09/08/2026
“I’ve done this probably thousands of times,” says 65-year-old Kenis Sweet. He’s just walked across a bridge on the beginner section of a treetop ropes course, hands free.
Most people, he notes, need to hold on to something. But Sweet is a pro – he’s worked here, at Adirondack Extreme in Bolton Landing, since it opened in the 2000s.
Sweet does treetop rescue, which is just what it sounds like: when someone gets scared, gets stuck midair, or has a medical issue, Sweet gets them back to safety on a platform, or down to the ground.
After nearly 20 years here, Sweet knows the rhythm of this place. He recognizes the families that come back every year, and the kids he’s watched grow up. Sometimes, he can tell when someone’s in trouble just by the sound of the zipline.
“You know what the proper sound sounds like, and you learn to just ignore it,” says Sweet. “But sometimes, you hear a different sound, and it makes you turn your head and look and say, ‘Something’s not right there.’”
You can read or listen at the link.
Reporting by Ana Williams-Bergen for North Country at Work project.
https://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/53903/20260903/north-country-at-work-hanging-out-with-a-treetop-rescuer-in-the-adirondacks
