The village of Saranac Lake lies not far from Lake Placid but has a completely different feel and a different history. Starting in the late nineteenth century it became a focal point for the treatment of tuberculosis in the U.S. One of the foremost research laboratories on the disease was built here, and large numbers of TB sufferers came to live in the area where they underwent treatment with the “fresh air cure”. Curing included spending most daylight hours exposed to the fresh air in all types of weather, and changes in temperature were considered especially beneficial. Although the treatment regime was developed years before the TB pathogen was discovered, many of the patients did improve while “curing” and often they settled permanently in the area.

We visited the museum now housed in the former research lab, where we learned about experiences of patients and the vibrant arts community supported by the many creative people who came to the area as a result of their TB. The museum has a cure porch on wheels that they bring to local schools, but one can see similar porches on many houses throughout the village.

None of us currently needed to be cured from TB, but we did plan to spend most of the day outside regardless. This included an al fresco lunch on the shores of Lake Flower followed by a hike up Mt. Baker to take in more views of the high peaks.

Getting started on the hike was a bit of a gauntlet because the parking is limited, the local police ticket anyone who is even touching the road asphalt, and the strip of land between said road and adjacent Moody Lake is barely wider than a car! But we got our cars parked successfully without dunking them and set off through the wild raspberry bushes and up the mountain.

On the way home from the hike, half our group stopped for ice cream at Donnelly’s (thanks for the tip, Andy!) and the other half picked up wine and beer, which, combined with our takeout Thai food, made for a well-rounded meal. In the evening, a few of us headed into Lake Placid for a concert on Mirror Lake – fresh air and music to boot!