One of our recent Adirondack sightseeing adventures took us to The Wild Center in Tupper Lake, New York.
This summer, The Wild Center is hosting a traveling exhibit of giant trolls created by artist Thomas Dambo, and we had been looking forward to seeing them in person.
The fun part is that the trolls are not lined up inside a gallery.
You have to go looking for them.
Walking through the woods and suddenly coming across one of these huge wooden figures was part of what made the experience so much fun.
They fit into the forest surprisingly well. From a distance, some almost seem like they belong there.
And once we started finding them, we discovered that these weren’t simply giant sculptures. Each troll had a name, a personality, and a little story of its own.
Meeting the Trolls
Ronia Redeye — The Speaker Troll
Ronia is described as the smallest of the group, but she is also a natural leader. She uses words, poems, songs, and stories to help carry her message.
There was something fun about meeting each troll first and then reading the sign to learn a little more about who they were supposed to be.
Basse Buller — The Painting Troll
Next we found Basse Buller, the wild one of the group.
Basse uses stones, leaves, sticks, mud, and whatever else he can find to make his mark.
He definitely looked like a troll who might be getting into a little trouble.
The amount of detail in these sculptures was incredible. The faces, hands, expressions, and layers of wood all gave them their own personalities.
Some looked friendly.
Some looked thoughtful.
And some looked like they were perfectly happy just hanging out in the woods.
Sofus Lotus — The Listening Troll
Sofus Lotus is the listening troll.
His story is about paying attention to the little things—the sounds and small changes in nature that are easy to miss if we are moving too quickly.
That seemed especially fitting in a place like this.
Walking through the woods looking for trolls naturally made us slow down and pay a little more attention to what was around us.
Rosa Sunfinger — The Botanical Troll
Then there was Rosa Sunfinger.
Rosa is the botanical troll, described as quiet and caring toward plants and other green creatures.
Her story is about helping bring life back to places where humans have left things behind.
The setting really added to the experience. These characters didn’t feel like sculptures that had simply been placed beside a trail.
They felt like they had been tucked into the forest for us to discover.
The Troll That Spoke to Me
Of all of them, though, the one I probably identified with the most was Ibbi Pip, the Birdhouse Troll.
Ibbi is described as handy, optimistic, and a friend to all animals.
After seeing humans build little houses to bring birds closer, Ibbi decided to put colorful birdhouses around the woods as a reminder that we share this world with other creatures.
Something about that combination of optimism, animals, and simply trying to make the world around you a little nicer really appealed to me.
I think that was one of the things I enjoyed most about the exhibit.
You could appreciate the trolls simply because they were fun to see, but once you read their stories, each one had a little more meaning behind it.
Kamma Can — The Treasure Troll
Finally, we found Kamma Can.
Kamma sees possibilities where other people might see trash.
Her story is about taking things that have been discarded and imagining what they could become instead of simply throwing them away.
That idea fits especially well with these giant sculptures, where wood and other materials have been turned into something completely unexpected.
A Walk Through the Woods With a Twist
By the time we had found all six trolls, we had walked quite a bit, taken plenty of pictures, and had a lot of fun doing it.
Part of what made the experience enjoyable was that it gave us a reason to wander.
Instead of simply walking a trail from beginning to end, we were looking through the trees, wondering where the next troll might appear.
There was plenty of humor mixed in with the artwork too, which kept the whole experience light and fun.
And more than once, we found ourselves stopping to look at all the little details built into them.
Some of the trolls seemed almost like guardians of the forest.
Others looked like they had simply decided that this was a good place to sit down and stay awhile.
One More Adirondack Adventure
This was a completely different kind of outing from the hikes, scenic drives, lakes, and historic sites we have been exploring around the Adirondacks.
And that is part of what we are enjoying so much about spending time here.
There always seems to be something different waiting to be discovered.
Sometimes it is a quiet trail.
Sometimes it is an old covered bridge.
And sometimes it is a giant wooden troll sitting in the middle of the forest.
We are very glad we went looking for them.
And after meeting all six, we couldn’t help asking ourselves one more question:
Which troll sounded the most like us?
For me, I think it was still Ibbi Pip.
