September + October 2019 ADIRONDACK LIFE 55
Orra A. Phelps was a physician—she once made a late-night house call to a backcountry lean-to,
stitching up a camper who had slashed his ankle with an ax—as well as a naturalist, guidebook editor,
teacher and explorer. In 1928 Phelps trekked 100 miles through the heart of the Adirondacks, keeping
a record of the diverse plant life along the way. She became the Adirondack Mountain Club’s onsite
ranger/naturalist in the 1960s and established a museum and interpretive trail at Heart Lake.ORRA A. PHELPS
18951986