Open Spring Thru Fall Weather Permitting
New H2OGO Balls • 4-Tower Zip Line • Rock Climbing Wall • Ropes Course • Air Jumper
EXPLORE! Summit stewards have been guarding the High Peaks region’s most vulnerable peaks for more than 20 years, educating hikers about the delicate alpine environments. The Summit Steward program is run jointly by the Adirondack Mountain Club, the Nature Conservancy and the state Department of Environmental Conservation. Julia Goren, Summit Steward coordinator, says people from areas to the south, such as the Capital Region, need to remember that the High Peaks lag weeks behind the rest of the state seasonally. So while May brings warm temperatures and drier trails to the Albany area, cold mountain summits may still have snow in June. And melting snow means mud. Goren says the DEC trail restriction is important because plants on alpine summits have a very short growing season — just about two weeks. “That two-week window is an incredibly important window of time for these plants,” Goren says. “They’re putting out all of their energy. They’re also incredibly fragile because new growth is fragile.” The alpine plants have a variety of adaptations that allow them to survive and even thrive in a harsh environment that includes high winds and temperature extremes, but Goren says it’s not easy. “It’s a really stressful environment for the plants. And they can handle that just fine, but what they can’t handle is that stress and then the additional stress of having somebody step on them.” But during mud season, there’s more likely to be snow and ice and, yes, mud on summits, and hikers may try to avoid the hazards by walking off the trail, Goren says, leading them to step on the plants instead. While a typical suburban lawn can get stepped on up to 500 times before damage becomes visible, delicate alpine plants can only get stepped on about five times before they suffer significant damage, Goren says. “Even if you only step on that plant one time, you have no idea what the 59 people who were there before you or the 100 people who are coming after you did. The cumulative impact is really magnified because it‚s a really small area.” To protect the plants, the stewards are stationed on the busy summits of Marcy and Algonquin seven days a week from Memorial Day through Labor Day, and provide weekend coverage before that and through Columbus Day. Other peaks, including Cascade, Wright, Colden and Skylight, also have stewards based on the number of visitors they receive and the size of the alpine zones. continued on page 29
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