What's Your Nature?
Become a Nature Up North explorer to share your encounters with wild things and wild places in New York's North Country. Post your wildlife sightings, landscape shots, photos from your outings, and even your organization's events!
High Rock Paddle -Star Lake
I spent Columbus Day with a solo kayak trip up the Oswegatchie River (Fine NY) to High Rock. The leaves are well past peak, and the water was REALLY low. I didn't have to carry over anything, but I ran aground several times. The temperature was great considering it's October
Clarksboro Trail- Clare NY
The Clarksboro Trail- Claire NY
I have been trying to get to the Clarksboro Trail since early summer. I had someone ask about the trail, and I’d never heard of it. After a little research, I found that it is a fairly new trail on the 51,950-acre Grasse River Easement Tract. The trailhead is on the north side of the Tooley Pond Road, 2.6-miles from Rt 27 in DeGrasse. The trailhead is marked and starts at gate #1 on an old logging road.
Baldface Mt- Duane NY
Baldface is a short but steep (gains over 1000' in a mile) mountain that is a real gem. The trailhead is virtually unmarked, and there is nothing but a few old ribbons on the trail. It is old school -straight up the mountain, no switchbacks. It had rained the day before and the leaves were very slippery. The steepness got our attention, but the views were awesome from the mountain's bald summit. Debar Mt. is west of the summit and Debar Pond between the two. There is a second lookout that has views south towards Loon Lake Mountain.
Mt Van Hoevenberg- South Meadow Trail (Lake Placid)
It was an uncharacteristically pleasant day for the middle of December in the High Peaks. Virtually no snow, but there was plenty of ice- we used microspike the entire way up and down. This is the older trail that sees much less traffic than the new trail leading from the Olympic complex on the other side of the mountain. Round trip mileage was just under 5 miles with 925' of elevation gain. The day was quite hazy, so the views of the MacIntyre Range were not as spectacular as usual. Still, it's a fairly easy hike (for being in the High Peaks) with some nice views.
Black & Long Ponds- Paul Smiths
A nice easy trek along two Adirondack Ponds- Black and Long. The trails are part of the Pauls Smiths VIC. Three lean-tos along the way are nice to stop and take a few pictures. Total mileage was about 3.4 miles RT.
The Blazing Yule Log
The tradition of burning a Yule log has largely fizzled out in most parts of the world. While holiday cards often feature cute, picturesque birch rounds in the hearth, old-time Yule logs in 6th and 7th century Europe were monster tree trunks that were meant to burn all day, and in certain cultures for twelve continuous days, without being entirely used up.
First Weekend Hike
Start the new year off on the right foot by getting outside with Nature Up North! Join us at Lampson Falls Trailhead at 1:00pm on Sunday, January 2nd to get active and enjoy time in nature the first weekend of the year. The trail is a very leisurely 3 mile loop, however the offshoot to the falls is short but a bit steep. Snow cover will be dependent on weather, but if necessary we have snowshoes available for use - please RSVP if you'd like to borrow a pair, otherwise feel free to bring your own!
We can't wait to get outside in 2022 with you!