I was fixing a fence on our family farm and I came upon a raccoon climbing and peeling the bark down and off of a fence post. I took as many photos as I could before he ran back into the woods.

Pictures from a hike up Mt. Baker.

Photos from the summit of Whiteface.

I was digging in the soil near Hemlock and Yellow birch trees and happened upon these deer truffles, or Elaphomyces species. These are hypogeous fungi, meaning they form their fruiting bodies beneath the leaf litter. Although in the same phylum, these are not the same genus as the gourmet cooking truffles that more people They rely on mammals to dig them up and consume them, dispersing their spores in the feces of the mammals. Some small rodents, such as the Northern Flying Squirrel, rely heavily on fungi in their diet.

Right across from Upstate Medical Center just outside Saranac Lake

We couldn't resist pulling over and doing a photo shoot in the lupines :-)

I love to take out of town visitors up Whiteface by car and then walk up the trail to the summit.

The trails stewards do such a great job of answering questions and helping hikers.