The biggest table at camp
The Lodge is where everybody ends up. It’s the main house — a two-story place tucked into the trees, with a green metal roof and back and side decks. There’s a fire pit out front with a ring of Adirondack chairs, and a stone retaining wall built into the slope behind it.
Inside, the kitchen opens onto a dining table long enough to seat the whole crowd, and the living room and game room are well stocked with vintage prints, old snowshoes, and plenty of games — good company for a rainy afternoon.
The downstairs bedroom has its own little deck with stairs down into the woods, and there are four more bedrooms scattered through the house, including a bunk room for the kids, young or old. It shares a driveway with the Cabin, so you’ll see everyone coming and going.
The Kitchen
From the moment they saw the house, the first thing Karen wanted to do was rescue the kitchen from the 1980s. She just had to wait for the right opportunity—namely, for Tony to leave the country. So, while he was away on a business trip to Germany, Karen got to work. By the time he came home, the ’80s kitchen was gone and a warm, traditional Adirondack-style kitchen had taken its place. Tony learned an important lesson: leaving Karen alone at Camp for too long can get expensive.
Dining Room
Karen had the 10-foot table, along with two 18-inch extensions, and bench handcrafted by a craftsman in Vermont. The wood was reclaimed from a convent in Pennsylvania—where we suspect it saw a lot less wine and heard far fewer inappropriate stories than it does at Camp Two Step.
Living Room
When we bought Camp Two Step, we pictured it mostly as a summer escape, long days on the lake, dinners outside and evenings around the campfire. Then winter arrived. We quickly discovered that the cozy living room, with its old stone fireplace and comfy couches, might be one of the best places at camp. When it’s cold outside and the fire is going, there’s really no better place to hunker down, settle in and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate.
While Karen patiently waits to transform this corner of the living room into a cozy reading nook, it makes a pretty spectacular work-from-home spot—with a view that makes it very easy to forget you’re supposed to be working.
The Game Room
The game room is home to some of Camp Two Step’s finest entertainment: a dartboard handcrafted by the family from exactly 1,404 wine corks (and yes, every bottle was dutifully consumed by the D’Ags family and friends over the past three decades), a piano that’s always ready for a slightly off-key sing-along, and a pool table that’s every bit as wonky as the stairs down to the lake. The table has a definite favorite pocket—play a few games and see if you can figure out which one it is.
Downstairs Bedroom
We have plenty of ideas for turning this bedroom into a true Adirondack retreat. Unfortunately, we also have about a thousand other ideas ahead of it on the Camp Two Step project list. For now, it’s perfectly comfortable—and patiently waiting its turn.
More bedrooms & the bunk room
After recently adding a shower to the upstairs bathroom, and Karen surprising Tony by dividing the oversized bunk room into a new bedroom (blue bed above) and a more reasonably sized bunk room (below, including three queen beds), she’s agreed to patiently wait on her plans for built-in bunks. Not because she’s run out of ideas, but because she’s reluctantly admitted that on this particular project she will actually need Tony’s help.
Getting to the beach
Access to the beach and dock is via about 75 rustic camp-style stairs that descend the bank to the lake. In true Adirondack camp fashion, they are steep, narrow, and a bit wonky, but they lead directly down to the private beach. Guests generally enjoy the short walk to the water, but the stairs may be challenging for anyone with mobility concerns.
After dark
On a clear night, the sky over the Lodge is full of stars.
Outside
The highlight of the front yard is easily the fire pit—a favorite gathering spot once the sun goes down. It’s made for Adirondack evenings with a crackling fire, a few drinks, s’mores, good stories and absolutely no reason to go inside.
During your stay, you may be lucky enough to spot our favorite raccoon, Gusicca. She was originally named Gus, until we discovered that “he” was actually a very pregnant “she.” A quick name adjustment later, Gusicca officially joined the Camp Two Step family. She occasionally makes an appearance, usually on her own terms.
