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Fire on the mountains

by | Oct 9, 2015

‘Peak week’ is upon us in the Adirondacks. From roadside photo stops to a cool, sunny hike up St. Regis, check out a few of our favorite shots from the past few days in and around Paul Smiths.

The view from nearby St. Regis.

Colors and High Peaks

Reds and greens fade to blue looking off toward the High Peaks from St. Regis.

Autumn Red

A richly-colored branch near the VIC.

VIC View

One didn’t need to stray far from the VIC’s deck to take in this sight.

Whiteface

Whiteface in the distance.

Gallery: Homesteading & Fungi festivals

by | Oct 3, 2015

The homesteading and fungi spirit took over the VIC this weekend as hundreds from near and far explored all the ways life can be a little simpler. From fire building to draft horse plowing, good food to music, the area had a life of its own throughout the day.

Bow-drill fire making, one of several primitive skills learned over the semester.
Bob Brehl and the draft horses preparing the fields for next season’s crops.
Homesteading Festival at the VIC.

First week of autumn

by | Sep 28, 2015

Fall in the Adirondacks often feels to have begun long before its calendar arrival. But this year, summer weather carried well into September, and the cooling days and nights last week coincided well with the Wednesday equinox and the official turning of the season.

While foliage may lack some of the late-September color of years past, a reddening of the hardwoods is now taking place. With a strong apple crop, we’ve seen our white-tailed neighbors putting on their winter weight, while the loons and passing geese have started to sing their final songs.

The first weekend of autumn ended with earth’s celestial companion doing its best impression of a maple leaf as an orange-tinted blood moon rose above the horizon and soon after underwent a total lunar eclipse.

Here are some of the sights from the first five days of fall on and around Osgood Pond.

Resting on a bed of floating pine needles, this mink frog takes in some late fall sun. Thanks to Brian McAllister for the identification help!
While there’s still plenty of green in the woods, color has begun to descend on the Park.
Riding the thermals, this bald eagle never descended low enough for a close-up photo, but it was the first we’d seen in some time over Osgood Pond.
A gaggle of geese take a break from their migration south on nearby Jones Pond.
Looking out over Osgood Pond on the first day of autumn.
Eclipse of the blood moon, shot right from a yurt deck.

Photo gallery: Yurt-stravaganza

by | Aug 25, 2015

After three consecutive, hard-working days, the Osgood Pond Semester crew banded together for the two final platforms and yurts — capped off with a pizza-and-cake birthday celebration for Brady Butler.

By Sunday night, we were sun-tanned (or burned), blistered and, most of all, ecstatic to have brought the yurt site to life.

Morning View

Fog burns away during an early Friday food and water run.

Hammock

Some students’ pre-yurt homes were scattered about the site in tent and hammock form.

Post Digging

Hanna Cromie digging away for platform number three.

Kade, Valerie, Hyla and Hanna working on the second platform.

Clothes Pins

Clothes pins.

Bike

One of several two-wheeled commuters.

Berries

Snacks were easy to come by in the surrounding field.

Dome Work

Preparing the dome.

Lattice Guys

Brady Butler and Dominic Rickicki behind the lattice.

Lunch

Kade during a lunch break.

Steps

And afterward building steps.

Deck Work

Finishing the final deck as the yurt takes shape in the background.

The Dome

Val pokes through the dome.

Yurt Raising

Raising the roof.

Red Yurt

The red yurt takes shape.

Rafters

Rafter view.

Hyla

Hyle tapes the weather wrap.

Cordage

Hanna tying off the horse hair cordage surrounding the nearly-finished yurt.

Tie Off

Dominic doing the same.

Orange Door

Bethany putting the finishing touches on the door.

Student Yurts

The two yurts from afar.

Yurt Crew

Sunday evening — and three completed yurts!

Andy & Val

Val hides behind Andy with Brady’s birthday cake.

Val, Alex & Dominic

Wilmington’s Alex Hall, our yurt-raising guide, helps hide the cake.

Happy birthday, Brady, and thanks to all for an amazing weekend.

Osgood…we have a yurt!

by | Aug 15, 2015

After four days of sun, sweat and downpours, a platform rose, and on it, an authentic Mongolian yurt. See how Joe Orifice, Andy and Phil Johnstone, Bethany Garretson and Alex Hall turned nine holes in the ground into an authentic Mongolian structure.

It began with nine posts.
Who needs a truck?
Phil Johnstone lends a helping hand.
The chimney works!
Alex Hall and Andrew J give a wave as the canvas is tied.
With the yurt up, only decking remains.
The smell of wood smoke is fitting as the yurt is raised.
Who doesn’t love a good fire?
One down, two to go.