The Adirondack Dream Week

Some things exist, while others are only in your mind. Still perfect conditions can make reality fantastic. Or put another way, just because something exists doesn’t mean it’s not fantasy.

The Adirondack Dream Week is something I’ve come to expect every September, or at this time in my life, every August. This is not to say that conditions are dreamy every year. But it’s often enough to keep the dream alive.

This year was just about perfect. Sunny, cold, breezy and almost bug-free.  We didn’t really have big plans when we arrived. Mountain biking, glade clearing, trail maintenance, gymnastics, paddling, walking and drinking it in.

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Quebec: Long Lakes and Climbing Takes

I looked up at the stars with my head cocked all the way back, as if my body was about to be sucked up into the heavens. This view alone was worth the two year wait since I first heard about the cliffs along Lac Long, a little north and west of Quebec City. It was Friday night, and it felt great to settle in after hiking by our campsite inadvertently, well past dark.

The park is a climbing-insiders favorite here, providing a mix of established and open traditional lines in a setting that is neither remote adventuring or old news, a locals spot that’s also worth a pilgrimage. Perhaps the reason it is so perfectly overlooked, like Val David, is that it resides in yet another Quebec regional park.

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Harriman State Park Hike with Kids

It wasn’t really my intention to force my son’s friend to go hiking with us. My wife asked me the day before, since I had the week off, if I could pick him up and take him and my 11 year old swimming.

Silvermine ski area

I had plans to go do the loop hike around Silvermine Lake in Harriman State Park, but he was welcome to tag along if it was okay with his mom. It’s a kid-friendly hike.

After a few texts, he was in. I’d coached the kid in soccer a few years ago and know him better then most of my sons’ friends so I wasn’t worried about him not keeping up. My younger son is a notorious complainer so I hoped having his buddy along might inhibit him a little.

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