydroelectric plants. He also built roads, developed electric boats, installed telegraph lines and a stock ticker which was wired directly to the New York Stock Exchange. Later, he even set up a telephone system. Some of the activities of Apollos (Paul) Smith may remind those of us working at a particular "electrification company" here in Germany of another historical inventor and industrialist who lived during the same era.

Paul Smith's Electric Light and Power and Railroad Company
building in Saranac Lake, which now serves as the village offices
Photo Credit: localwiki

After Smith's death in 1912, his son Phelps Smith continued to operate the hotel until it burned down in 1930. When his son died, the funds in his will were provided to start Paul Smith's College, which offers degrees which are steeped in the tradition of what Apollos (Paul) Smith developed during his lifetime:

• Hotel, Resort and Tourism Management
• Culinary Arts and Services Management
• Forestry
• Fisheries & Wildlive Science
• Natural Resources Management and Policy
• Parks, Recreation and Facilities Management
• Environmental Science, Biology
• and numerous other similar courses of study

The history of White Pine Camp, is intertwined both in Smith's personal history and his legacy. In 1948, then owners Edith Stern & Adele Levy, daughters of Sears-Roebuck's Julius Rosenwald, donated the camp to Paul Smith's College. It was during this time, 1948 - 1983, that the camp fell into a state of disrepair through heavy use and years of abandonment from 1976 to 1983.

In 1983, Warren Stephen purchased the property and was able to stabilize some of the buildings. Ten years later, Howard Kirschenbaum purchased the camp and did extensive work to restore and overhaul it. Since 1997, White Pine Camp is operated as a LLC, with nearly 40 owners, many of whom take very much a hands-on approach to preserving and developing their camp. Reborn as a place of natural beauty as well as historic and architectural significance, the camp is strongly committed to being a place of living history. More details about the history of White Pine Camp can be found on their website.

Portions of the above sections were paraphrased from the localwiki article about Apollos (Paul) Smith, the description of White Pine Camp's history on the White Pine Camp website, and the book The Adirondacks, A History of America's First Wilderness, 1997, by Paul Schneider (available at amazon. com and amazon.de).

How to Experience Adirondack history and the legacy of

Apollos (Paul) Smith during your next trip to the Adirondacks

• If you are traveling from the East, take the Lake Champlain Ferry. You will be retracing Paul Smith's personal history.
• If you take the Charlotte to Essex connection on the ferry, make sure to have a look around the town of Essex on Lake Champlain. You can find a more detailed description of this historic town, with links to further resources in an earlier entry on this blog.
• Visit the Six Nations Indian Museum in Onchiota NY (google map link). The museum is family owned: Mohawk of Akwesasne.
• Visit Paul Smith's College, and while you are there, stop in at The St. Regis Cafe (lunch weekdays, dinner Wednesdays) or for dinner at The Palm Restaurant (Fridays and Saturdays, reservations required)
• Take a walk on one of the trails and visit the Butterfly House at the Paul Smith's College Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC). Both the College and the VIC are very close to White Pine Camp.
• Take the Historic Camp Tour, a Nature Walk with Ed Kanze, and book your accommodations at White Pine Camp. The historic tours and nature walks are open to the general public.
• Visit the Adirondack Museum. It is the single best resource on the human history of the park and one of my all time favorite museums.

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