“The trips we do here bring them back and we get long term relationships. That’s the passion of what I do,” remarked Adirondack guide Gary Marchuk. “It’s better than the monetary reward. My payback is to be outside and introduce people to this.”
And this is the expanse of the six million acre Adirondack Park, which Mirror Lake Inn guests can access, literally, within minutes of the resort and spa.
Marchuk, born in Connecticut, but local to Lake Placid since 1988, is a certified Adirondack guide. He’s the purveyor of Bear Cub Adventure Tours (518-523-4339), a local guiding service since 1990, working exclusively with Mirror Lake Inn guests.
“I’m passionate about what I do and where I live,” he continued. “As a child I spent all my time in the woods.” And if he had his way, you’d do the same.
The relationship with the Mirror Lake Inn started with a conversation between Marchuk and resort owner Ed Weibrecht, who was excited about the idea of his guests having access to an in-house Adirondack guide to take them canoeing, fishing, snow shoeing, ice fishing, nature hiking and more.
As Marchuk stated earlier, the benefits are many. “I’ve had kids who were 10 years old when they started. I’ve been part of their folk-lore and they continue to call me. It makes their story exciting.
“They usually come from a different environment. We introduce them to the Adirondack lifestyle. It’s priceless to see a child catch their first fish.”
Such anecdotes emphasize how most of his clients have never been in a true wilderness area. They rely on Marchuk to have the necessary local knowledge and skill sets to offer a sense of adventure, and at the same time, a safe experience.
One of Marchuk’s most memorable episodes started with a private winter trip.
“I took a family snowshoeing here many years ago,” he recalled. “One of the girls got married years later, wanted to do a snow shoe trip as part of the wedding and called me. To be remembered by them in that way was pretty special.”
And while that was the result of a tete-a-tete experience that started many years ago, Marchuk uses the view from the highest Adirondack peak to formulate his mountain philosophy.
“The mountains give us balance and sanity. They are awe-inspiring and get us back to becoming human beings.
“The outdoors is so poetic and you can tie the important things in life to it. Try to live in the moment. The world’s distractions keep us in the past or thinking about the future. The wilderness gets you into the moment.”
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Photos by Gary Marchuk