LOCALadk Magazine

26 Spring 2019 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk After a hearty breakfast at Izzy's Market and Deli in North Creek, the crew of 12 participants followed Jack and Joe into the woods. The media team— consisting of Evan Williams and I on video duty, and John DiGiacomo taking photos—leap- frogged the group. As ever yone strolled past the mural of hikers and rafters on their way out of North Creek, I stopped to film what would end up being one of my favorite shots of the whole trip. The sun was shining, ever yone was grinning with excitement, and the mural perfectly foreshadowed just what we were all getting ourselves into. Filming always requires more work in pre-production than people expect, but with this type of gig it's difficult to plan exactly what shots you'll need, and when you'll be able to get them. Starting out with a skeleton list of essential shots is a great start, but keeping the camera ready to capture surprise moments and brief glimpses of beauty is essential. Despite having a fancy backpack and heavy tripod, I found myself car- r ying my camera and shooting handheld most of the time. Evan and I also worked hard to prevent our work from intrud- ing on people's experience on the trail, which often meant speed-hiking ahead of the group and ducking behind a tree until ever yone passed, only to pack up and do it all again. Leapfrogging the group like this made it impossible to miss the growing camaraderie among the participants. Just as the laughter from one conversation would begin to fade, I would hear it spark from the next cluster walking down the trail. Al- though ever yone was open and inviting from the start, there was the usual ner vous tension on the first night, but by the end ever y single one of us could proudly say we had become friends. Nearly a year later I still get emails from people on the trip. There was great weather for our trip, ver y little mud, and no bugs! On day one we trekked from the base of Gore Moun- tain, up Balm of Gilead Mountain, to the Garnet Hill Lodge overlooking Thirteenth Lake. Delicious food and a few crisp beverages helped the team relax around a roaring camp- fire. On day two we found ourselves at the top of Peaked Mountain wondering how we had traveled so far already. We ended the day passing Puffer Pond and settling into rustic accommodations at Kings Flow. On day three we summited Chimney Mountain and followed the guides on a bushwhack along a proposed trail route down the backside. Finally, on day four we loaded up in rafts in Indian Lake and paddled our way through the Hudson Gorge. We traveled through deep wilderness, ate like royalty, and slept like babies ever y night. But what struck me most was the kinship and community that developed throughout the trip. Experiences on the trail and on the river bring people closer together, and sharing meals and lodging accelerates the growth of those bonds. Despite technically being at work, I couldn't help but feel welcomed as part of the group, and am thrilled ever y time I hear from the participants on the trip. ADKH2H hopes to launch this route in the summer of 2019, with many others to follow. Visit the website, www.adkh2h.org, or their store and information center in downtown Saranac Lake for more information.

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