LOCALadk Magazine

William Higby Camp, and the Towanda Camp. Nearby Alba- ny Lake had the Partridge Camp and the Watertown Camp, among others. Adirondack tourism really boomed between 1870 and 1885. Hundreds of tourists now trod the trails and paddled the water ways once braved by only the hardiest explorers. During this time spending the night in an open camp gradual- ly became synonymous with Adirondack camping. Nonetheless, because of the growth of established guide's camps and hotels across the Adirondacks between 1870 and 1900 the lean-to as a temporar y bark and bough shelter gradually disappeared. Guides recognized that their open camps needed to be more substantial to withstand heavier use. All across the backcountr y, guides replaced their tem- porar y lean-tos with log lean-tos featuring closed sides, a board floor and a hand-split cedar shingle roof. This type of open camp became the prototype for all future Adirondack lean-tos. Late in the nineteenth centur y the ver y wealthy bought large tracts of Adirondack forest to erect elaborate com- pounds of rustic buildings termed "great camps." Even in such opulent surroundings many visitors still wanted to ex- perience a taste of life in an Adirondack open camp. The own- ers met this need by building an open camp on some wild section of their property. These private lean-tos could be quite fancy, featuring twig-work details, comfortable furni- ture and even curtains. As early as 1885 many Adirondack hotels also recognized that their guests expected to be able to experience a real Ad- irondack lean-to, so they built one somewhere on the prop- erty. Hotel-based lean-tos tended not to be as fancy as those at private camps. Their common features were the shingled shed roof, cedar log sides, a raised wooden plank floor and a fire ring in front. Beginning in the 1920s the Adirondack Mountain Club in coordination with the Conser vation Department began to build similar log lean-tos along popular hiking trails through- out the Adirondack Park. This effort got a big boost during the 1930s when the Civilian Conser vation Corps (CCC) joined in the lean-to building effort. The Conser vation Department continued to build and maintain CCC-type lean-tos after the Depression ended. That design is still in use today with only minor changes. The iconic Adirondack lean-to can be found today at about 295 locations on public land throughout the Adirondacks and Catskills. Adirondack lean-tos are also found along the Ap- palachian Trail as well as in many state and national parks across the countr y. The NYS Department of Environmental Conser vation (DEC) is now responsible for maintenance and repair of the public lean-tos in the Adirondack and Catskill Parks. The DEC receives substantial help from a dedicated group of volunteers participating in the Adirondack Moun- tain Club's Adopt-a-Lean-to program. In a throwback to the earliest days of Adirondack camping, an unoccupied public lean-to is open to anyone who needs shelter, first come, first ser ved. If you have yet to experience an Adirondack lean-to why not seek one out on your next adventure. Sit and enjoy and tr y to imagine what it was like in that same spot 200 years earlier.

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