The Trailhead

Less than two months ago I went out to warm up my car for my morning commute and the dashboard thermometer read -47°. I took a screenshot of my weather app and sent it to Nissan, letting them know my beloved clown car Versa was completely unfazed because as much as we like to think we Lake Placid locals are some rare breed of human, immune to the very coldest of temperatures, -47° is really exceptionally cold. And yet, whether it's brutal or balmy, the Adirondacks are alive with winter activity. Or so I learned when I visited the Wild Center in Tupper Lake this January.

The kids are out of school, the snow is falling, and with so much happening in and around the High Peaks this is the perfect time to get away for a family vacation in the Adirondacks.

When Anne went up Cobble Hill last summer she did so on a whim, with no idea what to expect. It was a spectacular failure. This time, with a little planning and better decisions, it was a spectacular success.

This autumn, get away from it all - really away. Stow your phone for emergencies only, breathe in the fresh mountain air and create memories that will last a lifetime. And start with a picnic.

The High Peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains has long been known as a place for healing and therapy; most notably in the late-1800s and into the 20th century when Saranac Lake became the epicenter of tuberculosis treatment following the institution of the Adirondack Cottage Sanitarium. These days, visitors to the Adirondack Mountains aren't coming to sit, swaddled on the oversized porch of a cure cottage but rather to explore a new avenue of medicine; the Japanese practice of shinrin-yoku or "forest bathing".