Peak weekend, decided to go hiking with a few friends, the high peaks were too crowded with hikers so decided to take a smaller trail. Found some unique features along the way. Now, I am halfway complete with the Saranac 6...

Had the best time hiking up St. Regis! A sunny day, broke out my snowshoes, it was quite chilly. Not too challenging of a hike except for one short, steep bit. Definitely recommend, especially on a winter day like this one!

Had a lovely but bitterly cold day (although the shining sun helped) hiking Baker Mountain, one of the Saranac Sixers. Very nice hike, close to Saranac lake with lovely views. 

Sunset Hike on Mount Arab, lots of bugs, but the view was worth it. 

A gorgeous afternoon for a kayak on the Grasse, thanks to SLU’s canoe shack! The first signs of fall are starting to show in the yellowing of leaves. Spotted a few turtles sunning themselves, lots of frogs hanging out on the algae, a few remaining flowers. Followed two belted kingfishers up the river for a while, but they just wouldn’t pose for a good photo. A beautiful day!

A fellow classmate and I had a joyous time skiing around the St. Lawrence University Golf Course, sticking to the track for a while until we came upon a wooded area we wanted to explore, where we broke trail, took a quick nap on a log, and appreciated the serenity of it all. I love mixing up some speedy track skiing with slowing down and appreciating the way the snow settles on the trees or how the giant, fluffy flakes puff up around me when I fall.

The October sunset as viewed from the watchtower at Mt. Arab summit. It is a fairly easy and family-friendly hike that clocks in at just under 2 miles round trip. The views on a clear day are spectacular, and the watchtower has maps to help identify the foothills as well as Arab and Tupper Lake. The foliage peaks around mid-October as captured here!

Sunday was a dark and dreary day, but not cold or stormy- so we visited Mt Arab in Piercefield. The trail is hard-packed and microspikes are perfect right now. The visibility was only about 100 feet, so the normally great views were absent. The now-retired fire tower usually offers even greater views, but not today.

This is my all-time favorite trek in the Adirondacks. The paddle is along the Bog River (Piercefield) from Low's lower dam to the upper. From Hitchens Pond, we hiked to the overlook which gives amazing views of the Bog River basin, the High Peaks and the Horseshoe Lake wild forest. On the paddle out, we spotted a nice bull moose along the water's edge. The leaves are not quite peaked yet, but probably will be within the next week or so. The trips total mileage is about 8.5 miles (boat & boots combined).

We lucked out with a beautiful day for Peak Weekend and got some amazing views from Avalanche Pass and the summits of the MacIntyre Range. Some trees were changing down in the valleys but still lots of green, except some of the grasses up in the alpine zone.