Bushwhack Jack's Tracts

In the early part of the 20th century every red-blooded American knew who Pancho Villa was. Many thought of him as a brutal villain, yet...

Be prepared. It’s the Boy Scout motto and the first principle of Leave No Trace, and when ignored, is the most frequent cause of...

In December 1960, at the age of eleven, I moved from Long Island to Phelps, in the northern Finger Lakes. There were a number of things...

I came to Saranac Lake in the summer of 1966 to visit my great aunt and enjoy the Adirondacks. I dreamt it was going to be a great...

Last week I received a text with a photo from an unknown number. At first, I had no idea who it was from, but after seeing the photo...

When it comes to paddling long distances, one person stands out above all others – the short, barrel chested, full white bearded Verlen...

Anyone who knows me or regularly reads this column knows I have special reverence for Wilderness. Wilderness with a capital W is...

I make maple syrup, which is a relatively simple process. You collect the sap, which is about 2% sugar, and boil it down until it’s 66%...

I’ve written in the past about three people who I’ve been fortunate enough to have as mentors. A fourth, Tap Tapley, doesn’t qualify only...

Last January, I penned a column on an experience I had at SUNY Cortland with the woman of my dreams. ( https://tinyurl.com/3wa3cntn )...

There was an excellent letter to the Enterprise last week from a writer in Remson lamenting that too many aspiring forty-sixers put more...

Not counting Linda Leydon, who I kissed in the back of the bus in 3rd grade. And Crystal Waters, who I sent a love letter to when my...

Back in my day, the 1970s, I didn’t have to walk through snow uphill both ways to school, but I’ll tell you what, backcountry skiing was...

On these subzero winter days reading is sometimes wiser than going outdoors. A reflection of my age, no doubt. To ward off cabin...

The compass has been around for over 2,000 years and is a simple device. If you put a sliver of magnetized metal on a small piece of wood...

Every year, ten or so NCCC veterans of the college’s 33-day fall expedition would plan and then go on a two-week winter expedition. It...

Recently, I heard from my college friend Jim Glover, a regular reader of my column and who drops me an email every once in a while. Jim...

When I woke up Sunday morning hoarse, and with a sore throat, I knew why: on Saturday Phyliss and I had gone to the Syracuse University...

I spent my early years in rural Locust Valley, Nassau County, which though only thirty miles from Manhattan, seemed like a hundred. Our...

As I cruised Facebook the other day I saw a post about Lower Saranac Lake and the efforts by environmental groups to have the lake’s...