Nessmuk was the pen name of George Washington Sears (December 2, 1821-May 1, 1890). He was a sportswriter for Forest and Stream magazine in the 1880s and an early conservationist. His stories popularized self-guided canoe camping tours of the Adirondack lakes in open, lightweight solo canoes and what is today called ultralight camping. He died on Mount Nessmuk, Pennsylvania.