In both prose and poetry, Ed Zahniser writes about the natural world and the human experience, capturing the beauty and wonder of both in a way that is both profound and accessible.

On a chilly December 1, we circumnavigated the base of Eleventh Mountain, bushwhacking from the Bog Meadow Trail in the north to the Siamese Ponds Trail in the south.

After learning in his native Germany of a new way to make paper, Albrecht Pagenstecher built in 1870 what we may visit today as the Pulp Mill Museum in Lake Luzerne.

For more than 50 years, Paul Schaefer and friends convened each November at a hunting camp three miles into the Siamese Ponds wilderness.

At 1,751 feet, “Potash Kettle” is Lake Luzerne’s highest peak. Thanks to a remarkable community effort, its trail to the summit is now “one of the best in the Adirondacks.”

On a clear Saturday afternoon in early autumn, two of us set out on a modified loop bicycle trip that featured a variety of scenery on Friends Lake and the Hudson River.

If you’re seeking a ride to experience the beauty of the Adirondacks without a lot of hill climbing, this ride comes highly recommended.

It’s among the most scenic lakes in the Siamese Pond Wilderness. You can experience it easily by renting a kayak.

Early on the morning of June 24, 1942, Vincent Schaefer and a contingent of military leaders viewed the demonstration of a smoke generator that would help America win World War II.

The East Branch Sacandaga River defines much of the eastern boundary of the Siamese Ponds Wilderness, which is named for the ponds we just hiked to.

When you hike the Bog Meadow Trail, you enter the heart of what Paul Schaefer called Cabin Country, where his family began spending summers in 1921.

You first need to know something about the way Colonial surveyors marked county boundaries. It helps also to know something about Vincent and Paul Schaefer, who proposed the Long Path in 1931.

Whether you prefer the colors of vividly dying leaves in autumn or the placid pastels of wildflowers in spring, the vistas you'll find at the Dean Farm Heritage Trail are among the most rewarding you'll find anywhere in the southern Adirondacks.

If you're looking for a short, scenic hike you can do with the kids, you can't beat the Hooper Garnet Mine. Even better if you have a keen interest in Adirondack history, given the substantial role that the mining of garnet has played in it.

Stewart Creek was running high when we hiked the Oregon Trail Saturday, making for a great out-and-back to Stewart Flow.

The forest is an easy hiking experience of four to five miles with a modest elevation gain, depending on whether you include the one-mile nature trail or go straight for the 4.1-mile hike around Pack Forest Lake.

A hike on the 4.7-mile John Pond Clear Pond Loop in the Siamese Ponds Wilderness will take you back more than a century in time.

Crane Mountain’s summit is a place you’ll want to stay a while. It's more plateau than peak and so, for full scenic impact, you must explore it in its entirely. That includes the herd path you’ll find on Crane Pond Hill.

For Adirondack mountain names, Balm of Gilead is tough to beat. This 2.8-mile out-and-back hike through a beautiful hardwood forest that starts out flat and rises 400 feet along a small stream bed. The main reward is its rocky summit and expansive view of 13th Lake and the Siamese Ponds Wilderness beyond.