As the North Country awakens

Sitting at my fly tying bench, pondering the color scheme to the next fly I want to create I find myself staring out the window in a bit of a day dream. We sprang forward recently and no matter how many times I’ve been through this it still kicks my butt for a few days. The 20 degree afternoon and the foot of fresh snow on the ground still says winter but the calendar and the next week's forecast says spring will be here soon. At this moment I reflect on what this winter has evolved into for me. It was a season of learning new things and finding new adventures.

Winter for many is a season of rest and reflection, but for me it was a busy season deciding to create a blog about North Country Outdoor Recreation. It seemed like a simple idea but I soon learned there were many hurdles I needed to get over. First it was what it takes to start a website. It’s not hard to own one, just give them your credit card number and it’s yours very quickly, but figuring out what to do with a blank page with very little tech skills can be a challenge. Next was getting a new camera. Yes I know every phone has a quality camera on it these days but I wanted to learn how to use a real camera. This skill takes years to perfect but I’m enjoying the learning curve and the time outside trying to master it. Then the questions of where to go and what to write about were constantly on my mind. Lucky for me there is no end to these questions as it’s just trying to find the right places and right times to fit in my schedule. Looking back on the entire season I’d say I was pretty lucky to get out to some special places and be able to share them with all of you.

My winter season started before the snow even really hit hard this year. It started with a lot of planning and research. I spend a lot of time these days looking over maps and researching areas in St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties, trying to find places to highlight and explore.

My first written adventure of the season was a grouse hunting trip with my buddy and his dog. Both Franklin and St. Lawrence Counties offer a lot of state land that is open to hunting. This particular hunt was over in Franklin County on the Trout River State Forest. I find small game hunting a nice change after a season of deer hunting. As much as I love sitting quietly watching the forest wake up and go to bed on weekends at camp, I do love getting out into the woods a bit later in the morning and being able to share stories as we walk through the woods during grouse season. I highly recommend anyone that loves to hunt to grab that ol’ shotgun they haven't used in years, grab some buddies and walk the timber in pursuit of rabbits and grouse. It keeps the winter blues from showing up early in the season.

My next trip was up Azure mountain. This little gem is located perfectly for anyone to make a quick visit from either county. This was my first winter hike in many years and I was glad to share it with a close friend. I learned that fitness needs to be a bigger priority in my life to be able to enjoy these adventures more. This was also the first hike I took with my new camera as well. I learned that snapping outdoor pictures is one thing but learning how to take great outdoor photos takes a lot of time and patience. Hiking and taking thought out photos, waiting for the right moments for the sun, cloud, snow can be time consuming and sometimes frustrating. But I found that I really have a passion for this. Yes, it takes more time but it’s well worth it.

My next trip was to one of my local favorites. The Nicandri Nature Center. I visit this place monthly year round but I had to do a winter write up about it. This place has turned into my training grounds for everything from fitness to camera skills. All winter long I tried to get out there weekly to do a three mile loop for my fitness. This also gave me an opportunity to try out some of my new winter gear before I hit the mountains. The abundance of wildlife and scenic views makes it a great place to work with my new camera as well. This winter I joined their outdoor photography club. I’ve had a great time with this group of people. They are a fun group with a lot of knowledge and great people to have a chat with on a cold winter's morning. I look forward to this spring getting back on the trails and exploring everything this place has to offer.

The next adventure was the Nichol’s Trail. This quiet spot on Wilson Hill is kind of off the beaten path. It doesn’t get used nearly as much as it deserves to be. The tall pine forest with stunning views of the St. Lawrence makes this a location you have to check out. This should be on everyone's list if you want to get your youngsters into hiking and being outdoors. The soft rolling trails are easy to maneuver, yet you feel like you are out in the middle of nowhere. The trail markers are easy to follow and the distance is ideal for a quick afternoon hike. I look forward to stopping back out there once the spring thaw is over and the trails have dried up a bit.

My last adventure of the season was to Bald Face Mountain. This was my first time visiting this mountain and it turned out to be my favorite trip of the year. It was a real adventure. Starting out heading to one mountain and ending up at another is all just part of the adventure lifestyle. You have to be willing to adapt and overcome when heading out on trips like this. You need a plan A and a plan B just in case. This trip tested my patience, my fitness and some of the new gear I picked up this year. This was the trip that I decided to take a day and really explore with no real time commitments. By the end of the day I had ended up in Saranac lake and finding a whole new world of state land I didn’t even know existed. I think everyone needs a few trips like this in a year just to keep you feeling alive and full of wonder.

I’ve hung up my snowshoes for the season. My snow pants and heavy gloves will now sit in the closet till next year awaiting the next snow fall. I think about what the next winter season will look like but I am getting excited for the upcoming spring season. I’ve learned a lot this past season. The first thing I’ve learned is that I have a lot to learn. I have found that since I’ve started writing that I look at the world a little differently. I pick up on things that I have taken for granted. I pay closer attention to my surroundings now. I seem to notice when the world around me is quiet and when the birds and squirrels are chattering. This is something that we have come to overlook in our lives. I look at the outdoor space differently as well.

Since picking up the camera I look at colors and landscapes with more wonder. Just the other day as a big flock of geese were flying overhead I realized I wasn’t just watching them but I was also thinking about what would be the best way to photograph them. I think I’ve picked up a greater wonder and appreciation for our environment. I contemplate the human impact on our environment and our role on earth. I’ve started questioning how I can do a better job at being one with nature instead of just being in nature. I’ve come to appreciate more what we harvest from nature and how sharing our bounty is very important. A venison dinner is more than just a meal but an opportunity to share what the environment supplies us. We need to focus on working harder to find ways to conserve it so there will be more to share.

As I close out on my writings of the winter season I want to thank all of the great people that have supported me on this endeavor. I’ve had some great feedback from friends as well as people I don’t know. People have reached out to me and thanked me for bringing attention to the outdoor recreation space of the North Country. I’ve even had a few people reach out to me asking for suggestions on places to go. To my closest friends that I floated this idea to, thank you for not looking at me and thinking I was crazy. You all told me to go for it. I really appreciate your support. Mom and Dad, I thank you for always being my first two readers every time and giving me your honest opinions. And to my loving wife, thank you for being my editor, thesaurus, dictionary, and biggest cheerleader. Thank you for your patience as I lose mine looking for the right words to put on paper. Now let's close this chapter and get started with spring. This morning I had toms gobbling in the back field and I know my favorite trout stream is just about thawed out. There are mountains to climb and campfires to sit around.

Aaron Hardy

Northern NY Adventures