Trail Log

Behind the Shot: Altered Mind State

My favorite waterfall photos are often taken while standing right in the water, and this one was no exception. This helps to get the viewer closer to the action and make them feel as if they’re about to get wet themselves.

Ice Climbing Avalanche Mountain Gully

We worked our way past the big lines on Colden toward the Matrix, something I hoped to lead this year after following it in March of 2019. Nothing looked appealing until we turned our gaze to Avalanche Mountain Gully.

A Photographer’s Perspective of The Mount Colden Loop

On my first hike on the loop with Chris, we had an incredible “photo-moment” when a storm began to move in over the lake. This added even more drama to the scene. I fell in love with this view of Avalanche Lake, and I have been back several times including at night for astrophotography shoots.

Behind the Shot - Layers of Whiteface

The Adirondacks had just been covered with a few feet of snow, and after looking at the extended forecast, it seemed likely that the weekend of March 1st could possibly be the last opportunity this year for photography and snowshoeing in peak winter conditions.

Tupper Lake Brew-Ski 2020

With some nice snow on the ground and the sun peaking through overcast skies here and there, we gathered some friends and set out for Tupper Lake to check out the 6th annual Tupper Lake Brew-Ski.

Behind the Shot w/ Joey Priola

Capturing this photo presented several technical challenges that were exacerbated by the high winds. Upon zooming in at 10x after taking a test shot, my initial settings failed to freeze the motion of the krummholz swaying in the wind and was blurry.

Great Camps Sagamore and Santanoni

For a birthday getaway this past year, we decided to take a mini-tour of some of the Adirondack Great Camps. The first stop of the weekend was Camp Sagamore to hike a portion of the Sagamore Lake Loop and the Cascades Trail. The next day, we made our way to Camp Santanoni. Grabbing our mountain bikes and packing some snacks, we set out on the Newcomb Lake Road Trail, a 5-mile former carriage road that extends from the trailhead at the Gate Lodge to Newcomb Lake.

Climbing w/ Tom - Rogers Rock Slab

Little Finger in Lake George is a 600ft 3 pitch 5.5 climb on Rogers Rock slab. I first found the route by doing some searching on Mountain Project. I was looking to find an easy multi-pitch climb in the Adirondacks, one that gets you high off the ground without much technical climbing.

Autumn Elopement in the ADK

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The typical wedding morning can no doubt be a whirlwind, with places to go, things to do, and people to see. This past October, when it came time for my wife and I to tie the knot, we took a different route. One that reflected not only our love for each other, but also our love for the Adirondack wilderness and the part it played in bonding us together over the past year and a half.

Queer Lake Winter Snowshoe

With Lucy and Birdie leading the way, the four of us followed on our snowshoes, starting out by walking beside a stream for a little over half a mile. A bridge crossing took the trail beyond the stream and eventually past an area of blow-down and eventually Windfall Pond.

Deer Pond Loop

With our cross country skis in the back of the truck, we decided to scope out a trail that we had seen many times on our drives through the Tupper Lake area. We found access to the Deer Pond Loop via Route 30 near Upper Saranac Lake.

8-Day Solo Trip on the Northville-Placid Trail

Danielle Rootes is a photographer, hiker, and nursing student located in Saranac Lake. She recently completed a solo thru-hike of the Northville-Placid Trail in August of 2019.

Experiences