Moving to the Adirondacks was a lifestyle decision for us. We certainly didn’t move here for the job opportunities or the abundance of ethnic restaurants. (Oh, Pho, how I miss you already.) Instead, we moved here for the scenery, the people, the outdoor recreation opportunities, and the overall slower pace of life that is the norm around here. It’s so nice to be able to choose where you live....

After a decade, and with what appeared to be a healthy subscription base, National Geographic Adventure is ceasing regular publication. The travel and adventure magazine was popular among outdoor enthusiasts, but advertising had declined to an unacceptable level. With a weak advertising market and strong online competition, this is clearly a rough time for print media. Looks like National Geographic tried...

Geocaching nerds and backcountry navigators rejoice! Garmin has announced the release of their next generation handheld gps device geared toward ‘Outdoor Recreation.’ The Oregon 450 and 450t. These units rock 3-inch touchscreen displays, weight in at around 6.8 ounces, and record more waypoints and routes than I can imagine ever needing. Then again, I can’t fathom why anyone would ever...

Well, if you are going to ride your bike naked, New Zealand is the place to do it! Two cyclists who were caught riding around in the buff were issued a warning for not wearing… get this… helmets. I woulda thought underwear would be part of that warning too, but that apparently wasn’t the case. The intervening officer had this to say: “They didn’t seem drunk at all. That’s...

I woke up this morning delighted to see that it was snowing outside. It wasn’t wimpy and flurry-like, as we’ve been getting lately, but real honest-to-goodness SNOW. If I had to name one disappointment about moving to the mountains, it’s the lack of snow so far this winter. And I wouldn’t even go so far as to call it a disappointment, just a very minor letdown. After two days of near...

Hard not to find this kind of cool. Here is video of the Lake Champlain Bridge being demolished. Jess and I used this bridge a few times over the summer as we drove back and forth between the Adirondacks and Boston. We found that going up through Vermont and across Champlain was a more scenic route and helped us avoid the awful mess that is the Mass Turnpike. Of course, had we known the bridge was teetering...

After our 2004 Northville-Placid thruhike, I decided it was time to upgrade our backpacking tent. My trusty Walrus ArchRival, the first real backpacking tent I ever owned, was really showing its age. The new generation of 3 season shelters had come a long way – they were sturdier, more weather proof, easier to setup, and (very important to me) lighter… and so, after a bit of research, I decided...

Hope everyone had a fun Christmas morning! Ours was a blast… once I woke up, that is. One thing certainly hasn’t changed up here, getting me out of bed before 9am is still a challenge. After enjoying a quick morning coffee we jumped right into unwrapping our gifts. Even Foster got in on the action, digging into one of his presents. There was a clear theme this year in the gifts Jess got for me...

Jess and I spent today doing some true last minute shopping with one of our good friends. On the ride home we stopped to take in some winter high peak views and wanted to share them with you. I won’t lie, I am REALLY looking forward to our first Christmas morning in the Adirondacks, and I hope everyone else is having as fun and joyful a holiday season as we are. Happy Holidays everyone!! (Click to see...

Lieutenant Colonel Marc Hoffmeister organized a team of wounded veterans to climb Denali in an effort to raise awareness of severely injured service men and women. In early 2008 his wife, Gayle, announced that she was going to climb Denali, with or without her husband. “I said, ‘Not without me, you aren’t!’” Hoffmeister recalls. In the weeks that followed, his sense of purpose returned. “I figured...