William Henry Harrison Murray ("Adirondack Murray") is known as the father of the outdoor movement in America and the modern vacation. A passionate advocate for the wilderness and, specifically, the Adirondacks in New York State, Murray was the author of numerous books from the 1860s until his death in the early twentieth century. Many of his books and short stories focused on the Adirondacks and the importance of human interaction with nature. For the first time, The Best of the Adirondack Tales gathers his best and most beloved stories, drawn from many sources and selected by Murray's biographer and great-great grandson, Randall S. Beach. Among the favorites included: "The Freemasonry of Outdoor Life," "Jack Shooting in a Foggy Night," "The Story that the Keg Told Me," "Henry Herbert's Thanksgiving," and "How John Norton the Trapper Kept His Christmas."
In the tradition of Eiger Dreams, In the Zone: Epic Survival Stories from the Mountaineering World, and Not Without Peril, comes a new book that examines the thrills and perils of outdoor adventure in the “East’s greatest wilderness,” the Adirondacks.
Over 100 color photographs vividly portray the people and places of the southeastern Adirondacks as seen by a Glens Falls family physician who has spent over twenty years practicing rural medicine in such places as Bolton Landing, Warrensburg, North Creek, Indian Lake, Long Lake, Wells, and Speculator. The book is a breathtaking collection of Adirondack landscapes taken along Dr. Daniel Way’s travels, mingled with portraits of his patients taken in their homes and the many stories that reveal the full spectrum of humor, sorrow, wonder, and stress that constitutes the doctor-patient relationship. The book’s patient population includes trappers, war heroes, matriarchs, loggers, Great Camp residents, hermits, and transplanted “flatlanders.” Their stories will leave the reader enriched while enjoying views of Adirondack rivers, mountains, lakes, and forests.
Hike, paddle, bike, or cross-country ski along beautiful trails through sites made famous by Adirondack guides, artists, writers, entrepreneurs, colonial settlers, and combatants in the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars. Visit abandoned iron mines and the ruins of tanneries, famous Adirondack great camps and old resorts, lost villages, Native American battlegrounds, and the homestead of John Brown, catalyst for the Civil War. Visit the scene of America¿s first naval battle and marvel at geological wonders like Indian Pass, Canajoharie Gorge, Chimney Mountain, and the tufa caves of Van Hornesville. Detailed directions, maps, photographs, and vintage postcards. Hikes include: Valcour Island ¿ Coon Mountain ¿ Crown Point: Fort St. Frederic & His Majesty¿s Fort of Crown Point ¿ Fort Ticonderoga ¿ Ironville & Penfield Homestead ¿ Rock Pond ¿ Rogers Rock ¿ Shelving Rock Mountain & Shelving Rock Falls ¿ Prospect Mountain ¿ Fort George and Bloody Pond ¿ Cooper¿s Cave & Betar Byway ¿ John Brown¿s Farm ¿ Mt. Jo & Mt. Van Hoevenberg ¿ Adirondac & Indian Pass ¿ East Branch of the Ausable River & Adirondack Mountain Reserve ¿ Santanoni ¿ The Sagamore ¿ Paul Smiths ¿ Hooper Garnet Mine ¿ Chimney Mountain ¿ Kunjamuk Cave ¿ Griffin, Griffin Falls, & Auger Falls ¿ Moss Island ¿ Tufa Caves & Waterfalls of Van Hornesville ¿ Canajoharie Gorge ¿ Wolf Hollow
The unique geological history of the Adirondacks can be found in a pebble. So discovers humorist and outdoorsman Tim Rowland as he chronicles the evolution of hiking in the howling wilderness of the High Peaks. From nineteenth-century guides random scoots to Melville Deweys Adirondaks Loj to todays technologically enhanced weekenders, Rowland, who has climbed the forty-six himself, incorporates personal anecdotes and laugh-out-loud wit to capture the appeal and beauty of this beloved region, all the while reminding us of the importance of keeping these stunning mountains, and their attendant neat rocks, Forever Wild.
The author does a thorough job in explaining the beginnings of rustic architecture and why it has a permanent place in the culture. The mix of social background and the history of the early Adirondack camps provides a designers guidebook.
Ecologist Anne LaBastille created the life that many people dream about. When she and her husband divorced, she needed a place to live. Through luck and perseverance, she found the ideal spot: a 20-acre parcel of land in the Adirondack mountains, where she built the cozy, primitive log cabin that became her permanent home. Miles from the nearest town, LaBastille had to depend on her wits, ingenuity, and the help of generous neighbors for her survival. In precise, poetic language, she chronicles her adventures on Black Bear Lake, capturing the power of the landscape, the rhythms of the changing seasons, and the beauty of nature’s many creatures. Most of all, she captures the struggle to balance her need for companionship and love with her desire for independence and solitude. Woodswoman is not simply a book about living in the wilderness, it is a book about living that contains a lesson for us all.
Reminiscences of Old Guide--Famed thru North Country In 1930 the Editor of the Malone Evening Telegram (Malone, New York) wrote: At rare intervals there comes to a newspaper office opportunity to print a manuscript of unusual interest and appeal. Such a one is the reminiscences of Charles E. Merrill, for 30 years an Adirondack guide, a member of one of the oldest and best know families of the North Country. Under the title The Old Guide's Story, the Telegram will print Mr. Merrill's book. Trained in the great outdoors rather than in the schools, Guide Merrill nevertheless has the born gift of writing. But more important than this, is that he has a real story to tell--the great epic of the struggles of the pioneers in the woods, the fight with the elements, the joys and sorrows of a primitive mode of life. His father, Darius, of whom he has much to say in his story, was a famous guide in the early days when the Adirondack region was first becoming known to sportsment. His grandfather was one of the first settlers in the Chateaugay Lake Country, in the northern foohills of the Adirondacks. Mr. Merrill, the youngest son of Darius, naturally followed his father's profession and became one of the best known guides in this section. Although sixty-five years of age he is as strong and active as most men in the prime of life. In leisure time, he reads voraciously and ha has a keen understanding of men as well as of the wild creatures of the wilderness. He has a philosophy of his own, and it must be good, because it has brought him peace, contentment and the respect of his fellow men. You will not want to miss any of Mr. Merrill's fascinating story. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Charles E. Merrill (1863-1935), chronicler of much of the early history of Chateaugay Lake, NY, was a quiet, thoughtful, kind, and courteous gentleman, one of nature's noblemen. He loved the woods and lakes, and all the untamed and unspoiled things in nature. He loved to commune with the creatures in their native environment, and to walk his solitary way through the aisles of the cathedrals of trees where he was wont to worship. He was a member of the pioneer family for whom the community of Merrill was named. His father was Darius Merrill, famous as a hotel proprietor, woodsman, and guide when sportsmen first began to invade the Adirondacks. Charles E. Merrill followed in his father's footsteps and likewise became known as one of the most reliable guides in the North Country.
