Courtesy Legacy Labyrinth
By Paul Post
Christine Powers founded Asa Adirondack during the COVID-19 pandemic to create a haven where people could find rejuvenation, calm and unity away from the pressures of politics and daily life.
In Latin, the name Asa means refuge and sanctuary.
On Aug. 1, Powers and her husband, Larry, welcomed dozens of guests to their 100-acre Johnsburg property to help dedicate a new Legacy Labyrinth, a new tourist attraction.
“The popularity of the labyrinth is evident from the increase in website traffic for Asa Adirondack, reaching up to 4,000 visitors in a single day since the ribbon-cutting ceremony,” said Gina Mintzer, Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce executive director. “The positive response demonstrates the hunger for experiences that offer peace, connection and self-discovery.
‘To date more than 500 visitors have walked the Adirondack Labyrinth, which represents a powerful testament to the potential for innovative and mindful tourism projects to unite communities, inspire individuals and create a sense of hope and unity amid global challenges and divisions.”
Beginning last year, labyrinth enthusiasts from throughout the U.S. and overseas dedicated more than 3,400 volunteer hours to build the project, designed by Tony Christie of Ireland, who has done more than 100 such attractions around the world.
Larry Powers, owner of the former Albany-based Tech Valley Builders, managed construction with help from Christine’s brother-in-law, Tom Hofmeister, who has a double engineering degree from Carnegie-Mellon.
Precisely measured paths from the starting point to the labyrinth’s center are lined with 1.1 miles of black plastic landscape edging material.
The Powers had 250,000 pounds of crushed stone hauled in to create a base for the 70-foot diameter labyrinth in addition to 120 yards of topsoil. More than 1,300 large rocks along pathways came from their property.
Their home is in the hamlet of Bakers Mills, a few miles west of the intersection of Route 8 and Route 28 in Wevertown.
The quiet, somewhat remote destination is worlds apart from the overwhelming Lake George summer tourism scene. Adirondack Labyrinth brings visitors to another part of Warren County where there are few other attractions, other than Gore Mountain’s winter ski season in nearby North Creek.
The Town of Johnsburg provided a grant to help fund the project.
“We feel very supported and we know we’re very unique so we’re optimistic about everyone getting on board to help make this fly,” Christine Powers said. “It’s considered the first ‘mindfulness’ tourist attraction in all of the Adirondacks, something built specifically to attract a particular type of tourist that is different.”
“The practice of mindfulness, which happens on the labyrinth, is a way of working with your mental state to calm the physical body and calm the thoughts,” she said. “When you walk the labyrinth your parasympathetic nervous system reboots, your cortisone heart rate and blood pressure levels drop, so there are physical benefits. That’s what happens with mindfulness, you actually work with your mind in a specific way to calm everything.”
Guests are encouraged to make online reservations before visiting. People may take free, self-guided tours or sign up for a guided one-hour tour, with an option for food included. The pristine property has ponds and half-day passes are available to explore trails with outstanding views of the High Peaks.
“The opening of the Adirondack Labyrinth in Bakers Mills marked a significant milestone in the region’s tourism and community development efforts,” Mintzer said. “The labyrinth, situated within the Asa Adirondack property, is hailed as a mindful tourist attraction and a ‘soft adventure sanctuary.”
Adirondack Labyrinth is said to be an exact replica of one built in 1203 at the Chartres Cathedral in France, but at 70 feet in diameter it’s even 28 feet wider. There are more than 6,000 known labyrinths in the world, but the new one is one of just seven Legacy Labyrinths, built with detailed specifications and materials, according to the owners.
“Ours is considered a Medieval classic, 11-circuit labyrinth,” Christine Powers said. “If you think about the rings of a tree, each circuit is a ring. So there’s 11 layers into the labyrinth’s center. We wanted to join Legacy Labyrinth Project and pay for it because we wanted to be known as a labyrinth that stood for peace and healing in the world.”
Labyrinth visitors are asked to make a $10 donation, “if you can afford it. If not, no problem,” Larry said. “That’s not what it’s about. We want you to walk it.”
“I think labyrinths are really having a moment,” Christine said. “We’re riding that wave and we’re very optimistic that this is going to become a significant kind of attraction. And we’re still going. We’re going to keep expanding. We’re going to add other things to it in the future.”
For information go to: www.adirondacklabyrinth.com.