eco-local living: the sustainable lifesyles magazine of New York's upper Hudson Valley
The Adirondack Mountains have long been a destination for people who wish to get away from the hustle and bustle of the modern world. For those who want a little creature comfort with their wilderness experience, there are many choices of inns and lodge within the vast Adirondack Park from which to choose.. Amongst all the options, there is one place that truly exemplifies the tradition of Adirondack hospitality in a true wilderness setting, and that would be the Garnet Hill Lodge and Resort. At the end of a dead-end road, in the shadow of Gore Mountain, and set upon a hillside overlooking the majestic Thirteenth Lake, Garnet Hill Lodge certainly has breathtaking views, like you’d expect from any Adirondack lodge. But the views are only the appetizer. The Great Camp architecture welcomes the traveler with open arms, with it’s broad porch and sweeping front lawn opening up to a beautiful glacial lake set amongst the mountains of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness. The Great Room in the lodge with its massive stone fireplace calls in to set a spell.
Get some LOCAL LOVE in North Creek & Saratoga Springs and enter to win some great prizes every week in February 2012! Winners of each week's drawing will compete for the Grand Prize...a weekend stay at the majestic Garnet Hill Lodge in North River!Tags local love - Gore Mountain - North Creek - Saratoga Springs - Snow Train - Ski Train - Garnet Hill Lodge
By Michelle San Antonio Images and text courtesy of the Johnsburg Historical Society
A view of the North Creek train station as eager skiers disembark and locate a ride to take them up to the mountain. A once familiar site may soon be witnessed again at the North Creek train station this winter: a train arriving to the station in deep snow with hundreds of eager skiers on board. The re-establishment of the snow train passenger service by the Saratoga-North Creek Rail Road is a hopeful endeavor; one that the business community, Gore Mountain, and the train operators approach with anticipation. The snow train, or ski train as it is also known, is not a new concept to North Creek. This small hamlet located in the Town of Johnsburg in Warren County has a year-round population of less than 1,000 people. Many here make their living in logging, recreational pursuits, town and county government, and hard-labor. The development of the mountain terrain surrounding North Creek eighty years ago was a natural one, as the logging roads up the steep terrain were already in place. In 1932, the local American Legion organization began widening the trails for ski use. This came at a time when Lake Placid was in the spotlight for hosting the 1932 Olympic Winter Games and skiing became a popular winter recreation. |
The Spirit of Local LoveWith Valentines Day in the middle of February, it is certainly the season of love. How about involving the community of local businesses in the declaration of love? How about lovingly going local? To advance this concept, Eco-Local-Living has developed a LOCAL LOVE campaign and promotion with the logo “Unlock the LOCAL LOVE.”We are starting out in this Winter 2012 edition celebrating a marriage of sorts – that of the communities of Saratoga Springs and the Adirondack hamlet of North Creek, home of Gore Mountain. These two towns have been brought together by the Saratoga and North Creek Railroad. This historic rail line is known for bringing Teddy Roosevelt from out of the Adirondacks and down to the White House to become President after the McKinley assassination. 50 years ago the Snow Train brought skiers from the Capital District and elsewhere up to North Creek for the emerging sport of downhill skiing. Now the Snow Train is back, and it’s a great opportunity not just for skiers, but for everyone to ride this historic rail line that follows the Hudson River into the Adirondacks from Saratoga Springs. Leave your car in Saratoga Springs and see how easy it is to get around in North Creek and environs. Free shuttles can take you up to Gore Mountain or Garnet Hill Lodge to have an Adirondack adventure for the day or maybe the weekend. The hamlet of North Creek is a wonderful community of locally owned shops and eateries, all within walking distance to the train station. Upon your return to Saratoga Springs, don’t forget to visit the many locally owned shops and eateries there as well. It is in these two uniquely local towns that we are introducing the new LOCAL LOVE campaign. LOCAL LOVE allows stores, restaurants, local banks, businesses and organizations to declare that they want to be part of rendering the community more loving. You can unlock the LOCAL LOVE by showing your Snow Train ticket at a participating shop, or buy something at one place and show your receipt to the next participant, and you will get a discount on that purchase by showing your love for local! Look for that very pretty logo with the green sun and the red heart. We have only just started spreading the word, but it is quite possible that this idea spreads wildly as people long to create new local communities. Check it out and participate. Fill out a “I Love Local” card in either town (after a $10 minimum purchase) and you can enter a drawing for some free stuff, with a Grand Prize being awarded at the end of February for an overnight stay for two at the Garnet Hill Lodge. It’s Winter; love is in the air, new loving, healthier concepts and lifestyles are germinating; as Spring approaches we’ll may just see LOCAL LOVE blossoming…
Saratoga Springs New York ...The long awaited Snow Train made it's debut on Friday, December 30, 2011 with 38 passengers boarding at Saratoga Springs for an excursion to the Adirondack village of North Creek. The conductor opened the door to the platform and exclaimed "All aboard!" to the delight of the waiting passengers. Freddie Anderson, local ski pioneer and Director of the Schenectady Ski School at Maple Ski Ridge, was the first to board the train. It was a special moment for Ms. Anderson, as she had also ridden the last Snow Train that ran 50 years ago. "I am so thrilled to be able to ride the train again," said Ms. Anderson. "I have so many memories of taking the train to North Creek when I was young, and to able to see it run again is just wonderful!" |
