Quite honestly, until recently, I hadn’t. I think because of all the years I lived outside of New York State, somehow this man and his life’s history escaped me. Then, at a recent LASAR training program, Pat McGinn, one of our members who teaches cross-country navigation and is a teacher in the Warrensburg High School, made a comment that the biography of Mr. Petty was one of his favorite books.

Curious as I usually am, I went to Barnes and Noble the following day and found a copy of Christopher Angus’ “The Extraordinary Adirondack Journey of Clarence Petty” and I read it with lightning speed.

Mr. Petty, born August 8, 1905, IS (not was) a wilderness guide, a commercial grade licensed pilot and an extremely well-known conservationist.  I emphasize the “is” because Mr. Petty is still living and residing in his beloved Adirondacks and, if I’m informed correctly, writing regularly published articles concerning the outdoors (see the connection now!)

When Pat first spoke of the book, he indicated that it was a biography, which it is.  However,

the book is just as much about the Adirondacks and the evolution of the Adirondack Park Agency as it is about Mr. Petty.  The historic development of the Agency, the struggles, twists and turns and its present day structure are extremely interesting and should be read and understood by anyone who cherishes these mountains and the park as a whole.  It is not yet out of danger.

You read that correctly. Our Adirondack Mountains and the Adirondack Park are not out of danger. We, and myself along with many others, perceive the mountains as being protected now and forever.  Seems that is not true.  As Clarence and others who shared his life put it, the park is dying “of a thousand little cuts.” By the insidious eroding of the land and laws by those in Albany, driven both by down-state legislators and big money developers, who either don’t care about the Adirondacks as those of us who live in or near them do, or see the vast stretches of wilderness as a housing development in hibernation with land just sitting there waiting for big money to come along and find a way of developing it and turning it into a commercial gain.

What was most startling to me as I read this book were the dates.  Somehow we think of the Adirondack Park dating back to the early 1900s and Teddy Roosevelt.  We think of the land being protected for now close to a hundred years.  However, as you read this story, you come to understand that much of the struggle took place in the 1960s and 1970,s and even into the 1990s. In fact, the struggle continues to this day because of the weakness with regard to environmental issues that our current governor takes on issues concerning the protection of the land.  The concerns about the governor’s weak position is only compounded by his appointment of our current Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation.  Both of these men are heavily influence by down-state money and politics.

Along with Clarence Petty, the book introduces the reader to numerous other key people responsible for the development and status of the Adirondack Park including his wife and his brother. His life as an outdoorsman is one I would have loved to live. Any experiences I have had are shrunk down to mere cake walks when compared to his adventures.  His time was a special time. A time before there were cars or trucks, before airplanes zipping overhead, and before roads allowed for the penetration of those who took advantage of the land. Reading this story taught me the real difference between and environmentalist and a conservationist.  I think there’s a little of both in me.

His story and the story of those who shared his life and his efforts to establish and protect the Adirondacks is a fascinating one. You might not agree with everything he did or stood for, but you cannot help but admire his spirit.

If you want to know the man and if you want to know our mountains, I suggest you read this book.

See you outdoors!

To reach Dick, drop him a line at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it