The Adirondacks – Terra Borealis at Its Best
The Adirondacks of New York are my favorite part of Terra Borealis. Jack London is right: “The proper function of a man is to live, not to exist.” And for me, that entails a rugged, challenging landscape such as the Adirondacks within which to move and have my being.
I think many people conflate absolute elevation and ruggedness. It’s a mistake, though. For it’s actually the prominence of a feature in relation to its surroundings, or the rate of change in elevation (a.k.a. the slope m or ‘the delta’) rather than absolute elevation, that contributes to making a terrain rugged.
Case in point: I remember stopping at a rest area on US Route 87 in New Mexico back in 2018. There was a marker there directing the visitor’s attention southerly to Laughlin Peak, a shield volcano that rises from the tableland. “Elevation 8,812 feet,” it said. But it was just a large hill relative to its surroundings. Moreover, the landscape about me was fairly gentle. The eastern face of Wyoming’s Tetons, in contrast, is very prominent. Therefore, it’s rugged.
While the Adirondacks are not the highest mountains today, they are currently among the fastest rising ones on the planet, incrementing a little over 2 millimeters per annum. Moreover, what is being uplifted is wicked hard, refractory basement rock that resists erosion.[1] Consequently, the Adirondacks not only are continuing to grow, but they will be around for a very, very long time, quite unlike the Cascades and Rockies out West. Those ranges are soft and erosive, and therefore they’re short-lived, geologically speaking. Be sure to take photos while there’s still a view.
The dichotomy described above reveals part of the reason Adirondack fly-fishing, like Adirondack deer hunting, is so uncompromising. We think of erosion as being categorically bad. It isn’t, though. Life can’t exist apart from naturally occurring erosion – processes that release minerals into ecosystems. Fur, feather, and fin require nutrients just as we do, and they get them out West. And that reality is one reason trout grow so well in Montana. Yes, the upside to fly-fishing in the midst of a soft, erosive landscape is substantial and worth the access charge.
In truth, you have to work hard to fill a tag in the Adirondacks, which is one reason its sporting tradition pivots on blood, sweat, and toil. Yet, the experience builds character. And I’m being sincere. It toughens you up and makes you a better person.
Article 1 Introduction
Article 2 New York
Article 3 Grandpa Jones and the Swedes
Article 4 Maryland
Article 5 The Best of Both Worlds
Postscript What’s in a name?
Fieldsports, Empire and Old Line Vignettes
Return to Joie de la Chasse: The Drawing Room
[1] “Geology of the Adirondack Park,” Adirondack Park Agency, https://apa.ny.gov/About_Park/geology.htm.