Wednesday, December 30, 2009

The "Nature" of Photography

I love to take photos.

Anytime I leave my house on an adventure I take my camera with me in hopes to capture that "prefect" photo. Some people (in particular my husband) get annoyed that I want to stop on a hike and take a photo or pull the car over. But to me, it's a free form of art and entertainment, and there is no harm in taking a few moments out of a day to enjoy nature and its beauty.

I've shared a few of these photos this year in individual posts but I wanted to put together one collection of my favorites taken this year. Enjoy :-)



Yaddo Gardens; Saratoga Springs, NY



Albany Capital Building



Crane Beach; Ipswich, MA



Sacandaga River Rocks; Wells, NY



Crown Point Historic Site; Crown Point, NY



Washington County, NY



Rexford, NY



Black Mountain Trail; Hewlett's Landing, NY



Mt. Ascutney,VT



Mt. Ascutney, VT



Fall in the Adirondacks



Palace Theater; Albany, NY



Sunset on 5th Peak; Tongue Mountain Range, NY



Art at the Albany Plaza; Albany, NY



Nature's own beauty hidden in the city; Albany, NY

Monday, December 28, 2009

It's that time again...

Time for some New Year's Resolutions...

To me, this year has flown by. I only had one New Year's resolution last year which was to run more in 2009. I started running in the summer of 2008, participated in my first 5k event on Thanksgiving of '08, and vowed that I would run more and get moving more in 2009. It started out well, I ran in a 5 mile run around St. Patrick's Day, and I participated in another 5k run in May as part of a team for work, but some medical issues kept me from my real goal of participating in a half-marathon in the beautiful mountain town of Lake Placid in June of 2009.
After missing that, and getting into summer vacation mode I lost the motivation to run, and didn't really get back into it until the fall when the air lost that awful humidity of the summer and the mornings were back to the cool temperatures I really enjoy running in. I participated in a 5k on Thanksgiving again, and have since acquired a treadmill which I hope will keep me motivated through the winter. It helps that my husband has also started running and pushes me to run on weekends, and get up early before work to run.

I haven't really put much thought into 2010 yet, but I would like to keep on running, and push myself to lose some weight and be "fit".

I'll have to put some thought into making some New Year's Resolutions... and I'll post them here so that maybe it will motivate me to keep them :-)


Thursday, October 29, 2009

Monday, October 26, 2009

Mt. Ascutney, VT


I completed my first hike in VT on Sunday (I tend to hike only in the ADK's), and oh what fun it was! My sister (who lives in Swampscott, MA) and I arranged to meet up about halfway between the two of us for a nice Sunday hike. We decided on Mt. Ascutney because of it's location and decided on a meeting time of 10AM figuring this gave us ample time for hiking in the daylight, and enough time in the evening to be driving home while it was still somewhat light as well.

When I looked at google maps and tried to find my route out to the trailhead, it told me to head up to Rutland, to then turn around and head back southeast. I didn't like this idea as I find the drive on Route 4 to be boring and logically I figured why drive North when I have to then backtrack South, so I did some of my own mapping and took a much less traveled route through some back roads in VT. I was so glad I did as the drive just added to the beauty of the day.

The hike was gorgeous, I highly recommend it to anyone who wants a gorgeous 360 degree view from the top of an observation platform and some nice views through the woods on the way up as well. Since it had rained heavily the day before, all the streams were roaring with water and the 2 major waterfalls were amazing! If you don't want to climb all the way to the top, the first 1.1 miles of the trail offer some wonderful waterfalls in a beautiful setting.

Trip Details:


Travel Time to Trailhead: ~2 hours from Hudson Falls, NY
Total Round-trip Trail Distance: 6 miles
Elevation Gain: 2250 Feet
Total Hiking Time: 6 hours (with lots of breaks, and lots of time spent at lookouts)

Views From Top: Priceless :-)

But enough talking... more photos.

Because I took so many that I love, here is the link to my Flickr photo set from the trip.

Photo Link




Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Ah, Fall...

Baxter, our handsome Golden Retriever, enjoys the simple things in life, like a stick, while resting on top of Shelving Rock Mountain on Sunday.

We usually have this climb to ourselves... but today we passed about 15 people who were heading up as we were heading down. It's definitely leaf peeping season in the northeast. Luckily, we had the top to ourselves for awhile, as we had gotten out early.


Add Video

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Hide and Seek


Hide and Seek, originally uploaded by J Lynch.

I've been looking at this photo for the past day, trying to decide if I like it or not. I still haven't really decided, so thought I would just post it. I love the textures, and the random bright green fern at the top right of the photo, but there is something that just isn't sitting right... and I haven't figured that out yet.

Monday, October 5, 2009

Peeking through...

Went wandering up the beginning of the Black Mountain trail on the east side of Lake George on Friday. It was a pretty fall day, and the signs of fall were peeking through...

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Hunting Season Again..

It is officially hunting season, which means no girls at camp (at least until mid-December), which in turn means no more trips to Newcomb this fall.

I enjoying hunting season because it gets the hubby out of the house a few weekends in the fall, and allows me to do some girly things with my sisters and family without thinking about having to leave the husband at home, but I don't enjoy that I can't go to camp during the peak leaf peeping season!

Here is a photo of my favorite place on earth...

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Great Camp Santanoni


Nestled in the woods, 5 miles down a dirt road, is the deteriorating Great Camp Santanoni. Built between 1892-93, it was regarded at its time of completion as being the grandest of all such Adirondack camps. To read a detailed history of the camp, check out the Adirondack Architectural Heritage Website here. And when I say deteriorating, I guess I should also add they are in the midst of a massive revitalization of the camp, so it is being cared for. But if you go to visit be prepared for a bit of construction going on around you.

My husband and I have ventured down the Great Camp road twice prior to this visit without ever making it as far as the main camp buildings so we decided that on this past trip to Newcomb we would bring our bikes and cycle the 4.7 miles to the camp. We started at our cabin located near the Lake Harris Campground, so that added an additional 2 miles each way, but it was worth it, as the trip was beautiful.

We passed many hikers along the way, and saw signs of horses, but never ran into any. A few other bikers were also on the road, but it was a bit chilly, so cycling was definitely the cooler option. The first half of the ride in is a fairly steady flat, and slow climb to about the half way point where the road then takes a sharp turn downhill to coast the remainder of the way to the camp. That of course means quite the climb going back out, but it didn't feel as bad as I thought it was going to be. Mentally I was prepared for a long arduous climb from the camp to that mid-point, but it went quickly and without too much complaining on my part :-).

Here are some photos from the journey, enjoy the views I captured along the way!

This is the view east towards Lake Harris when crossing the one lane bridge into the Santanoni Preserve.


This is the Gatehouse, the first building you see when crossing the bridge and entering the Santanoni Preserve.



Trail sign at the sign-in booth.


Sign seen when arriving at the main lodge area.



Inside the Great Room of the lodge. A HUGE fireplace sits in the middle of this room, it was very impressive.



One of the areas of massive reconstruction work. It appears as though they are working on the foundation under this part of the building.



One of the buildings in the farm complex area. I love the stonework of this building, it's very impressive, and in excellent condition.



Jake taking a rest at the farm buildings on the way out.



Me! (also resting on the way back out)

Monday, September 28, 2009

Up, Up, and Away!


September 26, 2009 - Adirondack Balloon Festival, sunrise launch.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Newcomb, here we come!

We are heading up to the hunting camp in Newcomb this weekend for one more outdoor romp before hunting season begins and no females are allowed at camp. It's such a beautiful time of the year up there. Lake Harris is quiet, as all the boaters have gone home; and the leaves are just starting to show a hint of color.

I am looking forward to a much needed, quiet and peaceful weekend with just the hubby and the pups.

Monday, August 17, 2009

Time sure does fly when having fun...

On our quest to become Adirondack 46r's, my husband and I have shared many great times together. The photos below represent just 2 of those wonderful moments. The first photo is from September of 2002 when we first started our quest to become one of the elite 46r's...

We haven't hiked much since 2003, as life got in the way and 2 years were spent living in Colorado. But we have recently gotten the itch to return to the High Peaks and continue our quest. The photo below is from a hike up Algonquin Peak yesterday, 08/16/09. Although we have already done this one before, we were looking for an adventure, and a little bit of motivation to finish the 11 peaks we have left.



Stay tuned for a few more photos and a bit more description of the hike we took yesterday up Algonquin.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Noonmark Mtn.


While not a hike peak, Noonmark Mt. comes in at an elevation of 3556ft. We have hiked this mountain twice; once in the fall of 2006 and then again on August 9, 2009 (just last Sunday). The hike is amazing, and if you ever get a chance it is a must. The view from the top is gorgeous and one can see the entire Great Range and beyond.

The first time we hiked this we took the Stimson Trail from the Ausable Club Road. This trail is very steep, but has amazing views along the way.

This past trip, we decided to hike Noonmark from the South East via the Dix Mt. trail that starts on Route 73 and the Felix-Adler Trail. This trail is longer, but less steep than the trail from the north, and much less crowded. Round-trip was about 6.8 miles. No views this time, but fun none the less. It definitely gave us the itch to get back to the high peaks!



Wednesday, August 12, 2009

High Peaks!


Adirondack High Peaks Hiked = 35
Cascade - September 7, 2002; 4098ft
Porter - September 7, 2002; 4059ft.

Giant - September 14, 2002; 4627ft.
Rocky Peak Ridge - September 14, 2002; 4420ft.

Wright - October 6, 2002; 4580ft.
Algonquin - October 6, 2002; 5114ft.
Iroquois - October 6, 2002; 4840ft.

Big Slide - October 12, 2002; 4240ft.
Basin - October 13, 2002; 4827ft.
Saddleback - October 13, 2002; 4515ft.

Dix Mt. - November 16, 2002; 4857ft.

Whiteface - April 26, 2003; 4867ft.
Esther - April 26, 2003; 4240ft.

Dial - May 3, 2003; 4020ft.
Nippletop - May 3, 2003; 4620ft.

Panther - May 10, 2003; 4442ft.
Santanoni - May 10, 2003; 4607ft.

Gray Mt. - May 19, 2003; 4840ft.
Skylight - May 19, 2003; 4926ft.
Marcy - May 19, 2003

Tabletop - August 30, 2003; 4427ft.

Cliff Mt. - October 11, 2003; 3960ft.
Redfield - October 11, 2003; 4606ft.
Colden - October 11, 2003; 4714ft.

Mt. Colvin - November 1, 2003; 4057ft.
Blake - November 1, 2003; 3960ft.

Nye Mt. - November 8, 2003; 3895ft.
Street Mt. - November 8, 2003; 4166ft.

Phelps - November 23, 2003; 4161ft.

Gothics - November 26, 2003; 4736ft.
Armstrong - November 26, 2003; 4400ft.
Upper Wolfjaw - November 26, 2003; 4185ft.

Lower Wolfjaw - June 15, 2004

Sawteeth - June 20, 2004

Marshall - October 9, 2006

Remaining Peaks = 11
Seymour; 4120ft.
Seward; 4361ft.
Donaldson; 4140ft.
Emmons; 4040ft.
Hough; 4400ft.
East Dix; 4012ft.
South Dix; 4060ft
Macomb; 4405ft.
Haystack; 4960ft.
Allen; 4340ft.
Couchsachraga; 3820ft.

As you can see from the list, we did ALOT of hiking in 2002 and 2003. I wish we could get back to that, I was in awesome shape! I will update the list when we get around to finishing them off. But in the meantime I will update with the hikes we do, whether high peaks or not.