Suspended in Time

After going to the Adirondacks, I was struck how my conceptions of time and space were greatly altered during my experience in the park.  On more than one occasion I lost track of the date and time; I also felt very separated from my academic and athletic obligations.  The Adirondack Park has a way of suspending time and capturing individuals in specific moments, and this aspect of the park has made it attractive to tourists and visitors.

            As I visited different places in the park I became interested in and seemingly invested in the lives of each person we encountered.  Specifically, at the Wildlife Refuge, I enjoyed learning about wolves, coyotes, and owls and at that moment, nothing else seemed of greater importance.  Yet, on our tour of Asgaard Farms, I noticed that my thoughts shifted to farming.  Why do people farm?  How do people run successful farms?  What is the most reliable source of income?  How much money do farmers make?  Consumed by farming and the associated variables, I was convinced that nothing was more interesting.  This kind of infatuation came with each place we visited in the park, from John Brown’s farm to the 1980 Olympic Hockey rink in Lake Placid.

            Lake Placid captured my attention more than any place we visited.  Strolling through the quaint downtown area, it was impossible not to notice the USA Olympic attire in shop windows, the skating oval in front of the high school, the toboggan run shooting out onto the icy surface of Mirror Lake, and of course, the hockey arena, sitting up on a slight hill, tall flags guarding the sacred site like soldiers.  Entering a kind of trance, I stood mesmerized by the town and its history.

With Christmas lights strung across buildings and trees and snow falling regally from the sky, Lake Placid encapsulates the essence of winter and the Adirondacks.  It glorifies winter activities and proudly promotes itself as a former Olympic site, spurring a sense of patriotism and loyalty.  The town does this so well that time stops and is seems that the Olympics are still being hosted there today.  I was certainly compelled to muse about the 1980 Olympic games and forget my academic and athletic responsibilities.   Moreover, I felt connected to and a part of the town and its history and I believe it is this intimacy and suspension in time that causes people to travel and return to the Adirondacks. 

While I was in the Adirondacks, other concerns were disregarded as places like Lake Placid brought the beauty and history of the park to the forefront of my mind.  Time became irrelevant as I focused on each place we visited and person we met.  For me, this is what makes the park unique and what has made it so attractive to Civil War veterans, Olympians, politicians, and families.  The park is truly a separate peace.