New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Keene

DOT Replacing Route 73 Barriers In Adirondack High Peaks

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nysdot logoNew York State Department of Transportation has announced that work is underway on a $8.3 million project to replace concrete barriers and portions of guide-rail along three segments of State Route 73 in the towns of Keene and North Elba, Essex County.

The project includes a stretch of Route 73 along Upper and Lower Cascade Lakes through the Adirondack High Peaks that is part of the annual Lake Placid Ironman course. Work will be completed by late fall, ahead of the Lake Placid 2023 International University Sports Federation World University Games coming this January. [Read more…] about DOT Replacing Route 73 Barriers In Adirondack High Peaks

A 1912 Adirondack Scarlet Fever Outbreak Echoes Today

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Keene Valley NY ca 1903 postcardScarlet fever is something we don’t have to think about any more. One hundred years ago however, this childhood killer struck fear into the hearts of parents everywhere, including the little town of Keene, NY, in the Adirondacks.

On March 4th, 1912, in the face of a frightening scarlet fever outbreak, the Keene Town Board of Health took emergency action. The Board ordered “that the church, school houses, library, neighborhood house and Keene Valley Club House shall be closed until further notice.”

Today, in the midst of our Covid-19 turmoil, the disputes over vaccines, masks, and other government and scientific recommendations, it is hard to imagine a citizen board of health exercising that kind of power — to declare the church and the schools and the library closed. Boom. “Mo(tion) carried,” says the official one-page document, hand-written in pencil. [Read more…] about A 1912 Adirondack Scarlet Fever Outbreak Echoes Today

New Adirondack High Peaks Shuttle Starting Aug 21st

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new hiker shuttle courtesy Essex County A new pilot Route 73 shuttle service will be begin Saturday, August 21st, along the busy Route 73 corridor in the Adirondack High Peaks region, according to announcement issued Thursday by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), Essex County, and town of Keene. [Read more…] about New Adirondack High Peaks Shuttle Starting Aug 21st

High Peaks Keene Hiker Shuttle Restarting Saturday

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Shuttle at Marcy Field August 2019As part of its ongoing effort to welcome hikers to the “Home of the High Peaks,” the Town of Keene will be starting its hiker shuttle to the Garden trailhead at 7 am, this Saturday, July 17, 2021.

This town service gives hikers access to one of the most popular daily and overnight hiking areas in the Adirondacks – for only $10. [Read more…] about High Peaks Keene Hiker Shuttle Restarting Saturday

Adirondack Park Permits: Could Johns Brook Valley Be Next? Some History

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Johns Brook LodgeThe institution of a permit system at the Ausable Club’s Adirondack Mountain Reserve surprised and confused some hikers and would-be hikers. Many didn’t realize that third most popular High Peaks Wilderness Area access point, through the Club’s lands in the Upper Ausable Valley, was privately owned.

A similar situation holds at the Johns Brook Valley, another popular access point just northwest. That area is owned by the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK), it faces similar parking challenges and is just as susceptible to a future permit system. [Read more…] about Adirondack Park Permits: Could Johns Brook Valley Be Next? Some History

DEC, Private Club Piloting High Peaks Hiker Reservation System

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Crowded conditions along Rte. 73, High Peaks Wilderness region. Photo by Ken RimanyThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Ausable Club have announced a pilot reservation system to access the Club’s private lands, the Adirondack Mountain Reserve (AMR). Since 1978 the State has held a conservation easement on Club/Reserve lands which allows limited access to some of the more popular places in the Adirondack Park’s High Peaks Wilderness Area.

A press release from DEC cited “reliable access” and public safety along Route 73 among the reasons for the change. The pilot program is slated to run for three years according to DEC. [Read more…] about DEC, Private Club Piloting High Peaks Hiker Reservation System

Featured Adirondack Hike: Hurricane Mountain Firetower

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hurricane mountain courtesy adirondack atlasThe trail up Hurricane Mountain, in Keene, Essex County, ascends approximately 2,000 feet over 3.4 miles to the Fire Tower located in a designated historic area on the summit, within the Hurricane Mountain Wilderness. [Read more…] about Featured Adirondack Hike: Hurricane Mountain Firetower

Route 73 Closing Tues-Thurs Near Marcy Field in Keene

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A half-mile section of Route 73 in the town of Keene, Essex County, between Route 9N and the southern end of Hulls Falls Road (County Route 13A) will be closed between Tuesday and Thursday as part of a project to replace a culvert under the road. [Read more…] about Route 73 Closing Tues-Thurs Near Marcy Field in Keene

Drive-In Musical Theatre In The Adirondacks

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bark eater inn If you had asked youth theatre producer/director Kathleen Recchia six months ago what she’d be doing this summer, she would not have included Zoom Webinars or setting up a drive-in theatre production on her to-do list.

Normally at this time of year, she is preparing for the Book & Blanket Players annual summer musical-in-a-week program. She is still doing that but this year that involves a whole new skill set. Instead of cancelling the production, which normally involves an intense week of working together at Keene Central School in the heart of the Adirondacks, with the performance of a full musical onstage at the end of the week, Recchia went about figuring out how to continue the program with new rules and new parameters. [Read more…] about Drive-In Musical Theatre In The Adirondacks