Farm & Wilderness Blog

4 Surprising Facts About the Adirondacks - Farm & Wilderness

Written by Jeff Bounds | March 28, 2019

  1. It’s growing. If you’re waiting for it to get easier to climb to the top of New York’s highest peak, Mount Marcy, you’re waiting in vain. It’s getting taller! When the F&W Questers stand atop the 5,344 ft Mount Marcy this summer, it’s going to be growing at a rate of 1 ft every 100 years right under their feet. The Adirondacks are well on their way to one day being the highest range in the world! Imagine having the highest mountain range in the world right here in the Northeast![1]

  1. It’s old. 10-billion-years-old. Some of the oldest rock in the world exposed 10,000 years ago in the last ice- age! This anorthosite is usually found deep underground and like the lunar anorthosite that makes up the lightly colored surface of the moon.[2]

  1. It’s big and beautiful. Adirondack Park is beautiful and huge!  We’re talking bigger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Glacier, Grand Canyon, Great Smokies combined! At 6.1 million acres, the nation’s largest park has been beckoning city dwelling adventurers and those seeking respite and serenity for hundreds of years.[3]

  1. It’s good for you. Before the park was created in 1892, the word got out about the benefits of the healing qualities of the fresh air in the area, which drew thousands of patients suffering from tuberculosis.[4] Today, we know that time in green space is correlated to a healthier and happier life.[5]

Want to see for yourself?

The Classic Quester trips, for 15-17-year-olds, will fully immerse the teens for 18-days in the Adirondacks this summer through a continuous multi-sport adventure.

  • Canoe for 7 days on some of the Adirondacks 31,200 miles of rivers and lakes and streams.
  • Backpack for 6 days along some of the parks 1,500 miles of trails and up to several of the 46 peaks above 4000 ft.
  • Rock climb on those 10-billion-year-old rocks.

Questers master the backcountry skills needed to set off on their own adventure and the leadership and interpersonal skills to more successfully collaborate with others in any endeavor!  Hope you’ll join us!

Space available in July session only (June 26-July 19).

Learn More >>

 

[1] List of Facts, web2.clarkson.edu/projects/hp200_adk/The_Adirondacks_and_You/list_of_facts.html.

[2] List of Facts, web2.clarkson.edu/projects/hp200_adk/The_Adirondacks_and_You/list_of_facts.html.

[3] List of Facts, web2.clarkson.edu/projects/hp200_adk/The_Adirondacks_and_You/list_of_facts.html.

[4] List of Facts, web2.clarkson.edu/projects/hp200_adk/The_Adirondacks_and_You/list_of_facts.html.

[5] Lambert, Jonathan. “Greener Childhood Associated With Happier Adulthood.” NPR, NPR, 25 Feb. 2019, www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/02/25/697788559/greener-childhood-associated-with-happier-adulthood.