Quebec Brook In June, Part 2

I was hiking the wild and beautiful Quebec Brook Trail with my four younger dogs early on a Monday morning before the deer flies became too active. And it was indeed spectacular, pretty darn close to a wilderness experience:

Seamus had a brush with heat stroke two weeks earlier on another hike and I wanted to be extra careful. This hike was level, shaded and next to water at all times. Seamus was a very happy boy, and getting good exercise to help with his diet:

A very wet but happy Daphne smiled at me as I snapped a photo of her standing among the Bunchberry flowers:

This single piece of old trash was probably a leftover from the former railroad days, a remnant of the early 1900s when this path through the northern wilderness was built to facilitate hauling timber and minerals to market. At this point it was almost covered over by mosses and slowing disappearing into the landscape:

Starflower bloomed happily in beds of emerald moss:

We walked the peaceful trail on soft carpets of moss with the heavy, sweet scent of Balsam filling the air:

This trail was not marked, and so little used that in places it was difficult to find. But at several spots there were canoe portages for canoeists on Quebec Brook. These portages had markings and this one even had a sort of log bridge over a boggy spot:

We walked down to the grassy shore of Quebec Brook to explore:

A beginning beaver dam had been constructed but was not yet holding back any water:

Walking along this shoreline was tricky as the tall grass hid the holes and rocks and other surprises to one's footing. But that, of course, was part of the fun:

By this time all the dogs were plenty wet, not just Seamus:

Clover is so little and delicate that it amazes me to watch her exploring the wild country with her big buddy, Seamus. She is no shrinking violet. The day was heating up and the deer flies were beginning to buzz around us at this point. But I'll post more tomorrow: