Last week, I bundled up, and took off for my favorite little town park. Hiking through thigh-high deep snow, I made my way from the parking lot to the river. For the week prior we had been in -15ºF weather, so most of the river was frozen over. But with the warmer air, a low layer of fog lay over the river, swirling with the currents.
The "Foggy River" slideshow are a series of pictures trying to capture that. Unfortunately, the weather was still bitterly cold, and with the wind I couldn't keep my hands out of my gloves for very long. That meant I didn't get many pictures. I've now purchased a set of very warm liners which allow me to use my camera with them on!
Hawaii
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Birds
For Christmas my parents gave me this amazing telephoto zoom lens. The photos of the birds on the feeder are from that lens, taken from either the family room, or my bedroom. It's got some amazing capabilities.
Birds have always been something my family has shared. One birthday my parents gave me a set of binocs and a bird guide. Throughout my childhood I learned to identify birds, mimic some calls, and admire them. I guess it's only fitting that birds were the first thing I used my new lens for.
Enjoy!!
Birds have always been something my family has shared. One birthday my parents gave me a set of binocs and a bird guide. Throughout my childhood I learned to identify birds, mimic some calls, and admire them. I guess it's only fitting that birds were the first thing I used my new lens for.
Enjoy!!
Snowy Parks and Icy Conditions
My apologies for the great delay in posts. I was out of the Adirondack area for about a month, and otherwise occupied! So I'm catching up with posts, and taking more adventures to share with you all.
The slideshow labeled "Snowy Parks" is from my walk around our little town park. The pictures weren't as clear as I would have hoped, as I went around dusk, and the light was failing.
In town a couple of the businesses decorate the trees with Christmas lights, and a few of the pictures are from those trees. Just seeing the snow covered pine branches made me want to sing some warm carols.
The slideshow labeled "Icy conditions" is from the day after. We had some freezing rain, and I really wanted to capture the look of the frozen branches. Every individual pine needle was incapsulated in ice, and it was quite beautiful. It's amazing how simple and beautiful nature is.
The slideshow labeled "Snowy Parks" is from my walk around our little town park. The pictures weren't as clear as I would have hoped, as I went around dusk, and the light was failing.
In town a couple of the businesses decorate the trees with Christmas lights, and a few of the pictures are from those trees. Just seeing the snow covered pine branches made me want to sing some warm carols.
The slideshow labeled "Icy conditions" is from the day after. We had some freezing rain, and I really wanted to capture the look of the frozen branches. Every individual pine needle was incapsulated in ice, and it was quite beautiful. It's amazing how simple and beautiful nature is.
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Snowy Hike Story
For the past few weeks I've been aching to hike up to a fire tower near by. The path isn't too bad, but I've had some issues with my knee preventing me from any steep hikes. So today I drove the 45 minutes to the trail head.
Here there's barely a dusting of snow. The more I traveled north though, the more accumulation there was. When I finally turned onto the dirt road taking me the 7 miles down to the trailhead I felt like I was driving at home, 20 mph, and in the middle of the road. There was probably about 6 inches on the road, and being dirt it was just compacted snow.
It was a bit nerve-wracking, looking at my gas gauge reading a quarter tank, knowing I was in the middle of nowhere. I figured I may not be able to hike the path, but I at least wanted to try.
Finally crunching through the snow into the parking lot at the trail I felt excited. Getting out of the car the snow was halfway up my shins! Thankfully I put my long underwear on under my jeans, and brought a hat and gloves, so I was all prepared to go. I strapped my camera case over my back, locked up the car, and hit the trail.
To find the trail I just followed the tracks of the hikers in front of me. Actually, without those it would've taken me a good half-hour just to find it! About 100 yards into the path there was a small registration booth, pretty typical for trails around here. In a pull-down section there's a registration book you sign with your name, address, and phone number, so the police know if anyone is still on the trail.
After signing in I made my way up the path. It's pretty level at the beginning, but that didn't matter. Usually when hiking the paths are rough, with roots and rocks. Imagine that all covered in a foot of powdery snow. I tried following the footsteps of the people who had passed through earlier, but my footing slipped quite a few times making the walk slow and scary. It's like walking blindfolded.
After passing by a picnic bench and fire pit, the trail seemed to peter off. I made my way up the only clear area. The path became increasingly difficult as the incline steepened. At only a half mile into the path I realized it was far too dangerous to be hiking in the snow. I couldn't quite make out the path, and I was having a very difficult time keeping my footing under the slippery conditions.
On my way back down I took many of the pictures below. Now I'm home safe, and about to go take a hot shower! I'm still chilled through!
Here there's barely a dusting of snow. The more I traveled north though, the more accumulation there was. When I finally turned onto the dirt road taking me the 7 miles down to the trailhead I felt like I was driving at home, 20 mph, and in the middle of the road. There was probably about 6 inches on the road, and being dirt it was just compacted snow.
It was a bit nerve-wracking, looking at my gas gauge reading a quarter tank, knowing I was in the middle of nowhere. I figured I may not be able to hike the path, but I at least wanted to try.
Finally crunching through the snow into the parking lot at the trail I felt excited. Getting out of the car the snow was halfway up my shins! Thankfully I put my long underwear on under my jeans, and brought a hat and gloves, so I was all prepared to go. I strapped my camera case over my back, locked up the car, and hit the trail.
To find the trail I just followed the tracks of the hikers in front of me. Actually, without those it would've taken me a good half-hour just to find it! About 100 yards into the path there was a small registration booth, pretty typical for trails around here. In a pull-down section there's a registration book you sign with your name, address, and phone number, so the police know if anyone is still on the trail.
After signing in I made my way up the path. It's pretty level at the beginning, but that didn't matter. Usually when hiking the paths are rough, with roots and rocks. Imagine that all covered in a foot of powdery snow. I tried following the footsteps of the people who had passed through earlier, but my footing slipped quite a few times making the walk slow and scary. It's like walking blindfolded.
After passing by a picnic bench and fire pit, the trail seemed to peter off. I made my way up the only clear area. The path became increasingly difficult as the incline steepened. At only a half mile into the path I realized it was far too dangerous to be hiking in the snow. I couldn't quite make out the path, and I was having a very difficult time keeping my footing under the slippery conditions.
On my way back down I took many of the pictures below. Now I'm home safe, and about to go take a hot shower! I'm still chilled through!
Hike Sandstone
Last weekend I wanted to go hiking, and upon the suggestion of a friend, I decided to hike another trail along the river. The pictures below are from the trip. You can start from a few different spots, but I decided to start at the halfway point and hike the northern end of the trail.
It follows the river from an intake, along the penstock, past the power plant, and then onto an island (which is really a peninsula). It was raining throughout, so I kept my hood up, and watched my step, but it was gorgeous!
Finishing up the trail I walked along the road next to the penstock back to my car. I always look forward to these little day trips, because it pulls me from artificial and places me back in the real world.
It follows the river from an intake, along the penstock, past the power plant, and then onto an island (which is really a peninsula). It was raining throughout, so I kept my hood up, and watched my step, but it was gorgeous!
Finishing up the trail I walked along the road next to the penstock back to my car. I always look forward to these little day trips, because it pulls me from artificial and places me back in the real world.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Oh Canada, and hike.
My apologies for not posting stories on my most recent trips. It's been a busy few weeks. In any case...
Oh Canada:
A few weekends ago I traveled to Prescott, Canada to house-sit/visit with a friend. It was a great weekend, you should see some pictures below.
I wish it was legal to stop a car on the bridge so I could take a picture looking down the span, but the customs officers gave me a hard enough time. I know, I know... I just appear to be such a trouble maker (no comments from the peanut gallery, if you please).
Anyway, I had a great time. It was nice to be able to go for a hike in a small town, and walk along the St. Lawrence Seaway for a bit. I have to admit it was cold, so the walk was very short.
Hiking
The following weekend I went on a hike along Stone Valley. It's a 4 mile hike (I believe) along the river. Weaving in and out of the woods, and up and down hills it was a great hike. The trail starts at the power plant/dam in one town, and follows the river downstream.
From the pictures you can see the water was rampant, and there were signs everywhere telling people to stay away from the river, as it rose without warning. It was a gorgeous walk.
Alright, I have more stories, but I'll post more pictures, and then tell the accompanying stories.
Oh Canada:
A few weekends ago I traveled to Prescott, Canada to house-sit/visit with a friend. It was a great weekend, you should see some pictures below.
I wish it was legal to stop a car on the bridge so I could take a picture looking down the span, but the customs officers gave me a hard enough time. I know, I know... I just appear to be such a trouble maker (no comments from the peanut gallery, if you please).
Anyway, I had a great time. It was nice to be able to go for a hike in a small town, and walk along the St. Lawrence Seaway for a bit. I have to admit it was cold, so the walk was very short.
Hiking
The following weekend I went on a hike along Stone Valley. It's a 4 mile hike (I believe) along the river. Weaving in and out of the woods, and up and down hills it was a great hike. The trail starts at the power plant/dam in one town, and follows the river downstream.
From the pictures you can see the water was rampant, and there were signs everywhere telling people to stay away from the river, as it rose without warning. It was a gorgeous walk.
Alright, I have more stories, but I'll post more pictures, and then tell the accompanying stories.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Friday, October 17, 2008
Biking through the cemetery
This past Monday I biked from my place up to a local cemetery. On Sunday I had kayaked past it, and it looked like a gorgeous, calm place, so I thought I'd bike there to check it out. It was about a 6 mile round trip, but it was a gorgeous ride. My camera could not do the changing leaves justice for just how brilliant their colors were.
It wasn't a long trip, though it was mainly hills, which are both fun and a bunch of work. Unfortunately I haven't been able to take any more fun adventures with the start up of work and classes again. Hopefully this weekend.
"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." John Muir
It wasn't a long trip, though it was mainly hills, which are both fun and a bunch of work. Unfortunately I haven't been able to take any more fun adventures with the start up of work and classes again. Hopefully this weekend.
"I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in." John Muir
Monday, October 13, 2008
Kayaking trip up the river
On day two of my fall recess I decided I really wanted to go kayaking. I placed a phone call down to the local outdoor gear shop "downtown" and they said they were closed doing inventory, but if I came down they'd let me rent a kayak. They were beyond nice. I rented the kayak, one of the store's employees let me borrow a dry bag for my gear (his own personal bag), and another employee helped me carry it down to load it into the river. To top it off, they gave me their cell number to call so when I was done someone could help me carry it back to the store.
The weather was gorgeous; low 70's, bright and sunny, some clouds but not many. Paddling up river I meandered between the many islands. Sometimes there were barriers every so often, most looking to be man made, but there was always a cut-through somewhere.
The river bed is sandy in many places, and usually muddy. The river is very deep in places and extremely shallow in others. Sometimes I got stuck on the sandbars, but with a little maneuvering was able to make it back to deeper water. When I wast stuck on one of the sandbars I looked down to see trails in the sand. The trails reminded me of those made by moonshells off the beaches of Cape Cod. Following one of the paths I found a fresh-water mussel. I picked it up out of the water and it pulled it's foot back inside the shell. Looking around I found at least 3 dozen more. I left them where they were. Not good eats.
The river is spotted with many islands, and I could have spent a few hours exploring. Passing by the shore in one place I noticed a few people walking along the path at what looked to be a cemetery. They said hi and told me it looked like the perfect day for a paddle! I only saw a few others actually out on boats, but the river is wide enough in places to seem like a lake that we never really crossed paths.
Around 500 Canadian geese honked and floated in the river. I heard a few blue jays sqwaking from nearby trees, and saw half a dozen great blue herons, a few in flight with their long slender legs trailing behind them.
It was the perfect day for a paddle. Returning back to land I called up the shop, pulled the kayak back up to dry land, and within a few minutes another worker came and helped me carry it back to the shop. Of course that is a 3 minute walk or so up the main drag downtown, and I can't tell you how many odd stares we received from passers-by.
The weather was gorgeous; low 70's, bright and sunny, some clouds but not many. Paddling up river I meandered between the many islands. Sometimes there were barriers every so often, most looking to be man made, but there was always a cut-through somewhere.
The river bed is sandy in many places, and usually muddy. The river is very deep in places and extremely shallow in others. Sometimes I got stuck on the sandbars, but with a little maneuvering was able to make it back to deeper water. When I wast stuck on one of the sandbars I looked down to see trails in the sand. The trails reminded me of those made by moonshells off the beaches of Cape Cod. Following one of the paths I found a fresh-water mussel. I picked it up out of the water and it pulled it's foot back inside the shell. Looking around I found at least 3 dozen more. I left them where they were. Not good eats.
The river is spotted with many islands, and I could have spent a few hours exploring. Passing by the shore in one place I noticed a few people walking along the path at what looked to be a cemetery. They said hi and told me it looked like the perfect day for a paddle! I only saw a few others actually out on boats, but the river is wide enough in places to seem like a lake that we never really crossed paths.
Around 500 Canadian geese honked and floated in the river. I heard a few blue jays sqwaking from nearby trees, and saw half a dozen great blue herons, a few in flight with their long slender legs trailing behind them.
It was the perfect day for a paddle. Returning back to land I called up the shop, pulled the kayak back up to dry land, and within a few minutes another worker came and helped me carry it back to the shop. Of course that is a 3 minute walk or so up the main drag downtown, and I can't tell you how many odd stares we received from passers-by.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Bike trip
Hello everyone! Today marks day two of my fall break. I decided not to make the trip home for this break, due to my frequent travels home this semester thus far. It's a long drive for just a weekend. So instead I'm staying here just laying low for a weekend. So far it's been an amazing break.
Yesterday I woke and got the urge to go for a bike ride. But not just a bike ride. A 10 mile long bike ride! It was a lot of fun. The path took me to a town 5 miles down the road. The town is situated on the same river, and the entire area is in full fall bloom. For the path back I took a small county route, which took me down a few amazing hills.
A smile was plastered on my face each time I was racing downhill. Of course that smile faded a little when I would have to walk my bike near the top of the other hill...
The entire trip was a blessing. Just as I turned back onto the main drag into town I got a sharp pain in my knee. Thank goodness I was really close to town so if it had continued to bother me I could've just walked my bike. Couldn't walk into any of the main stores though... covered in grease and sweat. Pleasant.
The pictures below are from my trip. Enjoy!
Yesterday I woke and got the urge to go for a bike ride. But not just a bike ride. A 10 mile long bike ride! It was a lot of fun. The path took me to a town 5 miles down the road. The town is situated on the same river, and the entire area is in full fall bloom. For the path back I took a small county route, which took me down a few amazing hills.
A smile was plastered on my face each time I was racing downhill. Of course that smile faded a little when I would have to walk my bike near the top of the other hill...
The entire trip was a blessing. Just as I turned back onto the main drag into town I got a sharp pain in my knee. Thank goodness I was really close to town so if it had continued to bother me I could've just walked my bike. Couldn't walk into any of the main stores though... covered in grease and sweat. Pleasant.
The pictures below are from my trip. Enjoy!
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