Red Trillium or Stinking Benjamin

Trout Lilies – note speckle on the foliage mimicking its namesake.

Azure Bluets

Suddenly, there are too many shades of green to count.

Only 15 days ago there was measurable snow on the ground at Adirondack Lifestyle headquarters here in Lake Placid. I am shamefully reminded of this because it has been 15 days since my last blog post documenting that snowfall. During the ensuing time, the [...]]]>

Suddenly, there are too many shades of green to count.

Only 15 days ago there was measurable snow on the ground at Adirondack Lifestyle headquarters here in Lake Placid. I am shamefully reminded of this because it has been 15 days since my last blog post documenting that snowfall. During the ensuing time, the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York went from snowy mountain terrain, to dry alpine climate, to verdant rain forest. A sudden switch to sunny and seventy-degree days melted the snow and dried out the soil so much the region experienced brush fires. Trail running was great this spring, but we needed the recent three days of rain.

Fifteen days was all it took to go from the photo in my last post to this evening’s lush view of Mount Marcy and the surrounding Adirondack peaks.

As if by magic, the mountains are suddenly covered in fuzzy green velvet whose nap has been ruffled. Spring has sprung in the Adirondacks.

Photo courtesy of Edward Reed.

It was 70 degrees in Lake Placid on Wednesday, but today’s April snow is not unusual.

Happy Earth Day from the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York! In honor of our collective Mother, I will spend as much time as possible outside today honoring her handiwork. To that end, please enjoy these Adirondack Lifestyle Earth Day memories such as the featured slide show from a few years ago, when spring [...]]]>

Happy Earth Day from the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York! In honor of our collective Mother, I will spend as much time as possible outside today honoring her handiwork. To that end, please enjoy these Adirondack Lifestyle Earth Day memories such as the featured slide show from a few years ago, when spring arrived in the Adirondacks in time to join the Earth Day celebrations.

You can also join me on memory lane as I recollect the Earth Day I hung out with President Bush.

I am also posting the cartoon below, one of my favorite Earth Day funnies, by a great talent who also has a long connection to the Adirondacks. I hope you get a chuckle out of this cartoon.

Spring skiing through the sugar bush in the Adirondacks.

Depending on grammatical emphasis, the phrase, “Adirondack spring tonic,” refers to either something healthy and tasty to drink, or it describes the curative effect of early spring in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York.  I’ve imbibed [...]]]> Scroll Down for a New Adirondack Lifestyle Recipe

Spring skiing through the sugar bush in the Adirondacks.

Depending on grammatical emphasis, the phrase, “Adirondack spring tonic,” refers to either something healthy and tasty to drink, or it describes the curative effect of early spring in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York.  I’ve imbibed generously this spring and will attest to the rejuvenating effects of both.

I can confirm both types of Adirondack Spring Tonic are effective.  The following discussion on the first kind of Adirondack Spring Tonic – Adirondack Spring Tonic as something healthy and tasty to drink, includes recipe ideas.

An expansion on the second definition of Adirondack Spring Tonic describes how invigorating it is to feel warm sun, smell fresh earth, and hear bird song, includes much rhapsodizing about skiing and life in the Adirondack Mountains.

I first learned about drinking raw maple sap when a local shopkeeper offered to sell me a mason jar of maple sap for $4.50. “This is the stuff that flows out of the maple tree, the sap, usually boiled for syrup?” I asked. The sample was delicious, but not $4.50/quart delicious. “But consider the health benefits,” responded the store owner, noting Adirondack old timers consider raw maple sap a tonic, defined: 1. Tonic – a medicine that invigorates or strengthens.  Since I aspire to become an Adirondack old timer, my mind flashed to our maple tree covered property and I silently calculated how many quarts of Adirondack spring tonic I could harvest. The resident biologist and I are experienced maple syrup producers, if one season counts as experienced, so I knew one maple tree can produce as much as 15-20 gallons of sap in a season.  I declined the quart jar.

Maple tap at Adirondack Lifestyle Headquarters.

Four years and four tapped trees, spiles, and buckets later, I am hooked on home produced, fresh maple sap. I make tea, coffee, oatmeal, and rice pudding out of maple sap, and of course, I drink the chilled maple sap by the quart. Maple sap tastes slightly sweet and naturally, has a very subtle maple aftertaste.

The sap looks and feels like heavy water, but without the uranium.

Maple sugaring season is short but sweet in the Adirondacks; the sap only flows for about 6 weeks during that time when the days are sunny and warm and the nights are cold, so we enjoy Mother Nature’s tonic as much as we can, while we can. I start the day with black tea made with maple sap, no sweetener necessary, and proceed to oatmeal made with maple sap instead of water. The coup de grace in an Adirondack spring breakfast is the dessert from breakfast cup of Adirondack Maple Mocha Jo, based on coffee brewed using map sap, recipe below.

In a delightful Adirondack springtime synergy, the very same climatic conditions that cause the maple sap to flow create stupendous spring skiing.  This brings us to tonic definition number 2. Tonic – anything invigorating physically, mentally, or morally. I feel silly stating the obvious, but I will. Spring skiing in the Adirondacks fits that definition to a ski, ooops, to a T.

Adirondack Spring Snow

Corn snow skiing is surely the best consolation for the imminent departure of winter. The repeated daily thaws and nightly re-freezing of the snow surface changes the snow crystal shapes over time. Like skiing on velvet, true corn snow is a delight to ski or ride once it softens in the afternoon. Corn snow is spring’s version of powder, only warmer. Like magic for your legs, turns in corn snow seem effortless.

The climb is always worth it. Always.

The air smells different in the spring in the Adirondacks.  The dry air and essence of cold, new snow is replaced with a fresh, earthy scent from spots of exposed dirt and moss, thawed and warmed by the spring sun.  The quiet, muffled shuffle of skis on snow in January is replaced with the sound of corn snow slipping away from edges, chickadee songs, woodpecker rat-a-tats, turkey gobble and yelps, and streams rushing with snow melt. Invigorating is one way to describe this experience, awesome is another.

As an invigorating back country ski on a warm, sunny, spring day that starts with a maple sap breakfast proves, drink it or live it, Adirondack spring tonic is good medicine.

Adirondack Maple Mocha Jo Recipe

8 0z. freshly brewed dark roast coffee using maple sap instead of water
1 teaspoon of organic unsweetened dark cocoa
~ 2 oz. milk as preferred
Squirt of vanilla
2 drops of stevia or maple syrup as preferred
Cinnamon sprinkle garnish

Combine all ingredients in a large mug, whisking cocoa well.

The fresh coating of snow on Mt. Marcy this morning cheers the hearts of skiers in the Adirondacks.

Although the calendar promises spring warmth, this morning dawned clear and cold in the Adirondacks and revealed a dusting of fresh light snow. The weather people say things will go down hill quickly; rain and [...]]]>

The fresh coating of snow on Mt. Marcy this morning cheers the hearts of skiers in the Adirondacks.

Although the calendar promises spring warmth, this morning dawned clear and cold in the Adirondacks and revealed a dusting of fresh light snow. The weather people say things will go down hill quickly; rain and warm temperatures are forecasted to arrive in the North Country tomorrow.

Of course this means it is time to call a Carpe Adirondack Diem – ski it while you can!

Caught up in the rites of Spring, an Adirondack gobbler shows off and competes with his fellow male turkeys (to his right and left) for the girls’ affections.

I came upon this gobbler and his harem hanging out along an Adirondack road the other day. Offended by the intrusion on his amorous display, Mr. Tom [...]]]>

Caught up in the rites of Spring, an Adirondack gobbler shows off and competes with his fellow male turkeys (to his right and left) for the girls’ affections.

I came upon this gobbler and his harem hanging out along an Adirondack road the other day. Offended by the intrusion on his amorous display, Mr. Tom sought to escape the prying lens of my camera and ran off into the woods with his girls, in full display the entire time.

“Come on girls, follow me for more of this awesome performance!”

My recent interaction with this flock of Adirondack Wild Turkeys reminded me it wasn’t always like this in the Adirondacks. As a matter of fact, in the late 1800s, due to lost habitat when forests were cut for timber and farms, and unregulated hunting, there were no turkeys in New York State.

Details follow from an earlier story I wrote on the topic.

Wild Turkeys in the Adirondacks – a Wildlife Restoration Surprise

Like a perfectly timed accompaniment to the rising sun, the gobbling starts as the sky lightens to the gentle azure blue of dawn. The pattern emerged mid-March; wake to the warbling gobble of a male wild turkey just in time to catch Venus still bright in the eastern sky. Thanks to my turkey alarm clock, I watch the spring sun as it rises in the Adirondack Mountains of upstate New York.

This natural reveille is relatively new in the Adirondacks. Until about 20 years ago, the sound track of early morning in the Adirondacks was bereft of gobbles and yelps. (Click on the link to hear gobbles and yelps. It drives the Lifestyle Hound crazy when I play it on surround sound!)

According to New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) Wildlife and resident Biologist, Ed Reed, wild turkeys are native to North America and were found across the continent when the Europeans arrived, but there is no evidence turkeys lived in the Adirondacks until about twenty years ago. At the time of European colonization, wild turkeys occupied most of what is currently New York State, but stayed south of the Adirondacks. Unfortunately for them, the early Adirondack settlers did not enjoy the wild turkey dinners savored by their contemporaries to the south.

The rest of New York State soon joined the Adirondacks when the last of the original wild turkeys disappeared from New York in the mid-1840′s, a result of lost habitat when forests were cut for timber and farms, and unregulated hunting. By the late 1800s, 75 percent of New York State was cleared land and there were no turkeys left in the State.

When farming began to decline in the early 1900s, the land gradually reverted to brush and then grew into woodland. By the late 1940s, much of the southern tier of New York was again capable of supporting turkeys. It was around 1948 when wild turkeys from a small remnant population in northern Pennsylvania slipped across the border into western New York and became the first turkeys in New York State after an absence of 100 years.

Then in 1959, New York State biologists trapped live wild turkeys in parts of New York where they had become abundant and released them elsewhere in New York. The goal of the program was to transplant a few turkeys throughout the state so they could form the nucleus of a new flock in their respective new locations. The project was a huge success; there are now an estimated 300,000 wild turkeys in New York State.

The big surprise however, is the large breeding population of wild turkeys who now live in the Adirondacks. Ed tells us conventional biologist’s wisdom said wild turkeys could not survive the harsh Adirondacks winters, so the Adirondacks did not receive any transplanted turkeys. It is likely the birds released nearest to the Adirondacks; in the Champlain Valley and St. Lawrence Valley farm country, wandered into the Adirondacks.

It appears they found modern-day Adirondack winters pretty comfortable and have set up house. The Adirondacks now hosts a healthy, year-round breeding population of wild turkeys.

The turkey prints shown here were made in mid-March, when the snow was three feet deep in the Adirondacks.

The local flock survived this year’s long winter and deep snow, so either the wild turkey has evolved, or Adirondack winters have moderated. I’ll leave the hypotheses to the experts and enjoy our new Adirondack neighbors.

A flock of flying turkeys is an impressive sight. Although not the largest or heaviest bird capable of flight; the Trumpeter Swan (Cygnusbuccinator) holds that distinction, the Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) is no lean, mean, flying machine. Male turkeys, called toms or gobblers, can tip the scales at 26 pounds. Female turkeys, or hens, are smaller but rank as one of the bigger girls in their class wearing feathers this year, and usually weigh about 15 pounds. Ed tells us turkeys fly to and from their roosts, and to escape predators, but otherwise prefer to run or walk as they go about their day scratching the ground for insects, plants, and seeds, their main diet.

As I learned during the 6-week turkey breeding season, toms gobble in the morning, usually in response to what they think is the yelp and cluck of a female. The annoying sound of a man-made turkey call is intended to mimic the hen’s yelp or beckoning greeting “Oh sweetie – I’m over here.” When the gobbler gets it right and responds to a real hen, they pair up and the circle of life continues.

The local birds were rather noisy and “busy” this past spring and have settled down now that breeding season is over. Hopefully this means someone is tending a nest of surprises – the next generation of home-grown Adirondack turkeys.

Flags fly high at the Olympic Cross-country Center in Lake Placid.

If you are quick, you can catch the Weather Channel’s live reports from Lake Placid this morning until 11:00 a.m. The weather reporter is currently hanging out at the bobsled/luge run at Mount Van Hoevenberg, my favorite neighborhood. The Weather Channel crew was [...]]]>

Flags fly high at the Olympic Cross-country Center in Lake Placid.

If you are quick, you can catch the Weather Channel’s live reports from Lake Placid this morning until 11:00 a.m. The weather reporter is currently hanging out at the bobsled/luge run at Mount Van Hoevenberg, my favorite neighborhood. The Weather Channel crew was  here over the weekend and filmed a number of interesting stories about the area, including the piece running right now about dogsledding on Mirror Lake. I had no idea those doggies have counter-current!

The Adirondack Lifestyle Snow Rock says, “Go skiing, now!”

As you can see in the provided photographic evidence, it is snowing here at HQ in the Adirondacks right now. What you probably can’t discern however, is the bittersweet twinge I feel as I place my freshly waxed skis outside. I acknowledge the lovely [...]]]>

The Adirondack Lifestyle Snow Rock says, “Go skiing, now!”

As you can see in the provided photographic evidence, it is snowing here at HQ in the Adirondacks right now. What you probably can’t discern however, is the bittersweet twinge I feel as I place my freshly waxed skis outside. I acknowledge the lovely heavily falling snow and snow rock’s urgent message and hustle inside to put on my boots.

It is time for a large dose of the Adirondack Lifestyle Wellness Theory (ALWT): the weather is going downhill fast, and not on skis. By Wednesday the temperature is expected to be 50 degrees accompanied by rain.  There is not a great deal of snow on the ground right now but skiing has been good, even in the backcountry. I am sad to say the upcoming warmth may cause a pause in the backcountry ski action unless the rain is followed by a snowstorm.

I don’t have time to complain about Wednesday’s rain on Monday. As regular readers may recall, an integral component of the ALWT is “Carpe Adirondack Diem;” one must be willing to seize the Adirondack moment and ski it. Out I go!

The National Weather Services has issued a wind chill warning for the Adirondacks tonight through Wednesday evening, January 23. You can it at the bottom of  this post if you want the details, but [...]]]>
A backyard ski hill comes in very handy when temperatures drop below zero in the Adirondacks.

The National Weather Services has issued a wind chill warning for the Adirondacks tonight through Wednesday evening, January 23. You can it at the bottom of  this post if you want the details, but suffice it to say, baby it is cold outside.

This kind of cold makes it a little more challenging to get outside and enjoy the wonderful Adirondack winter outdoor activities, but it can be done.  Like many outdoor enthusiasts I suffered my share of frostbitten cheeks, fingers, toes, and ears over the years. Older and wiser, I try to abide sensible cold weather precautions.  For example, the United States CDC offers this great resource on dealing with the cold, “EXTREME COLD – A Prevention Guide to Promote Your Personal Health and Safety. I like the EXTREME part, and this guide tells you how long you can play outside before you freeze off a body part or freeze to death. The answer – not long when the wind chill is 24 below.

An Adirondack word to the wise then for the coming days: take your outdoor play time in short doses, preferably close to a wood stove and a hot toddy(ies).

THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BURLINGTON HAS ISSUED A WIND
CHILL WARNING...WHICH IS IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 7 PM
EST WEDNESDAY.

* LOCATIONS...THE ST. LAWRENCE VALLEY AND NORTHERN ADIRONDACKS OF
  NEW YORK.

* HAZARD TYPES...DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL READINGS.

* WIND CHILL READINGS...30 TO 35 BELOW TONIGHT AND EARLY WEDNESDAY
  DUE TO THE COMBINATION OF BELOW ZERO TEMPERATURES AND NORTHWEST
  WINDS OF 10 TO 15 MPH THROUGH MUCH OF THE PERIOD. WIND CHILL
  READINGS WILL RANGE FROM 20 TO 30 BELOW DURING THE LATE MORNING
  THROUGH AFTERNOON HOURS WEDNESDAY.

* IMPACTS...ENHANCED THREAT OF FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA. FOR
  THOSE VENTURING OUT...WEAR A WARM COAT...GLOVES AND COVER YOUR
  HEAD TO PROTECT AGAINST FROSTBITE AND HYPOTHERMIA. LIMIT AREAS
  OF EXPOSED SKIN. DRESSING IN LAYERS CAN ALSO HELP PROTECT YOU
  AGAINST THE COLD. LIMIT TIME OUTDOORS IF POSSIBLE.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

A WIND CHILL WARNING MEANS THE COMBINATION OF VERY COLD AIR AND
STRONG WINDS WILL CREATE DANGEROUSLY LOW WIND CHILL VALUES. THIS
WILL RESULT IN FROST BITE AND LEAD TO HYPOTHERMIA OR DEATH IF
PRECAUTIONS ARE NOT TAKEN.

Mt. Marcy looms from HQ in Lake Placid this morning.

Along the trail at Mt. Van Hoevenberg cross-country ski center in Lake Placid.

Since I am still undergoing ski immersion therapy, I can offer a first hand report on ski conditions in and around Lake Placid in the Adirondacks. Skiing of any sort is great right now. There is approximately 28 inches of [...]]]>

Along the trail at Mt. Van Hoevenberg cross-country ski center in Lake Placid.

Since I am still undergoing ski immersion therapy, I can offer a first hand report on ski conditions in and around Lake Placid in the Adirondacks. Skiing of any sort is great right now. There is approximately 28 inches of snow on the ground at ~2200 feet just outside of Lake Placid. The high country has even more snow and the Jackrabbit Trail is has excellent coverage all the way to Keene.

There was a cross-country ski race today at Mt. Van Hoevenberg, but the trails were remarkably quiet.

At Mt. Van Hoevenberg, the site of the 1980 Olympic Winter Games cross-country ski events, the trails are in superb condition. I have enjoyed some of the best skiing in years these past few days. The facility has all 50 kilometers of trails packed and groomed with  full depth tracks.

Bring your fast skis because Double Dipper is a lot of fun!

Mt. Van Hoevenberg is the neighborhood year-round playground, but the place really shines in the winter. The wide trails wind through mixed balsam forest and hardwood stands. It is one of those rare places where you can ski fast on very beautiful, machine-groomed trails, but it feels like you are in the middle of nowhere. It is not uncommon to see owls, woodpeckers, grouse, rabbits, turkeys, coyotes, bobcats, or deer while on the trail, but not another person.

Mother Nature graciously provides balsam sprigs for perspective.

The combined effect of time spent in nature and the incredible workout that is part of cross-country skiing is good medicine for anything that ails you. And skiing makes you smile when you see signs like the one below.

Who can resist the turn to Wabbit Way?

Sunrise on Mt. Marcy

Twenty ski days spent away from Adirondacks is a long time. But when there are feet of fresh powder snow on the ground in the Adirondacks, 20 days away from home is unspeakable.  Upon return there is nothing like an immediate backcountry ski excursion.  A principle of the

Sunrise on Mt. Marcy

Twenty ski days spent away from Adirondacks is a long time. But when there are feet of fresh powder snow on the ground in the Adirondacks, 20 days away from home is unspeakable.  Upon return there is nothing like an immediate backcountry ski excursion.  A principle of the Adirondack Lifestyle Wellness Theory (ALWT), the full, ski-all-the-time, immersion cure is the best way to deal with ski deficit disorder.

It was in this spirit and invoking the ALWT that I barely unpacked the vehicle and threw on my skis when we arrived home Wednesday afternoon.

Fresh snow on the Jackrabbit Trail in Lake Placid

There was 22 inches of lovely fresh snow on the ground here at HQ with just a few soft clouds in the Adirondack blue sky.  The brightly shining sun was deceptive; it was cold, but the crisp 10-degree air was refreshing as I headed out on the Jackrabbit Trail in Lake Placid. The soothing squeak and swoosh of my cross country skis kicking and gliding over the snow replaced the constant din of the city. Running up the hills with the excellent purchase provided by the random, undoubtedly too-warm kick wax on my skis, and then down the steeps, I blew off the dross and stale air of the city.

There is plenty of snow covering the first beaver pond on the Jackrabbit Trail from Lake Placid to Keene.

The ski dog companion is an essential element of the Adirondack Lifestyle Wellness prescription.

Living in the Adirondacks means there are times you have to leave.  For professional and personal reasons, an extended trip away from one’s home in the Adirondacks is the norm. These absences are also bittersweet reminders about how great it is to live in the Adirondacks.  The resident biologist and I just returned from such a reminder. Contrast is an excellent device: constant noise versus the quiet of a snow muffled forest, the fact I encountered not a soul on a 1.5 hour, 4-mile backcountry ski trip Wednesday afternoon versus should to shoulder 5^th Avenue crowds.

Happy ski dog. I looked like this too, except my ears are shorter.

After that first hour on our first day back in the Adirondacks, Ziggy and I turned and skied west toward home, into the dusty blue and fuzzy peach sunset.  He concurred it is great to be home.

Since I have been practicing the ALWT full immersion ski cure, I can tell you the Jackrabbit Trail from Lake Placid to Keene is in beautiful shape. The Porter Mountain Racing Loops at Mt. Van Hoevenberg are in tuck’n go condition – oh baby – as are the rest of the 50 kilometers of Olympic groomed trails.

The area around Lake Placid has received an additional 6 inches of  delightfully light powder and it is snowing out as I write these words. Did mention it is great to be home?

The Adirondacks Melt Your Mind

Happily, we made it through the Mayan Apocalypse and are all still here on earth. I suggest we celebrate in a seasonally appropriate fashion and have some fun outside. Happy winter!

A view of Whiteface from yesterday evening’s cross-country ski excursion.