Excerpt
Preface to the First Edition


Adirondack Hikes in Hamilton County is the result of a number of people asking me to write a hiking guide to include stories I have written and have appeared over the years in the Hamilton County News where I work as a reporter.
Some changes have been made from the original works as they first appeared in the paper. Where changes have been made, they have been made to update trail conditions as much as possible. But the reader should be aware that conditions of trails are constantly changing, sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.
This work, while not being a work of fiction, is a work of personal opinion. The difficulties of a particular hike and the time it takes to complete a hike are the result of the physical and health conditions of the individuals taking the hike and the variety of natural conditions met on the trail on a particular day. Weather is a big factor to consider. A hike on snowshoes or skies will almost always take longer and be more difficult than one taken under ideal conditions during the warmer months.
Another point I would like to make is how this guide does not include anywhere near all the hiking trails available in Hamilton County. It includes only hikes I have taken to this point. There are many trails, especially in the southern half of the county I have not taken but would like to take someday. One of the most famous trails I would like to do is the Northville/Placid Trail (NPT), most of which is in Hamilton County. So my apologies to my friends in the southern half of the county who might feel slighted in this guide. But you know how it is. You live and work here and never have enough time to get out in the woods as much as you would like. If God grants me enough years and the health needed to add more trails to my list, I promise to come out with a second edition.
The final point is to ask you to just enjoy the woods at your own pace and never bite off more than you can chew. The point in taking a hike is to enjoy the natural surroundings, not to “bag peaks.” If all you are doing is bagging peaks, you might just as well run up and down the stairs in your own house all day. Or you could go to New York City and climb the stairs to the top of the Empire State Building for the magnificent view there.
The fact of the matter is that most of my favorite hikes do not involve climbing a mountain. Most of my favorites are to a pond or stream where a person can just relax, maybe have lunch, fish or even go for a swim, before heading back to what we feel compelled to call the “real world.”