Nun-da-ga-o Ridge – An Outstanding Fall Hike

By Bill Ingersoll

Maps of the Hurricane Mountain Wilderness tell an unfortunate story: that these mountains were once not viewed in terms of their wildness, but in terms of the resources that people hoped might be extracted from them. Thus we have inherited today a region full of features named Potash Mountain, Soda Range, Coal Dirt Hill, Spruce Mill Brook, Big Slash Mountain, and Limekiln Mountain. These were not places for adventure or romantic contemplation of the sublime, but places where commodities were to be exploited. This historical ambivalence perhaps explains the current scenario, in which only a patch of wilderness remains preserved – almost all of it in the highest reaches of the range. READ MORE

The 157er – Swimming the Islands of Lake George

By Lauren Meilhede

This past summer I finished a brand new (completely made up) swim challenge. Instead of enduring the great feat of swimming the length of Lake George, I swam around all the named (and many unnamed) islands in the lake. READ MORE

Longevity Micros – The Ones We Need to Talk About

By Emily Horstman

You’ve got your macros dialed in. Protein? Check. Carb-loading before the big race? Nailed it. Fat’s back on the menu and you’ve made peace with it. But here’s the plot twist: while the wellness world has been obsessing over the big three macros, you might be completely ignoring the micronutrients doing the heavy lifting. While we’ve all been consumed by macromania, those sneaky little vitamins, minerals, and compounds have been quietly running the show. The gap between aging well and just getting by isn’t hiding in your basic multivitamin. Time to level up and feed your body what it’s actually craving to feel your best. READ MORE

Lydia Kulbida

By Kristen Hislop

What Will It Take? – Resilience, courage, and relentless curiosity, all traits most of us would like to have. How are they built? You might not immediately think of the Bronx in the 1970s. But for Lydia Kulbida, that’s where it all started. Growing up on 149th Street with the rumble of the 4 train outside her bedroom window the constant hum of New York energy shaped her spirit. “I think growing up in the Bronx when I did made me tougher,” she reflects. “When people looked down on you for not being from Manhattan, it just made me want to work harder.” READ MORE

Great Upstate

By Dave Kraus

In a world that seems increasingly chaotic and unpredictable, there’s one thing that remains dependably true: Upstate New York is a great place to ride a bicycle! From the Hudson Valley to the Adirondacks to the Berkshires and west to the Finger Lakes, there are so many beautiful places, roads, and trails to enjoy on two wheels.  READ MORE

Fueling and Hydration – Solving the Puzzle

By Dr. Benita Zahn

I’ve been running distance since 1998, when I toed the line at the inaugural Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego. Back then, we were wearing a Sony Walkman to pump music into our ears, and fueling options were limited to a chewy, grainy PowerBar – the original energy bar. Straight sugar was our friend as we downed peach-flavored chewy candies, Swedish Fish, and anything else portable and packed with sugar. Hardly anyone carried water. If you were resourceful, you stashed a jug along the route or ducked into Stewart’s Shops if you were lucky enough to pass one. Ah, to be young. READ MORE