On Saturday and Sunday, competitors were drawn all the way from Vermont, New Hampshire, Michigan, and Pennsylvania, in order to participate in the fourth annual Primitive Snowshoe Biathlon event held in Lisbon, NY. It was a beautiful morning, perfect for snowshoeing, shooting, and even some tomahawk throwing. Sponsored by The Fort La Présentation Association and Forsyth’s Rifles, this event was helping to fund the construction of a waterfront recreation trail on Lighthouse Point in Ogdensburg, NY.

We had a lovely, but very cold weekend in the Adirondacks! Both days the temperature remained in the negatives, but that didn't stop us from enjoying some beautiful views and nature walks.

The summit was socked in, but we still enjoyed trail side streams and rock formations on a winter hike on Ampersand. Snow conditions ranged from slush at the trailhead to windswept ice on top.

Went for a quick jaunt up Mt. Baker in Saranac Lake. After a warm December there was finally a dusting of snow on the ground. Near the top the trail was coated in ice and we were glad to be wearing micro-spikes. Nice views of town and the High Peaks from the summit.

I went on a walk and came across a series of tracks on the ground. Looking closer, I was able to see that the tracks were from a deer, dog, and human footprint. The picture of the single track is of a domestic dog and it was defined really well in the sandy soil. Have you noticed any tracks around your house lately? Do you know what animals made them? I loved seeing these tracks because they told me a story about the kinds of animals that live near me but I don't often get to see!

These images are from almost exactly a year ago at Mount Arab... Looks a little different this year, huh? When will the snow arrive?

My mom and i hiked up Azure Mountain on Thanksgiving morning to see the sunrise and it was spectacular! We hiked up in the dark and the trail was pretty icy, but it was worth the climb! We sat and watched the sunrise on a big rock and the view from atop Azure mountain never ceases to amaze me.

A year ago, I was living in the yurt village of the Adirondack Semester on Lake Massawepie, outside of Tupper Lake. There was two feet of snow on the ground, and we had to break the inches of ice that covered the lake in order to canoe across. Today, it is nice enough for me to sit outside and eat my soup wearing only a sweater; it is unseasonably warm for a North Country November.

Bouldering at McKenzie Pond Boulders outside of Saranac Lake. It was a perfect crisp day in an erratic field of glacial boulders. They are granite gneiss; a high grade metamorphic rock formed under intense heat and pressure. Fascinating stuff.

My mom and I hung out at Chapel Pond this past weekend and we were surprised at how warm it was! We also noticed that most of the leaves were off the trees there. It was a beautiful morning.