Nice view of Lake Placid from the lookout on top of Whiteface

Landscape 2: The summit of Azure Mountain allows for us to see the Adirondack mountains from an interesting perspective. First off, glacial erratics are a common sight in the Adirondack mountains. There are sizable rocks scattered throughout the mountain range sporadically, reminding us of the glaciers force in moving these rocks. Its formation, known as the Precambrian Shield, gifted the Adirondack mountain range with rocks approximately one billions years old, some of the oldest rocks found on earth.

Freezing rain encased the trees in ice the day before. Spring was encroaching on much of the area, but 3-4 feet of snow still covered the peaks. Our day was one of rain, sleet and snow with temperatures in the 20's F. Route for this venture (Allen Mountain Trailhead - Skylight - Upperworks Trailhead) was about 20 miles over 15 hours. Full details here: http://forums.adkhighpeaks.com/showthread.php?t=21236

Landscape Photo

This is a photo of Whiteface Mountain from the top of Killburne Slide in the Adirondack High Peaks. I like this photo because it is simply a great view of one of the highest peaks in the Adrondacks. The habitat is alpine hardwood forest.

Azure Mountain has a summit of 2,518-feet. It is about an hour drive from Canton, it has a steep incline although it is worth the climb as it has a beautiful view with a fire tower at the top. The climb was interesting as there was a lot of nature to see on the way up we saw........The reason that I chose this picture was because of the experience that I had climbing the mountain, I felt proud of myself at the end of the summit and wanted to immortalize this in photography. The view from the summit is also very beautiful.

I took this picture at the summit of Mt. Azure when we hiked up last Wednesday. It is a landscape shot out over the hills and off into the distance. The mountains here in the ADK park slowly formed into what they are today, and are surprisingly still growing. I was drawn to this picture because I love the colors contrasting between the sky, trees, and snow. It was one of my first hikes up a mountain that had snow on the ground still and therefore its beauty resonated with me. I only wish that the strong winds were visible in the picture.

Habitat: Alpine Zone - 4,098 feet above sea level. Characterized by low pressures, wind, cold, little cover. Direct sunlight.

The Balsam Fir, a soft wood tree found throughout the Adirondack Park, is very resilient to the tough winter conditions experienced. Pictured here is a Balsam encrusted in snow and ice on the summit of Blue Mountain, in Blue Mountain Lake, N.Y. The waxy needles allow the tree to shed snow. In many cases the extreme conditions stunt the trees growth, making the tree grow at a much slower rate that the same species at a lower elevation. The caked trees and sea of clouds make this picture a true inspiration.

Arriving at the summit of Blue Mountain when I hiked it in early December was a spectacular sight. Bellow the summit was a typical Adirondack day— Cold, Gray, and Snowy. However, the last 200' before the summit I began to climb above the clouds. By the time I got to the summit I was completely above the clouds revealing a spectacular sight. Pictured here is the fire tower encrusted in snow and ice.

The beech tree grows most abundantly in North America and Europe where the weather is more temperate. The most prevalent beech in the North Country is the American beach, which is best described as having sleek bark and slender branches with an overall very clean appearance. Beech trees are not commonly found in cities due to the pollution and carbon monoxide emissions. These emissions detract from the pure natural beauty the tree can experience when located in a less urban environment. Currently there are two diseases affecting the Beech tree, mildew and Beech Scale Disease.