Towns and Trails

Building adventure into your daily life

Hurricane Mountain, an Adirondack Winter Hike

When the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) released a report calling for the removal of the fire tower on Hurricane Mountain, Jess and I just happened to be sitting around trying to figure out what to do with our day. Trail heads to this peak are about a 5 minute drive from...

Lake Placid Olympic Bobsled Experience

Last week, my parents – who are both born and bred southern Californians – came for an Adirondack winter visit. Aside from a few involuntary exclamations of, “Oh,...

Why I hate yoga (and the 4 things I’m doing to try to change that)

I know this seems like it is coming out of left field – and it is true, this is a pretty random article. Heck, some of my friends who read this might be surprised that I...

Quote of the Week – John Muir

This week’s quote is from John Muir, noted author, naturalist and preservationist. Considered the “Father of the National Park System,” Muir co-founded the Sierra...

The World’s Most Complex Roads

Here’s a nod to you road trippers out there. I stumbled across this post from waze.com, “The 19 most complex and dangerous roads in the world” and could not...

Adirondack Backcountry Ski Festival, March 6th – 7th

The Mountaineer in Keene Valley, NY will host the eighth annual Adirondack Backcountry Ski Festival the weekend of March 6 & 7, 2010. Local guides will lead tours for all...

Ease of Living

I still continue to be amazed at just how easy it is to live here. I was fully prepared for life to become more difficult in a lot of ways. I assumed that longer, colder, snowier...

Video: Winter Layering 101

This video from Backpacker Magazine is a nice, basic intro to upper body layering for winter hiking. I use a very similar set-up for our winter hikes, except I often wear a soft...

Weekend Forecast Looking Good for Mt. Washington Valley Ice Fest

It looks like the weather is going to cooperate this weekend, so if you have been waiting for an opportunity to get up in the Whites to enjoy some climbing or mountaineering…...

Wright Peak, an Adirondack Winter Hike

Ok, folks, it’s still Way Back Week here at Towns and Trails. And it turns out I lied the other day when I said our Roaring Brook Falls adventure was my first winter trip...

Patagonia Winterfest Sale, Feb 11-16

During a recent conversation about gear, a fellow outdoor enthusiast referred to Patagonia as “PataGucci.” Apparently this is the term the cool kids have been using...