All things considered, the Adirondacks have been rather fortunate in names, more so than one might expect.

In 1985, I climbed my first mountain. The rest, as they say, is history.

Since then, I have been fortunate enough to explore most of the United States by foot, ski, snowshoe, mountain bike, and canoe. A few of my greatest adventures include thru-hiking the 1,200-mile Florida Trail, summiting the 770 Northeast peaks above 3,000 feet, climbing the Adirondacks' 217 peaks above 3,000 feet during winter, and completing a 2,800-mile mountain bike ride from Canada to Mexico through the Intermountain West.

My thirteen books include Blue Line to Blue Line (second edition, 2025), Wicked Awesome Adirondack Chronology (2024), Cranberry Lake Fifty Place Names (2024), With an Ax and a Rifle (2023), Deep History (2023), From Northville to Placid (2021), Cradle of the Union (2019), Color Remote (2019), Among the Cloud Splitters (2016), My Adirondacks (2015), History Inside the Blue Line (2015), Blue Line to Blue Line (first edition, 2013), and Thru Hiker's Guide to America (2005).