LOCALadk Magazine

24 Spring 2020 LOCALadk Magazine LOCALadk PEAKQUEST: A New Adirondack Venture Adirondack locals Jennifer Moore and Lynne Murphy be- came friends when their young kids attended the same school in Saranac Lake. They have been hiking together since 2008. Jennifer has been an art teacher in Saranac Lake since 1996, and Lynne recently retired from teaching special edu- cation in the Lake Placid school system. Jennifer is a grad- uate of St. Lawrence University, and Lynne of Paul Smith's College. They are both passionate about the Adirondacks and love to hike, so it makes sense that it was through hiking that the two dreamed up a new, successful business venture. People are enjoying the Adirondacks as a hiking destina- tion more and more these days. A big reason for that is all the different hiking challenges. Many towns, and some individu- als, have promoted a novel concept that involves completing a certain hiking challenge and then being rewarded with an earned patch. This patch signifies completion, and seems to be coveted by many. This has also opened up a potential mar- ket. Jennifer and Lynne were not interested in patches but wanted to have something that allowed them to keep track and have a record of the mountains they hiked in an enjoy- able and easy way. Jennifer has her High Peaks Region trail guide, with notations throughout marking the mountains she climbed and when, but visually it felt to her like it was missing something—something fun and inspiring. Their idea was to create a beautiful card designed with ar- tistic graphics depicting a particular challenge. The fun part was making the card interactive in the form of a scratch-off. Each mountain peak has a small area to scratch off, which then reveals the ranking number of the peak based on ele- vation, or in the case of the Fire Tower Challenge, a small picture of a tower. The card can be carried with the hiker so after they have taken in and enjoyed the summit views they can have a little fun scratching off that particular mountain. It is a reward of sorts, and perhaps creates a goal for some. The backside of each card allows the hiker to record the name of the peak and the date it was summited. Jennifer and Lynne also came up with the idea of the Tri– Lakes Trifecta that includes the completion of three already established challenges: the Saranac Lake 6'er, the Tupper Lake Triad, and the Lake Placid 9'er. The Fabulous Forty is another challenge they created as a way to direct people to all parts of the park, and to some less known hikes. As most of us are aware, there are certain hikes that have become so popular they have created dangerous roadside parking issues as well as environmental concerns for the trails. The Fabulous Forty has some hidden gems that they hope will help direct people to other, lesser-trafficked areas. What a great way to check out a different part of the Park. The two are happy with the success of and interest in the cards so far, and the support from area businesses has been ver y positive. The cards can be purchased through the web- site etsy, and at many local stores. Cost ranges from $15-25 depending on the size of the card. Peakquest is also an offi- cal Leave No Trace Community Partner. We Are LOCALadk

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