Essays, field notes, and mountain-side observations.
Short journal dispatches, fuller essays, practical field notes, and eventually galleries, maps, and richer trip context — ordered newest first.
Mountain Pond Reborn
TL;DR: TL;DR: When the first open water shows up in the Adirondacks, brook trout, mud, thaw, and quiet all come back at once.
Ice-out pond fishing in the Adirondacks carries that first honest feeling of renewal after a long winter, with brook trout, cold mornings, and a little grace in the thaw.
Stillwater Fire Tower in the Secret Season
TL;DR: An easy shoulder-season climb with open woods, clear light, and a tower view that pulls Tug Hill, the High Peaks, and the Fulton Chain into one frame.
A quiet spring walk to the Stillwater Fire Tower, where leafless woods, shallow valleys, and wide views reveal the Adirondacks in their most stripped-back form.
Blue Mountain
TL;DR: Blue Mountain in deep winter delivers a packed trail, strange snow pillars, and one of the Adirondacks' best fire tower views.
Winter climb up Blue Mountain with field notes, conditions, and summit impressions.
Backpacking Siamese Ponds
TL;DR: Fall overnite trip to explore the Siamese Ponds Wilderness
A full-pack walk over Eleventh Mountain and along the Scandaga leads into one of those Adirondack routes that keeps getting better the farther in you go.
Mount Arab Fire Tower Hike: A Rewarding 1-Mile Summit Near Long Lake, NY
TL;DR: Short hike, real payoff: Mount Arab delivers classic fire-tower character and a family-friendly summit experience.
A short Adirondack summit with a historic fire tower, broad views, and an approachable climb near Long Lake.
Bald Mountain Reveal (Again)
TL;DR: A classic Adirondack repeat hike: Bald Mountain remains rewarding because the route, rock, and summit reveal all still work.
A return to Bald Mountain / Rondaxe near Old Forge, where familiar stone, elevation, and open views still deliver.
Exploring Morgan Hill: A Winter Hike Adventure
TL;DR: Morgan Hill is less about peak-bagging and more about the pleasure of quiet ground, side paths, and winter solitude.
A quieter regional outing near Tully focused on hidden corners, lean-tos, streams, and winter solitude rather than marquee summits.
Good Luck Cliffs
TL;DR: Good Luck Cliffs leans into winter texture — snowshoe travel, moderate challenge, and a scenic Adirondack reward.
A winter-focused look at Good Luck Cliffs near Caroga, framed as a snowshoe outing with scenic payoff and moderate effort.
End of the Road - Speculator, NY
TL;DR: A quiet, easy first backpacking trip into the southern Siamese Ponds Wilderness, defined by wet trails, Long Pond camping, wildlife, and the understated charm of a less-traveled Adirondack landscape.
This post recounts a first backpacking trip into the southern Siamese Ponds Wilderness from the end of the road near Speculator. The route to Long Pond was an easy out-and-back with little elevation change, though mud, wet ground, and beaver flooding kept it interesting. More than anything, the trip is remembered for its quiet atmosphere, small wildlife and landscape details, and the mix of trail encounters that made this less-traveled corner of the Adirondacks feel welcoming and worth returning to.
Return to Upper Works
TL;DR: Return overnighter from Upper Works to Lake Colden, Skylight country, and the Opalescent with late-summer conditions and big High Peaks views.
A second trip into Upper Works followed the Lake Colden corridor toward Skylight and Marcy, blending long miles, wet trail sections, and familiar landmarks into a deeper connection with the heart of the High Peaks.
Working the Upper Works
TL;DR: Solo Upper Works overnighter with perfect weather, big features, and a first-light Mount Colden summit.
A dry July overnight from Upper Works unfolded as a first solo High Peak awakening, linking Flowed Lands, Lake Colden, Avalanche Lake, and a first-light climb of Mount Colden into one continuous chain of revelation.