Tag: North Country

Why do some people think defacing our beloved Adirondack lean-tos is acceptable? For many folks out there; hunters, hikers, campers, explorers, outdoorsmen and other Adirondack souls of like ilk, these lean-tos are more than just cedar log structures providing a convenient stopping point on our trek through life’s wood....

Before I go any further, I fully acknowledge that, at least in terms of pure total snow volume, winter 2025 was far worse for others than it was for us at The Monroe Wildlife Area here outside of Watertown. Several communities throughout New York State, predominantly along the Tug...

He awoke every morning at 5am, without fail. Through threescore north country winters, the old man had evolved his own ruggedly well regimented daily routine. Harsh was the price paid for deviation or lackadaisical lay about laziness. A lesson winter’s other old man had no qualm reminding him of,...

Could the earth’s shifting magnetic poles impact lake effect snow patterns? Let me be crystal clear. This piece is not about climate change or global warming. Nor is it in any way, shape, or form an attempt to deflect blame for their escalating impact from the true culprits. This...

An Adirondack Outlaw Update It’s been a while since I’ve shared anything from my ADKO world. So, I thought I would give a brief update on what I’ve been up to and some of the outlaw adventures I’ve got planned on the trails ahead. First, a bit of an...

A 2024 Wildlife Trail Camera Chronology When thirty-four years ago I began my overgrown farm lot reclamation endeavor, I never in my wildest dreams imagined that what I was in fact doing was creating my own private wildlife area. I have previously penned pieces detailing those efforts and how...

When Planet Earth Needs a Superhero Patrolling Swamp, Meadow & Forest An Introductory Author’s Note: It all began with a trail camera image I woke up to one morning. It was if my writer’s mind got whalloped by a kryptonite asteroid. I saw it and thought to myself; “Why...

There’s always something magical about that first night in camp. Our family’s first foray into camp came a bit later than usual this year. That was in large part due to the upper locks rebuild, but also in part simply because of how our effort to make camp reservations...

Whether folks call them jackknives, penknives or pocketknives, there was a time not too far past when any Adirondack Outlaw worth his salt didn’t consider himself fully dressed in the morning without one. How many folks out there still carry a pocketknife? I grew up with a knife in...

A Nostalgic Look at Some Bear Truths of Adirondack Economics As I sit here penning this story to page, the minimum wage here in New York State is $15.00 an hour. $15.00 an hour! To an old bear like me, that seems a king’s ransom. But there it is....