TREW Ambassador Caitlin Kelly lives and breathes the outdoors, her deep-seated love for nature evident in every conversation we have with her. She calls the gorgeous Adirondacks in upstate New York her home, and when asked to share a bit about of her backyard with us during our Wild Places series this month, she jumped at the opportunity to shine a light on this unique and oftentimes overlooked region that holds her heart. 

Without further ado, we'll let Caitlin take it from here...

To know a place is to see it in all seasons. Through the rain and storms. The bluebird powder days. To know when the spring ephemeral wildflowers will bloom, when to expect the first snowstorm of the year.

For me, it’s also about experiencing the place through different lenses. I dedicated my twenties to the wild places of the Adirondacks. I worked as a professional trail builder, a backcountry caretaker, and an assistant forest ranger. These jobs helped me see the trails in a new way. As the Lake Colden Caretaker, I was responsible for taking care of the land around my backcountry outpost. I made sure the trails were clear from downed trees, I educated nearby campers how to properly store their food to avoid bear encounters, I dug holes for privies, built bridges and hardened trails. 

That job also helped me see the pain and fear of these places—in that job, I worked as a search and rescuer, helping lost and hurt hikers out of the woods. 

It was the greatest privilege of my life, taking care of a wilderness I hold so dear to my heart, and the people who love it too.

Now I work a desk job. I’m out of the woods for work, which has its own challenges. I experience these wild places on my own time, go where I want and not where the radio calls me to. 

Part of this journey, this re-learning, is about finding pieces of myself I’ve left in these wilderness areas. Remembering, retrieving, and revealing. The way the birds sing on a June morning at Duck Hole, the framed view of the MacIntyres while fording the Opalescent River, looking down on the Flowed Lands from my favorite lean-to. 

And with all of this, these summertime memories, I continue to learn how to love and hold the place in wintertime, a season I have less experience deeply knowing. The mountains I’ve climbed in July I’m skiing their open bowls and drainages in February. I’m deepening my knowledge about snow science and avalanches and how it pertains to this place. Exploring this wilderness on skis is perhaps one of the greatest gifts they’ve given to me. 

As I grow and change I know my relationship to this place will morph too. We are always changing, as is the landscape around us. I feel so grateful to live in the Adirondack Park, a place so fiercely protected, so fiercely loved.

April is Earth Month! 

Join us in celebrating Earth Day all month long. We will be donating 10% of all profits from this month back to protecting + advocating for our public lands. Learn more here.