ABOUT YOUR GUIDES
Established in 1982, Adirondack Foothills Guide Service, LLC is a family-owned and operated outdoor guide service. Sonny and Sheila Young, both New York State Licensed Outdoor Guides, have lived and worked in the Tupper Lake area of the Adirondack Park since 1989.
Both have served as President of the New York State Outdoor Guides Association (NYSOGA) and have won several awards in service to that organization. Both have been awarded Master Guide status and Life Membership in NYSOGA. They are founding members of the Search and Rescue of the Northern Adirondacks team. Both Sonny and Sheila are NYSDEC Invasive Species Citizen Scientists. They are licensed by New York State as Wildlife Rehabilitators.
Sonny and Sheila are instructors for the NYSDEC Becoming an Outdoorswoman program, volunteering map and compass instruction since 1994 to a program that has taught wildlands skills to more than 3000 students to date. Both Sonny and Sheila adhere to minimal impact conservation of wild resources and have studied their fields of interest intensively.
Sonny and Sheila serve as program developers and instructors for New York State Outdoor Guides Association educational programs.
Sonny and Sheila are NYS DEC Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitators, specializing in the fostering of small mammals.
Mentioned in many local newspaper articles over the years, you can read about us in the Adirondack Life October 2000 Special Issue article “Nine Lives” by photographer/author Rebecca Soderholm; or in the New York Post January 11, 2011 outdoor section written by Jennifer Ceaser in “The Adirondacks on Ice”.
Sonny
CPR and First Aid instructor, Sonny was a certified instructor for Cornell University’s Sportfishing and Aquatic Resources Education Program and is a New York State Hunter Safety and Bowhunter Safety program instructor. Respected by his peers, Sonny recently served as a NY State citizen’s advisory council member. Sonny is also a NYSDEC Licensed Wildlife Rehabilitator Assistant.
Sheila
CPR and First Aid instructor, Sheila is also a certified Level One Orienteering Coach and an Adirondack 46R, having ascended all forty-six of the Adirondack High Peaks over 4000 feet in height. Sheila has been a Certified Interpretive Guide, providing leadership and excellence in the advancement of heritage interpretation as a profession.
(Woodgate NY) $120
Wilderness First Aid
Date dependent upon COVID restrictions. This is a first aid certification class with learning centered on common back-country illnesses and/or injuries, and suggestions and demonstrations for first aid care for one day or a few days. Emphasizes risk assessment, accident prevention and emergency preparedness. Limited registration.
E-BooK
(Flash-drive edition) $30
Elemental Adirondacks; a Naturalist Field Guide and Elemental Particulars
Chapters include hiking & camping; clothing; nutrition; navigation; fauna; tracking; flora; invasive species; illness; wilderness first aid; survival; cold weather survival; Adirondack High Peaks geology; ad more!11
May 15, 2021
(Tupper Lake) $45 w/ minimum 3 participants
Navigation Skills with Map and Compass
This program may be converted to a Zoom session with a special reduced fee. Adventure “off-road”! Become familiar with maps and orienteering compasses. Develop skills that let you hike a trail, visit a remote pond, or bushwhack to a summit. Classroom desktop learning is combined with outdoor team activities. No prior experience needed.
June 12, 2021
(Paul Smiths NY) $35 w/ minimum 4 participants
Adirondack-Ostrich (fern) Adirondack Flora
Explore ferns & fern allies, flowering plants, trees and shrubs. Where do they grow? Why do they grow there? Walk on well-maintained trails with lots of opportunities to study and photograph flora.
Enjoy varied ecology, forest solitude, and scenic vistas on 3000 acres and 6 miles of interconnecting interpretive trails. Visit the Paul Smiths Visitor Interpretive Center (VIC) while you’re there!.
July 10, 2021
(Tupper Lake NY) $35 w/ minimum 4 participants
Hike Safe – Fun and Safety in the Wildlands
Become familiar with back-country safety preparedness and basic survival techniques; methods of setting up safe and environmentally sound emergency camps; gear and clothing selection; food preparation and safe handling; nutrition and hydration requirements; fire starting; water purification; and personal and camp sanitation.
August 14, 2021
(Tupper Lake) $95 w/ minimum 3 participants
First Aid & Adult CPR/AED certification
This is a first aid certification class with learning centered basic First Aid and Adult CPR/AED. Acquire basic knowledge, skills and attitudes necessary to care for emergencies – from breathing and cardiac emergencies, to caring for bleeding, sudden illness and injuries.
September 4, 2021
(Lake Placid NY) $75 w/ minimum 3 participants
High Peaks Jaunt: Views from the Summit
Become familiar with land-use classifications, environmental laws, and rules regulating the High Peaks. Become familiar with basic emergency preparedness, development of checklists, handling emergencies, dealing with critters in a safe and effective manner, and hiking in special environments. Develop group leadership skills. Limited registration.
September 18, 2021
(Lake George NY) $75 w/ minimum 3 participants
Hike on the Tongue Mountain Range
A steep little hike, 5.6 miles round-trip, with an ascent similar to that of the Adirondack High Peaks. From Clay Meadow, the hike takes us to open ledges with views to the east across Lake George and several summits. A resting spot and lunch at Fifth Peak Lean-to is reached at the turn-around point. There are awesome views here, and the Adirondack lean-to is authentic.