My Family
Every year my family climbs Panther Mountain in Piseco. It has been a tradition of ours since my daughter was two. It is a great hike, easy enough for young kids to do mostly on their own, but still challenging enough to be a bit of a workout toward the top. While the hike is fairly short (around 1.5 miles round trip), it is beyond rewarding. The views at the top are hard to beat. 
Every year we pack a picnic lunch and head to the top. There are lots of great rocks along the way that my kids love to climb on, and meeting people along the way is always fun! We are already thinking about our next trek to the top once everything dries up a bit. 
This made me start to wonder about other people's summer traditions, so I began to ask around and I got some really great answers from people who live right here in the heart of it.
Jamie
Jamie lives in Piseco and her favorite thing to do when summer rolls around is to take her two girls out to hunt for wild blueberries! It is a fun way to get out and get some exercise with sweet treats along the way. If there are any left at the end of your excursion, you might even be able to make some sweet blueberry pancakes or a pie! 
Laura
Laura's favorite summer pastime is taking her paddle board out onto Sacandaga first thing in the morning, and cutting through the glassy surface. There is nothing quite as refreshing as the cool water and fresh air to wake you up. Have you ever wanted to take a shot at stand-up paddle boarding? Check out Raquette River Outfitters rentals! 
Trevor
Trevor and his son live in Speculator and love to take advantage of having all of the Adirondacks as their backyard! They can't wait for summer to get here so they can take out their kayak and find the best place along a river or lake to camp out for the weekend!
While he wouldn't share too many of his secrets, Trevor said that they love to camp anywhere from Wells to Indian Lake. There are lots of great camping areas all over the Adirondacks! 
Adele
Adele is the Tourism Director for the town of Inlet and she and her family have lots of great summer traditions! Saturday nights are family night and they love to stop by Northern Lights for some ice cream and then walk to Arrowhead Park for the free concerts. They also love the chance to hit up their favorite swimming hole up on a warm day. It's a short stroll into the woods from the 7th Lake Boat Launch. Adele also loves to have campfires in her back yard, complete with roasting marshmallows and a few cold beers, enjoying the company of friends who stop by.
Albert
Albert grew up in Raquette Lake, and one of his favorite things about summer is Raquette Lake's Busiest Day, especially the auction benefiting the local fire department and ambulance squad. It is a fun day loaded with tons of stuff to do and you can even bid on, and hopefully win, some great stuff! 
So much to do!
As you can see, there is tons of great stuff to do here! Don't forget all of the great restaurants and lodging properties that open up for the warm-weather season. I'm really looking forward to a delicious soft serve ice cream (chocolate with chocolate sprinkles) when the King of the Frosties ice cream window opens back up!
Adk heritage - the backstory:
http://www.experienceouradirondacks.com/events/
