- In this episode of Fly Brother, we get wet and wild in the verdant Adirondack mountains of New York.

We start off at the top.

The pinnacle of Whiteface Mountain before hitting the bobsled tracks of Lake Placid.

We fly fish and kayak in historic Saranac Lake and tour the beautiful, quaint, little town of Inlet.

It's river deep, mountain high with my friends in the North Country.

Let's get fly.

(energetic upbeat music) I'm Ernest White II, storyteller, explorer.

I feel like Indiana Jones.

I believe in connecting across backgrounds and boundaries.

(energetic upbeat music) Join me and my friends.

(energetic upbeat music) And discover that no matter the background, no matter the history, the whole world is our tribe.

(energetic upbeat music) Come with me.

(energetic upbeat music) Fly Brother.

- [Announcer] Major funding for this program is provided by, - This is Mayor Ras J. Baraka, welcome to Newark.

(upbeat music) We in Newark, one family, brick city.

- [Announcer] Courageous Conversation Global Foundation, promoting racial justice, interracial understanding, and human healing.

Additional funding provided by the following.

- [Ernest White II] The Adirondacks, a circular massif of ancient rolling mountains in the farthest Northern corner of upstate New York.

This spectacular natural wonderland is studded with pristine lakes, including the source of the Hudson river, and precious towns that serve up equal parts history, culture, and adventure.

Organized back in 1892 as a forest preserve and park by the state of New York.

The Adirondack region beckons nature lovers, city slickers, and everyone in between all year round, being both winter Wonderland and summer playground.

(upbeat music) The first stop on our Adirondack adventure is the Wild Center in the town of Tupper Lake.

Situated on 115 acres of lush woodland, and dedicated to fostering a sustainable, thriving relationship among the environment and all inhabitants of the Adirondacks.

The museum and educational center provides a welcoming space for my encounter with artist and storyteller, David Fadden.

A member of the Mohawk Nation, one of the original peoples of the region, David, painter and poet, guides us into a space of gratitude for the beauty and bounty of the Adirondacks and our wider world.

(upbeat music) Now, Dave, you grew up here in the Adirondacks.

What does this place mean to you?

- Well, the Adirondacks is just such a beautiful place to begin with and, but it's just my home.

You know, I've moved away a number of times but just these mountains just always call to me and speak to me and where I feel most comfortable.

I feel the most safe.

The air is fresh, the water's clean.

And you know, for me, as a native person, we have a certain connectiveness to the land.

- Sure.

- And also the people and our neighbors.

For me, the Adirondacks is just probably the most beautiful place in the world, but I'm being a little biased.

- It's okay.

It's earned.

(laughing) It's an earned bias.

- Right, here at the Wild Center a number of years ago, they approached me to develop this exhibit here.

And our people have a saying, that's in Mohawk, they say, (speaking in Mohawk).

And that in English means, the words that come before all else.

- Hmm.

- And what that is, is a greetings to the natural world.

Every aspect is addressed and our thoughts are gathered as one.

And we give thanks to those things in the environment.

And in this exhibit, obviously we start with the smallest thing and that's the plant life.

And then you move up to the water, the fish, the turtles, and then you move on up further.

And then you have the trees, the animals, all these things work together in this creation that we live in.

And then you even go further and you talk about the sky, the clouds that bring the rain that replenish the waters, the streams.

You know, you take that water away, we're not here.

And then from the rain, the thunder that comes and you hear it, we say, thank you.

You go even further, and then you talk about the sun and the moon and the stars that guide us at night.

Then you combine all those things in creation.

And just as a collective people we say, thank you.

And acknowledging their existence rather than taking it for granted.

And so you're supposed to do this every day.

And so at any gathering, whether it be political, spiritual, they always say these words first, the Thanksgiving Address.

So that puts our minds as one.

And that we're thankful for being here.

And of course, I forgot to mention that we acknowledge people, not just our people, all people.

And we respect their culture and they hopefully will respect ours and that we will see parallels in our existence, in our lands, our territories.

And hopefully we'll stay in peace.

- [Ernest White II] Sure.

(Ernest taking deep breathe) I got goosebumps, man.

You were preaching Dave.

(both laughing) - I've done this before.

- [Ernest White II] Just three hours north of Manhattan in upper New York state.

The Adirondack Park is a place to get back to nature and go back in time.

Almost half of its 6 million acres is virgin wilderness protected forever by the New York state constitution.

The great American vacation was born here, thanks to a guide book published back in 1869.

And with more than 2000 miles of trails, 2300 ponds and lakes, and 1500 miles of rivers, this is still a great place to escape the daily grind, whether you hike, paddle, water ski, snow ski, snowboard, or fly fish.

(upbeat music) If there's one thing the Adirondacks have it's fahrvergnugen.

And one of the more spectacular drives in the park is the Whiteface Mountain Veterans' Memorial Highway, rising 2,500 feet and ending at Whiteface Castle.

From there, visitors can take a stairway or elevator to the summit.

4,867 feet above sea level, with sweeping views of the Adirondacks and even Canada on a clear day.

Just a few miles Northeast of two-time Winter Olympic host city, Lake Placid, Whiteface hosted the Alpine skiing competition in 1980 and draws skiers from around the world in wintertime.

But we're here in the springtime with sportscaster, John Morgan, who grew up around these parts and preps me for an Olympic afternoon.

John, you grew up out here in Lake Placid.

It's so beautiful.

Why was the winter Olympics held here?

Not once, but twice.

- The founder of the Dewey Decimal System was Melvil Dewey.

He founded the Lake Placid Club in the 1880s-90s.

His son, Godfrey, went over in 1928 to the Winter Olympics in St. Moritz.

And he bid the IOC on bringing the Olympics to North America, Lake Placid in 1932.

And they won.

- Wow.

And this was in the middle of the Great Depression.

- In 1930 Lake Placid built a ski jump, a bobsled run, a speed skating oval, an Olympic arena for $570,000, which is like- - Wow.

- hundred million, 80 million dollars now or something.

- Sure.

- And people are on bread lines just 150 miles away.

It's amazing that Lake Placid could do that at the height of the depression.

- And then in 1980, how did that come about?

- People don't realize it, but Lake Placid won that Olympics by default.

- Okay.

- Lake Placid was like the only bidder.

- Okay.

- So Lake Placid got it 1980 and small town guys going over for a big city environment and the 1980 Olympic games, the USA beat the Russians at hockey and the rest is history.

- (laughing) Now you had your own story with regard to bobsledding.

Particularly around that time, didn't you?

- Yeah.

I didn't make the Olympic team and- - Oh man.

- And I got hired- - Our loss as, as the US (laughing).

- Well there's the good, with the, you know, sometimes the negative to a positive, but I got hired as the researcher at ABC sports.

And then in 1981, they asked me if I was retired and I said, "Why?"

And they said, "We'll hire you as a commentator."

So in 1981, I started my commentary career and I've done it 10 straight Olympics and- - All right!

- had the opportunity to experience the Winter Olympic movement for the last 40 years.

And it's right up my alley.

It's a privilege to represent my sport of bobsledding, but also think from the Lake Placid region, you know, I feel very proud when I tell people I'm from Lake Placid.

- Oh, that's amazing.

So what do you want visitors who come here to the Adirondacks, to Lake Placid to experience?

- It's a special place.

You know, it's the oldest mountains in the world.

It's well preserved.

It's just a beautiful setting.

If you want the outdoors, it's right here.

Let's go and explore some more of it.

- That's right.

Come on.

(upbeat music) Encompassing the venues from the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympic games, the state of the art Lake Placid Olympic Center hosts athletes in training, as well as us commoners, who seek just a taste of Olympic glory.

- Well, this isn't the real bobsled ride, but this is cool.

- A lot of history- - Is it a cool running?

- Could be cool running, (Ernest laughing) but it's going to give you a cool perspective of the history of the track.

- Okay.

- It's been here for 90 years.

As soon as you get off this, you're going to want to go to the real ride next.

- All right.

- Go do it.

(Ernest laughing) - [Ride Operator] Welcome to Cliffside Coaster.

(upbeat music) - All right.

There we go.

- Alrighty.

- Recommended speed 25 MPH.

- Alrighty.

- Ernest, if you don't enjoy it, it's your fault.

- Thanks John.

Woohoo.

(upbeat music) What am I doing, you all?

Coursing along both Olympic bobsled tracks, The Cliffside Coaster is a thrill from start to finish.

(upbeat music) Well all right!

(laughing) - Yes.

- Baby.

(Ernest laughing) - Now you're ready for the big ride.

- All right, let's do it.

- Let's do it.

- Okay.

- [Ernest White II] Also snaking down Mount Van Hoevenberg the Lake Placid bobsled experience whips you around corners at up to 55 miles per hour in a bobsled mounted on rubber wheels.

So a lack of ice is no excuse.

- That's big boy stuff.

- I don't even know what to say to that.

My biggest cause for trepidation is the fact that this is not attached to the track.

- Well, the driver has a lot to do with your future.

- Mm.

Okay, I get it.

- And I think you got to trust this driver.

This guy, these guys are good.

These are pros.

- I'm good being a passenger.

I trust the pilots.

- They're going to strap you in.

And once you start, you can't get out.

- It's like life, basically.

- Yep.

(Ernest laughing) - Okay.

- I want you to meet Bryan Berghorn, Lake Placid native.

- All right, man.

- Bryan, nice to meet you.

- He's been down this track probably more than anybody as a racer, as a racing driver, passenger driver.

- We're going on faith, and hopes and dreams.

Right?

- Alright.

Well- - We'll have a good time.

- Well good luck.

I'll see you at the bottom.

(upbeat music) - There it goes.

(smacking sound) (Ernest barks) (upbeat music) - Woo.

Ah.

Yeah.

Why am I doing this again?

'Cause it's fun.

(faint laughing) (siren rings) All right.

Go!

The world speed record for bobsled is 125 miles per hour you all, in a sled on ice.

If Florida ever mounts a bobsled team, I better be listed as third alternate.

Woo!

That's what I'm talking about.

- 57.67, your time.

- Not bad.

- What would you say to all the speed junkies out there?

You think they'd like this?

- I'd say come to Lake Placid and take the summer bobsled, if it's summertime.

And in the wintertime, get on the real bobsled.

How's that?

- See you this winter.

- See you this winter.

(bell ding) (upbeat music) Early the next morning, we take a short drive, 10 miles up the road from Lake Placid to Wilmington in the emerald shadow of Whiteface Mountain.

Here, the pristine Ausable River, full of trout and strewn with rocks and chasms, courses through the forest on its way to Lake Champlain.

(upbeat music) In the Adirondacks the name of the game is fly fishing.

And The Hungry Trout in Wilmington, is the ne plus ultra of fly shops.

It's also the perfect place to try my hand at the sport.

Coached by fly guy himself, Brandon Seifert.

- Hey man, how you doin?

- Good morning.

Yeah, I know.

- Kind of cold this morning.

- It's chilly and early.

- So I'm, you know, known as fly brother.

I've never fly fished.

- I'll get you fly fishin' in a little bit.

You'll be out there.

You'll be casting.

Maybe even catch a fish.

- Have you paid off the fish?

- I have.

I don't know if I paid 'em off enough.

- It's time to suit up.

- You're going to take your shoes off, leave the pants on.

(both laughing) - [Ernest White II] Tie 'em normal?

(Ernest making suction noises) Let's get fly.

- Fishing.

(both laughing) - Now, anyone who knows me personally, knows that I have the patience of a gnat.

I vaguely remember an aborted fishing trip with my father as a kid.

Still, I don't mind admitting when I'm clueless.

What are we doing?

What am I doing?

- So, feel the waters pushing against ya.

You want to find a spot where they're going to be behind something that's blocking that water.

- And they're just going to be hanging out.

- Yeah.

Just hanging out- - Not swimming.

- They're going to be treading water behind a rock.

- Okay.

- And just looking for food to swim on by.

And that's basically what we're trying to imitate.

Would you rather run on a seven mile an hour conveyor belt and eat food or one mile an hour conveyor belt and eat food.

- I got it.

It is logic.

- It's my job.

- Yes.

- It is logic.

- What you'll want to do is come back, behind your head and then when you go forward, you're going to want to stop about the 10 o'clock position.

And the big thing with fly fishing, is it's a hard stop.

- Okay.

I may end up clubbing a fish.

- That's all right.

- With the (laughing) fishing line by accident.

- Yeah.

Just go ahead and forward cast.

Perfect.

Just like that, yep.

- Oh wait.

That was too much.

- No that's not too much.

That's what you want to do.

Believe it or not.

You really want to give it some movement.

- Hey!

(Brandon laughing) - I'm telling you so many people don't give it that power to get it out.

(upbeat music) - Honestly, there's a true calming contemplative quality to fly fishing.

I didn't feel any pressure at all to catch anything.

I suppose it helped that I wasn't fishing for my supper.

So Brandon, how long have you been taking folks out here and teaching them how to fly fish?

- I've been doing it for about four years now.

I enjoy doing this 'cause it's not just about the fishing.

It's about the atmosphere.

It's about being with your friends, but at the same time coming out and fly fishing by yourself is not too bad, you look up there I mean, there's not a single person up there.

And you can go and fish all that water by yourself and ya think about things at work or not at work- - Meditative.

Meditative.

- Exactly, exactly.

110%.

- Coming out here in the Adirondacks.

It's calm.

It's pristine.

What drew you to the place?

- You really can't beat the setting.

I mean, we're at the base of Whiteface right now, you know, fishing.

And I drive to work every day and pass two open fields with nothing but a huge mountain in front of me.

It's kind of cool, you know.

That draws you to a place like this.

It's untouched wilderness, six million acres forever wild.

It's fantastic.

The big thing is really, I mean the area you're in.

It's not very much found anywhere else in the world.

And I think it reigns true more and more as you get out in nature.

You find you care about the things that you're in, the water that you're around, and kind of keeping it that way by treating it right.

I think matters at the end of the day.

- Do unto others, as you would have them do unto.

- 110%, you know- - Including the environment, - Yes.

- the animals, the earth, the everything.

- Yeah, you got to keep it protected.

- And that's really the foundation of it all.

You know, when we're recognizing each other as human, we treat each other better.

- Exactly.

We treat our environment better.

We treat ourselves better.

- Yes.

- I am with you, man.

- We're not too far away from, a pretty major road like you were saying, but what can you hear?

Birds, water.

Just us.

It's pretty great.

- Yeah.

- You can kind of get your own slice of heaven.

Not too far off.

You don't have to go hiking miles in.

- Yes.

- You don't have to spend thousands and thousands of dollars to do it.

And there's a creek like this in most people's backyards.

So they can go out and fly fish and just enjoy nature.

- Well said, Brandon, you are a fishing philosopher.

- I get a lot of time out here to think about stuff like that, (laughing) so you know.

- Clearly.

- Yes.

- That's fly.

- That is fly.

That is fly.

Fishing.

(both laughing) - While I enjoyed my time on the river with Brandon, his fish bribe didn't exactly work.

I caught nothing.

Oh well, maybe next time.

20 miles to the west, the village of Saranac Lake is the biggest berg in the Adirondacks.

With just over 5,000 residents.

And one of the village's most engaging residents is its mayor, the affable Clyde Rabideau.

Mayor Rabideau naturally proves to be one of the most vocal proponents of the city.

And we sit down for a chat before hitting the streets of Saranac Lake.

These Adirondack chairs.

What's the story behind them?

I mean, they're known around the world.

- You mean the most comfortable chairs in the world were invented here- - I'm cozy.

- in the Adirondacks.

- [Ernest White II] So they say.

- [Mayor Rabideau] Yeah, they're just ubiquitous.

We love them.

It's a symbol.

Everybody knows them.

It's our calling card.

You sit back and it's pure hospitality, Adirondack hospitality in a Adirondack chair.

- I love it.

So mayor, why does Saranac Lake mean so much to you?

- It's the community.

I mean, we really help each other.

We really have fun together.

We enjoy the summers together.

We endure the winters.

In fact, we celebrate the winters.

But when summertime comes, like it's coming right now, the whole world is at our feet.

We stay in the lakes.

We climb our mountains.

We enjoy every second of every day.

- Wow.

That's beautiful.

- It is.

- And it makes you really feel that welcoming vibe, the embracing that the nature and the people have for you when you're visiting.

- Well, it's part of our history.

It's a healing town.

People came here to cure from tuberculosis.

We've always enveloped people, taking care of them.

- Sure.

- Made them part of our families.

And we're all family, el francais (speaking in French).

- Hm.

- Mhm.

- I didn't understand that (laughing).

- In French, we're family.

- No, but I appreciate that.

I'm learning new things every day, including French.

- You've spoken like eight different languages all day today.

I speak one line of French and I throw you for a loop.

- That's true (laughing) (speaking in French) - Okay.

(speaking French) - Tres desolee.

Absolutely.

(both laughing) - So they call Saranac Lake the capital of the Adirondacks.

Why so?

- Well, we're the largest community in the Adirondacks.

And we have the biggest concentration, not just of population, but of jobs, the medical and education.

We have two local colleges.

But moreover, I must say that Saranac Lake is a welcoming community.

Many retirees come here.

Many young people are coming here.

- Sure.

Artists and- - And now that people are working from home, people are trading in their high heels for hiking boots and their briefcases for backpacks.

They're coming to Saranac Lake to really enjoy life.

- I love alliteration and you are a master of it.

Thank you so (laughing) much for delighting me that way.

I appreciate it, Mayor.

(upbeat music) Unlike back on the Ausable, the fish of Saranac Lake, practically throw themselves on your hook.

- Look it!

Look it!

Your line is tight, pull it in.

Pull it in, all right you got one!

Bring it in.

Bring it.

Whoa, baby!

- All right!

- Oh, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa.

Bring it right over here.

- Okay, all right.

- We'll bring him in.

- Look at that.

That's a small mouth bass.

Good job!

- Hey man, thank you.

(Mayor Rabideau laughing) Coursing through town is the Saranac River and Mayor Rabideau thinks it's a good idea for us to go kayaking.

Let's do it.

- Okay.

(upbeat music) - Width on your grip.

(upbeat music) - [Ernest White II] I think this may have been my second time kayaking in my entire life.

So I have to give myself a little credit for not side swiping the mayor.

At least not on camera.

USA, USA, US, I'm ready for the Olympic kayaking team.

Watch me, 2059.

90 minutes to the Southwest, deep amid the trees and lakes of Adirondack Park is the quaint hamlet of Inlet.

Long a destination for day trippers in summer and winter, Inlet has drawn full-time residents like Jill Marsh, owner of the Caboose Panini Shop, who have found their slice of heaven right here in the Adirondacks.

Jill and her dog, Tootsie, take me out for a springtime joy ride on pristine Fourth Lake.

When you invite people to visit, what do you show them here in Inlet?

- First of all, I'm going to answer that by telling you I don't have to invite.

They just, Tootsie.

I don't have to invite.

They just come.

- [Ernest White II] Okay.

- It's fantastic.

- Nice.

- So, what do we show them?

First of all, what we do is enjoy the peace.

If it's summer, we don't do a whole lot of anything.

We float on the lake, like we are here right now, or we'll go on a hike.

There's lots of great local hikes.

We'll go on a kayak trip.

Then we'll just walk up and down our little town.

There's fantastic little shops, and of course the Caboose and other places in and around town that are just fun to go tour and see.

- [Ernest White II] Yeah.

- And then we end up back around the campfire with a cocktail and that's the experience.

- I mean, it sounds like paradise.

- It's crazy.

- Is it?

- So, it is.

It's paradise in that you find peace in it.

You're serving the people who love to come up here.

Everybody who comes to eat a panini is on vacation and they're happy.

They find their peace here.

And we in turn, gain peace from that every day, all day.

It's busy.

It's a different lifestyle than the corporate world we've been living for 25 years, but it's a lot of fun.

- And there are many lakes in the Adirondacks.

There are many peaks.

There are many places that are these jewels.

So then, what makes Inlet so special out of all of these other lovely jewels?

- It's a teeny town with a big heart.

It is not as big as Lake Placid or Saranac or all the wonderful places east, but the 380 people who call it home year round have massive hearts.

And all work together to make it the town that it is.

In the summertime our population explodes with tourists and people who call this home for the summer.

And we love to serve them.

So it's a lot of fun, and we stick together and do it together.

- The tiny town with the big heart in the heart of the Adirondacks.

- That's pretty much what we are.

- That's wonderful.

- Yeah, thank you.

(upbeat music) - Lovely lakes.

Rolling Hills.

Striking mountains.

Lazy afternoons.

Whenever I say, I love New York, I really mean I love the Adirondacks.

You will too.

(upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] Major funding for this program is provided by.

- This is Mayor Ras J. Baraka, welcome to Newark.

(upbeat music) We in Newark, one family, brick city.

- [Announcer] Courageous Conversation Global Foundation promoting racial justice, interracial understanding and human healing.

Additional funding provided by the following.

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