The Green Hiker

Clarence Petty, a hero to all who cherish New York’s Adirondack Park, has died. He was 104 years old. Hiking mile upon mile at age 4, delivering mail by five, and a wilderness guide by age 11, Petty hiked, paddled, snowshoed, and flew over every nook of his beloved Adirondacks.

Image by RoyJr via Flickr

Mapping 1300 miles of the Park’s most pristine and primal wilderness, Clarence Petty helped create the Adirondack Park Agency. He was a true conservationist and pathfinder.

Other Insights:

Adirondack legend passes on…

According to Adirondack Explorer Editor Phil Brown’s blog, Clarence Petty died last night at his son’s home. Petty was 104 years old, and was a native Adirondacker. During the Great Depression, he worked for the Civilian Conservation …

Clarence Petty, an Adirondack classic, dies at 104 « Adirondack …

Clarence Petty, an Adirondack classic, dies at 104. December 3, 2009 at 6:30 pm · Filed under Adirondack News. He was a trapper, pilot, forest ranger and environmentalist > read the Adirondack Daily Enterprise article …

Adirondack Almanack: Adirondack Legend Clarence Petty Has Died at 104

Adirondack legend Clarence Petty died at his son’s home in Canton on Monday at the age of 104. Petty was the subject of Christopher Angus’s biography The Extraordinary Adirondack Journey of Clarence Petty: Wilderness Guide, Pilot, …

Goodbye Clarence,…

It was with sadness that I read about the passing at age 104 of an Adirondack icon, Clarence Petty. I had the privilege of his acquaintance a few years ago when he served on the board of an organization where I was employed. …

Other Resources:
The Extraordinary Adirondack Journey of Clarence Petty: Wilderness Guide, Pilot, and Conservationist

Now Go Outdoors!

Winter hikes here in Upstate New York are exhilarating. Crisp and bright. From zig-zag animal tracks to mountain top clear. But the winters are so long.

There are days when a hike is a chore. Boots and snowshoes. From bitter cold cheeks to gray treetops. Sometimes you just don’t want to go ….

So it’s nice to hear how others cope with winter hiking woes. Here are two paths:

First, V. Hughes explores winter urban hikes escaping the “sucking mud”. Fresh air and all kinds of “critters, real and imagined”.

Next, Kari Martin offers her winter hiking confession. She adores “sunsets, green trees and rushing rivers”. But how does one hike with “thick blankets and real beds”? Well ….

Now Go Outdoors!

If you enjoy the outdoors and live in upstate New York, you may want to start following Alan Wechsler of the Albany Times Union.

His blog covers “all things outdoors in upstate New York and beyond”.

Readers of this blog may particularly enjoy Wechsler’s post Hikers vs. ATVs.

Now Go Outdoors!