A Fork in the Trail
It’s early April, which is to say mud season in the Adirondacks. Too late for Winter 46ers; too early for the warm-weather crowd. But on a Zoom meeting, a dozen animated callers are discussing the future.
The call is about the destiny of the Cascade Cross Country Ski Center, in Lake Placid. The Adirondack Mountain Club (ADK) recently paid $2.5 million for the 200-acre property, and wants to turn the winter resort, located just a few miles from the busiest trailhead in the Adirondacks, into a year-round information and education center.
What do the members think? ADK is listening.
One caller wants to make sure Cascade’s bar and café will remain open. Another wants to add skijoring (cross-country skiing powered by horse or dog). One suggests adding a birding program to take advantage of wetlands. Others laud the possibility of reaching the growing number of hikers and other outdoor users in the Adirondacks.
“We recognize the potential for the property,” ADK Executive Director Michael Barrett tells the callers, most of whom are veteran club members. “There’s enormous, enormous opportunities.”
Opportunities abound for ADK these days. This year marks the club’s 100th anniversary. And that milestone comes at a time of tremendous change—for the club, and for the Adirondacks.
Aside from the Cascade purchase, the club also has a new board of directors. It’s selling its headquarters in Lake George. It’s solved its budget problems and laid out a plan for its future. And it’s seeking ways to generate a younger and more diverse membership. It has a new chapter in Connecticut, the first located out of state. At the same time, some veteran ADK members feel the club no
