Colden: New Slides, New Adventure

The Adirondacks are unique in many ways. They’re rugged, dismal, rocky, muddy, densely populated with spruce trees, and most are miles away from any trailhead. One thing that I think truly sets them apart from other mountain ranges in the East, or the country at that, would be their magnificent landslides.

Mt Colden aerial photo 2025
Aerial photos by Jonathan Zaharek

While almost completely lacking in Vermont and Maine, New Hampshire has a fair share of slides that are frequently climbed. However, most are very different from the slides we have in New York. They’re usually small, full of rubble and dirt with minimal slab, while the slides of the Adirondacks are beautiful streaks of smooth anorthosite that can rise hundreds of feet wide and long up a mountainside.

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Run Wild and Verkeerderkill Falls

Ten years ago I started photographing trail running events, almost by accident.

My respect for these athletes has grown over the years, and it still amazes me to witness the grit and strength of these runners as they traverse trails through the mountains on courses of ranging from 10 to 70 miles in length.

Taking in the View at Sam's Point

Over the years, I’ve come to know many of the runners with appreciation for their perseverance, but also for their warm sense of community. Trail runners are an incredibly friendly group of athletes.

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Mount van Hoevenberg Singletrack Hike

Sunday before Memorial Day. The 400th consecutive cloudy day in the Adirondacks. At least it wasn’t raining. I paused construction on the ark for a trip to the happiest place on earth, Mount van Hoevenberg.

intersection of 3 trails
3 Trails intersection

While I’ve put in my share of mileage on the Ho’s ski trails, the singletrack is a mystery. I think that most of these were originally snowshoe trails linking various ski trails. At some point, many of them were cleaned up and manicured for summer cycling.

Last summer, I had a day where I incorporated a bit of singletrack on the cross country side into my run.

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