The Adirondacks is New York’s most stunning natural treasure. Joe and I frequent this area quite a bit in search of solitude, beauty and endless adventure. A five hour drive depending on your speed and where, brings you to the entrance of a park that offers a true taste of wilderness. The beauty and peaceful energy you often get when your visiting a mountainous park in the west or even a small piece of my old home in Alaska, can be felt with every step.

Joe and I decided to spend our New Years holiday, winter camping and snowshoeing through an untouched winter wonderland. Everyday I thought I was a in a snow globe. The snow sat perfectly on each tree limb as if it was placed there by hand, the snow never looked dirty or tainted it was just perfect powdery snow that flew with each step to land perfectly some where else. The trees swallowed us whole, offering a constant reminder of how insignificant we are. The temps hovered between 5 & 15 degrees, offering a chilly start to each day and a colder end to each night.

One thing about winter camping is everything is heavier and you have to be prepared. Our plan was to set up a base camp in the High Peaks Region and then venture out with lighter packs from there. We left camp on New Years Day with our sights on Mt. Marcy, New York’s highest peak. We snowshoed for about 6 hours each day.

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