ADIRONDACKS

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UPSTATE | ADIRONDACK MOUNTAINS

Adventure in the Adirondacks

Pick your pleasure in this picturesque playground

By Sarah Sekula

DIRONDACK PARK, WHICH

ASPANS 6 million acres in upstate New York, is an adventurer’s playground no matter the season, but wintertime is extra special.

Just ask Josh Valentine, founder of Basking Ridge, N.J.-based outfitter Embrace the Animal (embracetheanimal. com), which offers guided wilderness trips. He’s traveled all over — scaling summits in the Himalayas, exploring the Panamanian jungle and living with the indigenous Hadza Tribe of Tanzania — but the Adirondacks will always hold a special place in his adventurous heart. More specifically, the High Peaks region is one of his areas of expertise.

“It’s one of my favorite places on this whole planet,” he says. “There is something for everyone there year-round, from basic hiking to incredible rock climbing in the summer to snowshoeing and ice climbing in the winter.”

For the past few decades Valentine has been exploring tucked away pockets of the Adirondacks that he says are mind-blowing. When you look at a map, however, you might not expect to find such remote places here. With the sprawling network of roads, you’d likely assume isolated spots would be hard to come by. But he’s happy to report that’s not the case at all.

“Anyone who’s ever climbed the Trap Dike over Lake Colden in the winter can tell you that you feel in a world of your own real quick,” Valentine says. “Oftentimes, that four or five miles of distance to a nearby road is made up of rugged, elevation-laden and challenging terrain.”

Here are some ways to rack up an adventure of your own: CLIMB A FROZEN WATERFALL

Despite the cool temperatures, scaling a waterfall happens to be one

LAKEPLACID.COM

BRIAHNNA GIBSON of the hottest winter sports around. However, it’s not as tough as you’d think. Kids as young as 8 can participate. Valentine, who provides ice-climbing instruction and guided trips, says there are beginner spots at Trap Dike and Chouinard’s Gully .

“For the intermediate to advanced climber, there are incredible climbs like Roaring Brook Falls or Multiplication Gully , up to some of the thin but incredible routes in areas like Poke-OMoonshine mountain ,” he says. FOCUS ON FISHING

Valentine leads trips to a pristine spot in the western Adirondacks, surrounded by mountain lakes and accessible only by floatplane. Here, you can canoe, camp and fish until your heart is content, all while drinking in the perfect silence and crystal clear night skies. Packages, which include bush-plane flights and all equipment and food, can be customized.

“It’s centered on the idea that we are not designed to survive in nature, but rather we have been crafted by countless thousands of years to thrive there,” says Valentine. “One of the best parts about New York state in general is the fact that it is absolutely loaded with areas that can be mere miles from a road, and yet the ruggedness and scope of the wilderness allows for an almost immediate sense of separation from civilization.” RENT A FAT-TIRE BIKE

What better way to get to know an area than by seeing it on two wheels? If it’s a snowy day, fat-tire bikes are a great way to get around.

High Peaks Cyclery (highpeakscyclery. com) takes guests on guided trips through the High Peaks region on Salsa Mukluk SX Eagle fat bikes. It’s a low-impact sport, so it makes a great mild adventure for the whole family.