LOCALadk Magazine

It was mid-November and a fresh layer of snow coated the rocks and roots, not deep enough to make sailing across the tops of those trail promontories easy, but enough to change the color palette of the woods from Stick Season Drab to Nearly Winter White. Tiny footprints of mice and other cold-loving critters were etched into the snow, making it easy for us to see where they had been traveling that day. e woods were full of my favorite sound, whisper-quiet, and as we rounded the pond, we came upon the reason we were out on this particular meander. Standing in a circle of trees as a haven for hikers from near and far was the lean-to I'd adopted in 2020. Lean-tos are three-sided log structures that provide shelter for campers and are available to the public on a first-come, first- served basis. e Adopt a Lean-to Program was launched in 1985 as a cooperative effort between the Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) to manage lean-to maintenance in the Adirondack Park. Nearly forty years ago, only a handful of lean- tos needed attention. Since then, that number has grown to 204, with a planned expansion to incorporate even more into the program next year. In 2021, 155 volunteers donated over four thousand hours toward maintaining these iconic structures sprinkled throughout the Adirondack Park. Lean-to adopters are asked to make at least two visits per year to keep an eye out for repairs needed, ensure Leave No Trace principles are being followed, and, when needed, replace the lean-to register, which holds comments, notes, and thoughts from paddlers, anglers, and hikers from points north, south, east and west of the Adirondack Park. e last requirement for fulfilling the lean-to adopter role is filling out paperwork, which is turned over to the DEC and used to determine necessary repairs. "Regular maintenance prolongs the life of a lean-to," says Charlotte Staats, trail manager for the ADK. When asked why she thought people liked to volunteer for the program, Charlotte said, "e Adopt a Lean-to Program gives people the opportunity to give back to the lean-tos they love." Twice a year sounds easy enough, unless your adopted lean-to is four hours away by car and requires a 4.5-mile hike in. So is the case for Kara DuPlessis, lean-to adopter for Spruce Lake #3. Kara lives in Syracuse, but happily makes the drive and hike multiple times a year. Her adopted lean-to sits on the Northville- Placid Trail and gets minimal use due to its remoteness. As an adopter, Kara packs out any garbage she has found and checks to see if any repairs need to be made. Kara said the outhouse is scheduled for maintenance, as "Someone knocked out some of the boards to make paddles for a boat." e roof on Spruce Lake #3 needs to be replaced and Kara is looking forward to working with another volunteer group, Lean-to Rescue, to do the repair work. At first Kara was hesitant about committing to a lean-to that was far away by both car and foot, but had always wanted to play a part in preservation within the Adirondack Park— plus she had waited years to become a lean-to adopter. Now, in year two of her adoption, she looks forward to the solitude on the trail and at the site. Whenever the opportunity arises, Kara likes to hike in and stay overnight in the lean-to. "e setting is stunning. With the mountains behind the lean-to and the sun setting over the water, it's just amazing." Some folks like to adopt multiple lean-tos, as is the case with Russ Byer, who oversees five lean-tos. Like Kara, his lean-tos are not the easiest to get to: one is located in the West Canada Wilderness and the others are located along the Northville-Placid Trail, but the time required is well worth the effort. Russ calls his time spent volunteering for the program "camping with a purpose." Aer Russ makes the four-hour drive from Rochester to the trailhead, he hikes in to his adopted lean-tos. Maintenance can be different for each one. His time is typically spent cleaning out or rebuilding the firepit, picking up trash, and making a general assessment of the overall condition before reporting back to the program's volunteer coordinator on any work that needs to be done. I heed the backpack up and onto my back — not too heavy, only the necessary requirements for a fun day in the woods with a new friend and the tools I needed to carry out today's task. My friend and I signed our names at the trailhead register and off we went, walking and talking up the trail. LOCALadk 39

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