Directions & maps to:

• Saratoga Springs Public Library
• Crandall Public Library, Glens Falls
• First Presbyterian Church of Glens Falls

In June of 2009, Jean Holcomb, long time resident of Saratoga Springs and hike leader for the Glens Falls/Saratoga Chapter of ADK began an epic journey to hike the entire Appalachian Trail. It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. Jean’s original plan was to start in April but a torn rotator cuff and frozen shoulder intervened and almost deep-sixed her hiking plans. After much painful physical therapy and a lot of hand wringing she made the decision with the suggestion of her son, EJ, to make a later start and hike the trail the “wrong way” by starting in Maine.

About 80 percent of thru hikers on the Appalachian Trail start at the southern terminus at Springer Mountain, Georgia, sometime in late March to early May. A small number, usually around 200, begin at the northern end in Baxter Park, Maine. Jean’s plan had been to start in late April and do at least half the trail in one season. If possible she would continue on to New York and finish there, thus walking home. When the shoulder injury prevented this approach, she made the reluctant decision to start in Maine and see how far she could get. The bad part of starting in Maine is that Maine is generally considered the most difficult part of the hike with New Hampshire a close second, so you are immediately faced with the most wild wilderness of the entire trail two days out, not to mention some pretty nasty climbs, flooding rivers and black flies to greet you as you begin. Nonetheless there is an upside: Georgia never closes! Even a slow poke like Jean, who at age 62 averaged about 13 miles a day, had a chance of finishing the entire trail before winter set in. And it took just about that long. Jean climbed Katahdin on June 5 and finally wandered up on Springer on December 17. It was a three-season hike.

It is virtually impossible to describe six months on the trail in a few sentences but suffice it to say there were many adventures and human interactions which were often unanticipated and always interesting. Maine was certainly a baptism by fire. With record rainfalls, not only were trails washed out and bugs at maximum swarm, but also on the many river crossings there are no bridges in Maine, which were often terrifying. The good news is that once you have done Maine all the rest seems just a bit easier. Even though there were trials and tribulations of one sort or another all along the trail all Jean had to do was say to herself, “Heck, I did Maine, I can do this.” And so, somehow, someway, she just kept getting closer to Georgia until it seemed that there would be no stopping her short of a hurricane or broken leg.

There were good times along with the bad and many friends joined the lone hiker along the way. Virginia really was “almost heaven” with its fall colors and crisp weather and the Smokies were magical even in the snow. So come hear all about it at 7 p.m., September 30, at Saratoga Library. The show will knock your (hiking) socks off!

All the emails from Jean on the hike can be found at the link: Jean's emails.

Celebrate the seasons in the Adirondacks with Mark Bowie, 7 pm Nov 10 at Crandall Library in Glens Falls. The Adirondack landscape is endowed with lofty mountains and rich northern forests reflected in over 2,800 lakes and ponds, and thousands of miles of flowing waterways. Imprinted with four distinct seasons, the scenery evolves continually. Each season brings new wonders and challenges, yet this landscape retains a sense of place unique in our nation — a distinctly Adirondack heart and soul.

Mark Bowie has wandered the Adirondack compass, meticulously capturing the glories and subtleties of each season. From intimate scenes to grand panoramas, accented with music and verse, this spectacular multimedia presentation showcases the region’s wild beauty and diversity. Moving and heartfelt, it is truly a celebration of the Adirondack’s magnificent seasons.

Mark Bowie is a third generation Adirondack photographer. He’s a frequent contributor to Adirondack Life and Adirondack Explorer magazines, and his work has been published nationally in books and magazines, on calendars, posters, greeting cards and advertising media. His first two books, Adirondack Waters: Spirit of the Mountains and In Stoddard’s Footsteps: The Adirondacks Then & Now have become landmark regional publications. Each won the Adirondack Center for Writing’s Photography Book of the Year. Mark is a staff instructor for the Adirondack Photography Institute and leads digital and landscape photography workshops. He has produced several multimedia shows on the Adirondacks and has been featured on the public television programs Adirondack Outdoors and Insight.

Previous Programs This Year

Called the “magnificent obsession” by the New York Times, this inland water trail traces traditional Native American travel routes across 740 miles in New York, Vermont, Québec, New Hampshire, and Maine.

Join Kate Williams, NFCT Executive Director since 2004, for a virtual journey along this diverse and enchanting route. Learn about the variety of opportunities available along the route for trips of various lengths, from an afternoon to a lifetime.

NFCT maps and a newly released guidebook will be available for sale, along with other information about the Trail.

A talk and slide show with steve mackey

Chapter member Steve Mackey hiked the entire 2,178 miles of the Appalachian Trail this past summer. He started April 8, 2009, on Springer Mountain near Atlanta, Georgia, and finished Aug. 23, 2009, on the summit of Mount Katahdin in Maine.

Along the way, he saw 21 black bears, got stung by bees five times, pulled off at least 14 ticks, saw four rattlesnakes, lost about 25 pounds, and wore out two pairs of boots. Near Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Steve did a really big day and stood in four different states in 24 hours.

Come hear and see a trip of a lifetime!

In July 1989, Morzillo started flying aircrafts and now holds a commercial pilot certificate for airplanes, including land and sea, and gliders. He also instructs in both airplanes and gliders. Now in his early 60s, aviation has become his principal form of recreation, but being retired, he makes time to fish, hike, snowshoe, canoe, kayak, geocache and hunt.

Morzillo is a retired middle school science teacher and has been a member of ADK off and on for many years, especially in the late 1970s and 1980s. During that time, he spent a great deal of time in the Adirondacks hiking, canoeing, kayaking, camping, fishing and hunting with friends and/or with his wife and children. During the summers in the 1980s, Morzillo’s family spent one-and-a-half years’ worth of days traveling around the U.S. and Canada in their two Volkswagen Campers; the longest trip being almost 10 weeks long. He visited all the states in which reach by driving, all the provinces of Canada and the Yukon Territory. In the West, he hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon twice and and on another trip, across the Grand Canyon. He has hiked repeatedly in Yellowstone, Teton, Glacier, Denali and most of the other national parks throughout the country.

Morzillo finds that the same types of folks who enjoy flying in general, and specifically soaring, are the same types of folks who enjoy many of the outdoor actives promoted by ADK.

Wildlife photographer Gerard Lemmo will present a photo journey of the Northeastern Woodland Habitat. Images include a stealthy black bear, brilliant scarlet tanager, an iridescent-green tiger beetle and yellow lady’s slippers. Keep your eyes open, or you may miss some of the more common forest dwellers hiding within the shadows!

Gerard Lemmo is one of the Northeast’s most prolific wildlife and travel photographers in the world, having traveled to six of the seven continents in pursuit of adventure, and the thrill of capturing beautiful images of elusive wild creatures, plus the landscapes and cultures that surround them. His images regularly appear in both local and international circulation.

His clients include The National Geographic Society, International Paper Company, National Audubon, The Nature Conservancy, General Electric, the San Diego Zoo, The London Times, and the National Wildlife Federation. He has also written several photo-illustrated articles for Adirondack Life and the New York State Conservationist. While on assignment, Mr. Lemmo has photographed in Vermont and New Hampshire for the Nature Conservancy and in New York for the Backpacker, Adirondack Life and Adirondack Explorer magazines.