Enjoy an evening of tall tales, true stories, and romantic history through a moderated conversation with three remarkable Adirondack Guides.

Throughout this moderated discussion, you’ll hear about what it take to become an Adirondack guide, their history and traditions, the training required, and favorite exploits and adventures.

On the panel: 

Shane Holmes serves as the IT Coordinator at the ADKX. He is also a NY State Licensed Outdoor Guide, Certified Interpretive Guide, Certified Nature and Forest Therapy Guide, Master Leave No Trace Educator, and New York Master Naturalist. Through ADKX’s membership programs, he leads guided outdoor experiences for museum visitors, helping them connect more deeply with the region’s natural and cultural heritage. In addition to his work at the museum, Shane plays an active role with Homeward Bound Adirondacks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting veterans coping with service-related trauma. With over two decades of experience hiking, paddling, and fishing throughout the Adirondack Park, Shane brings both deep knowledge and a strong sense of stewardship to his work. He is a longtime member of the Adirondack Mountain Club and the Adirondack Forty-Sixers.

Ed Kanze is a naturalist, author, and Adirondack Guide with more than forty years’ experience leading walks in wild places. A former National Park Ranger, he worked at Acadia National Park and Gulf Islands National Seashore, served as Curator of the Trailside Nature Museum in Cross River, New York, taught field ecology for the National Audubon Society, and was senior naturalist at the Teatown Lake Reservation in Ossining, New York. Ed has deep roots in the Adirondacks. His great-great-great-great grandparents Daniel and Hannah Brownell carved a farm out of the woods along the Sacandaga River, ca. 1795.

Ed is the author of many books as well as a longtime nature newspaper columnist, magazine columnist, photographer, lecturer, and videographer. A graduate of Middlebury College, Vermont, Ed is well- traveled in his 6-million-acre Adirondack Mountain backyard and has led international trips to Australia, New Zealand, and Alaska.

Sheila Young has been a licensed guide since 1987. She is a Mount Arab Summit Steward and an active volunteer with the Adirondack 46ers. Sheila is on the Board of Directors and a Mountain Guide and Life Member of the New York State Outdoor Guides Association and a Leave No Trace Educator. She co-owns Adirondack Foothills Guide Service.

Moderated by: Mary Glynn