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!
SLU Orienteering Course Launch
Do you love outdoor exploration? Wandering around in the woods? New challenges?
Walking the dogs at Downerville State Forest, Harper's Falls
Had a great time exploring the Downerville State Forest trails with a friend (and a few pups) this past weekend. The weather continues to be unseasonably warm, but we weren't complaining and the dogs enjoyed splashing around in Harper's Falls. The beech leaves are still hanging on, but most of the others have fallen by now and the open forest was a beautiful sight.
Surveying Ash Trees on the Kip Trail
This was the third week of this year's Fall Trails Series, and the group spent a beautiful afternoon exploring the St. Lawrence University Kip Trail. We also talked about the Community Ash Tree Survey - a local effort in response to the arrival of emerald ash borer - and mapped some of the many ash trees on the trail. As a bonus, we spied a porcupine in a large red oak along the way!
Panther Gorge: Mt. Marcy: Anorthofright (5.9-)
http://www.summitpost.org/panther-gorge-mt-marcy-anorthofright-5-9/1005…
A long multi-pitch rock climb up the overhangs and obvious white streak of Mt. Marcy's white scar. Steven St. Pierre and I added this route to Marcy on August 27. 2017. ...another 20 hour day in Panther Gorge, but well worth the effort. Follow the link above for a full report and photographs.
St. Lawrence Land Trust Waterfall Walk
On October 21st, the St. Lawrence Land Trust will lead a trip to the Tooley Pond Road waterfalls. These are a spectacular set of waterfalls, each a short walk from the road and each worth visiting. We will explore 4 different waterfalls along the road. The tour is a mix of drives along paved and gravel roads and short, easy walks to the waterfalls. This is an outing for the whole family.
Participants should meet at the ADK Park sign on the western end of the Tooley Pond Rd. at 10 a.m. (about 1.5 miles up the road from Degrasse), The tour should be less than 2 hours total.
Tooley Pond Road 10/15/17
We did a "tour" of the waterfalls for my 21st birthday yesterday. Some of the falls had no trails so there was some bushwhacking but it was still really fun! The views were great.
Trees and Streams: Citizen Science in the Schools
A student shouts— “This one! This one’s ours!” and runs back for a measuring tape. She and her partner have found their assigned maple tree on the school lawn, and are about to record seasonal observations for the first of many weeks this fall. The student, a 7th grader at Norwood-Norfolk Middle School, is participating in Monitor My Maple - one of several citizen science initiatives at Nature Up North.
Fall Trails Series - Bike Parade on the Remington Recreation Trail (Partridge Run)
The Canton Recreation Department is partnering with Nature Up North to provide a Canton Trails Series this fall. Join us each Friday afternoon in October as we feature one of Canton’s beautiful trails! Each Trails Series event will begin with a guided activity (30-45 minutes) after which you will be invited to continue to explore the trail on your own. This family friendly program is open to all, and children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
Scarface Mountain 10/10/27
This is the 5th 6er that I have done. Just like Haystack and Baker I walked right past the summit without even realizing it! The trail up the mountain makes up for the lack of views. You go through a pine forest which goes over a train track and a wooden footbridge. The trail was quite muddy but I went the day after a major rainstorm so that was unavoidable. This was a great trail with lots of chipmunks and quite a few partridges. I would recommend it to anyone who is looking for a bit of a challenge that doesn't mind the lack of views at the top.