With the crazy amount of rain we received this week,Greenwood falls (Pitcairn) was running high & hard.

Just a quick hike up Cranberry Lake's Bear Mountain. Temps were in the 30's, and not another soul around. I always enjoy the first snow hike of the season.

The permanent St. Lawrence Orienteering Course officially launched Friday, November 3rd! The course begins at the Wachtmeister Field Station, near the Kip Trail, and highlights some of the interesting geologic features in the surrounding forest. Thanks to everyone who came out to test the course, despite wetter than wanted conditions. We enjoyed seeing students and community members share map and compass skills and bond over a shared appreciation for time spent out wandering the woods.

http://www.summitpost.org/marcy-s-great-chimney-aka-empty-tomb-all-ryle…

Three rock climbs on Mt. Marcy. Full details above.

One of the best kept backcountry secrets is a large vertical trap dike capped with a diagonal car-sized capstone on Mt. Marcy. It is set in a northeastern facing cliff deep in Panther Gorge and looks like a pencil-thin shadow from the summit of Mt. Haystack. This is Marcy’s Great Chimney.

walking to the neighbors to find a strange boy in the wild climbing a new tree.

We found frogs everywhere along the trail along a rainy day, with this large Bull Frog.

Had a pleasant evening time alone with a pair of beavers in the Upper and Lower Lakes WMA area in Canton. The beavers were diving to the pond bottom to pull up what I believe were the tubers of water lily plants and were then munching them while floating on the pond surface. The beavers had absolutely no concerns about my presence and so I was able to take many photos of them. A beautiful sunset enhanced the experience.

We had great weather and great attendance at our Bike Parade on the Remington trail this weekend, the final event of our Trails Series this fall with the Canton Recreation Dept. The Remington trail, a beautiful 3 mile paved loop at the Partridge Run Golf Course outside Canton, is a great spot for biking, birding, and alien encounters - at least it was this week.

Started October with a short walk along the Observation Tower Trail at Indian Creek Nature Center in Canton, NY. This raccoon was up high in a Maple Tree that was just starting to bring its colors out. What was he doing up there? Look closer and you can see he was after the grapes which have grown into the treetops long after the farm is gone. The walked also featured many migrant songbirds including White-crowned Sparrow, warblers, and some very energetic Ruby-crowned Kinglets.

In early October, I came across this really small, young porcupine nibbling at one of the abundant acorns along the trail.