Welcome wagon as we arrived to camp Saturday! This cicada was molting on our steps!

Went out to camp to clean up my sugaring operation for the season and was treated to nice weather and some nice spring wildflowers (plus ramps, aka wild leeks). First is a red trillium, then spring beauty, then ramps, blue cohosh (I haven't really noticed the lovely but subtle flower on this plant before) and finally trout lily. April showers bring May flowers, after all.

After a brisk night of camping, we set out early for an outing on Wright, Algonquin and Iroquois. Some weather rolled in by the time reached Iroquois, but overall a great day in the mountains in full-on winter conditions. I'm always impressed by the resilience of the spruce/fir trees at high elevation, which remain totally caked in snow and ice throughout the winter.

Great sunset, Santinoni is surely a gem in the Adirondacks.

Great fall sunrise on Little Tupper

A small mountain with big views

We loaded up canoes and kayaks for a paddle to a DEC campsite along the shore of Tupper Lake for an overnight camping trip. We enjoyed a spectacular sunset and clear views of the Milky Way from our site by the lake. A great way to spend one of the last weekends of summer.

Located right behind the campground is this beauty.

We spend a wonderful evening learning how to start a fire by bow drill with Len. Members of the audience were invited to participate and make their own coal. We learned very quickly that it is much more difficult than Len makes it look, and a 100x more difficult than using the sacred BIC! Afterward, we roasted s'mores and learned some traditional Native American and West African rhythms and songs around the campfire! Overall, it was a very enjoyable evening. A special thank you to Len Mackey and all those that attended!