Author Archives: rivertoprambles

About rivertoprambles

Welcome to Rivertop Rambles. This is my blog about the headwaters country-far afield or close to home. I've been a fly-fisher, birder, and naturalist for most of my adult life. I've also written poetry and natural history books for thirty years. In Rambles I will mostly reflect on the backcountry of my Allegheny foothills in the northern tier of Pennsylvania and the southern tier of New York State. Sometimes I'll write about the wilderness in distant states, or of the wild places in the human soul. Other times I'll just reflect on the domestic life outdoors. In any case, I hope you enjoy. Let's ramble!

Rivertops West

Posted on July 10, 2017

On July 13, two residents from western New York State, plus four fly rods and reels, and other assorted camping gear, will be headed for the Rocky Mountains. Actually we’ll start our explorations in Alamogordo, New Mexico with a brief … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birding, camping, fishing western rivers, fly-fishing, Genesee River trout, hiking, journey West, Montana, New Mexico, parks and monuments, Rocky Mountains, vacations | 28 Comments

First Cast Similes

Posted on July 5, 2017

After my first day of volunteer work with the New York DEC Region 9 small stream electro-survey crew, I found that my long-awaited fly rod had arrived. The rod is a small bamboo, a 6’6″ 3-weight custom built by Mike … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged bamboo fly rod, Bob Dylan, Cane and Silk, didymo, environment, first cast, Little Gem, nature, night fishing, photography, poetry, similes, small streams, songbirds, West Branch Delaware, writing | 12 Comments

The Rough Country

Posted on June 28, 2017

Whether we enjoy the notion or not, everyone who strives for well-being needs to stay in contact with the wild. Such contact is readily attained in sanctified places like our state and national parks, but we can’t always reach those … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Apple Tree Hollow, exploration, Gary Paul Nabhan, hiking, humanity, Life, nature, rough country, Slate Run, timber rattlesnake, trout fishing, wild | 22 Comments

Flycatcher

Posted on June 13, 2017

When the weather finally turned irresistible for the craft of venturing into the stream-lined depths of mother nature, I got on the West Branch Genesee and, later, the main stem Genesee. There, among the hills and hollows of the dual-state … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged caddis, environment, fly patterns, flycatcher, flyfishing, Genesee River, Grannom, headwaters, nature, photography, rivertops, stocked trout, upper Genesee, wild trout, writing | 25 Comments

Good Days

Posted on June 1, 2017

I prepared for the long holiday weekend by assisting middle-school students in the planting of flags at the gravesites of veterans and fallen soldiers. The Veterans Administration Cemetery at Bath, N.Y. is a huge place, with thousands of gravestones on … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Brown Drake, environment, family, fly-fishing, good days, holidays, Letchworth State Park, mayflies, nature, photography, Pine Creek, Slate Run, veterans, waterfalls, writing | 24 Comments

A Few Words From the Photos

Posted on May 24, 2017

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged azalea, brook trout, eagles, environment, fly-fishing, headwaters, Kettle Creek, local life, moccasin flower, nature wildflowers, outdoors, Pennsylvania, photography, rainbow trout, upstate New York | 22 Comments

Staircase Run

Posted on May 16, 2017

The day surely started out on a bright note– a little birding in the early morning sunshine of the yard, my small binoculars picking up a bit of the warblers waving through– Blackburnian, black-throated green, ovenbird, Louisiana water-thrush and, later, the black-throated blue warbler– … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged birding, Cedar Run, environment, fishing, fly-fishing, headwaters, hiking, nature, Pennsylvania, ravines, Slate Run, small streams, staircase, trout, wild, world view | 18 Comments

Muddler

Posted on May 12, 2017

We’ve had a lot of rain and cool air of late, and Saturday’s tree-planting event was right in the thick of it. Nonetheless, the Upper Genesee Chapter of Trout Unlimited managed to plant more than a thousand small trees … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged environment, fly-fishing, Genesee River, headwaters, muddler, Muddler Minnow, nature, Nipigon River, photography, Time, tree planting, Trout Unlimited, white pines, willows, writing | 18 Comments

Brief

Posted on May 3, 2017

When the human world seems absolutely maddening (the insanity triggered by such trifles as fidget spinners with kids, the rush for smartphone upgrades in adults, and the latest threats to the economy, environment and world peace from the fools who guide our destiny), I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged backyard, beauty, brevity, brief, brook trout, environment, fly-fishing, humanity, morels, nature, photos, red fox, sanity, small streams, Spring, work | 23 Comments

24/365

Posted on April 24, 2017

The old cliché says “Earth Day everyday,” but in a sense it might be true. I’m old enough to remember the original Earth Day celebrations on campus, and the week in April 1992 when I gave four public poetry readings centered … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged catch-and-release, Earth, Earth Day, environment, fly-fishing, Genesee River, lifestyle, outdoors, photographs, rite of spring, small streams, stream projects, tree planting, Trout Unlimited, woodcock, writing | 18 Comments