Chapter 1 - Southville State Forest

It was such a glorious weekend up at the farm that I decided to take the dogs for a quick hike. We drove to Southville State Forest, a place I tried to hike in early springtime but was blocked by snow:

There were no marked trails but, like most state forests, there were drivable lanes crisscrossing the acreage. I drove in, parked and let the dogs out. We had the entire forest to ourselves:

The soil seemed to be mostly sand, so much so that at first I felt like I was walking along the ocean shoreline:

The scenery was pleasant, the walking easy:

And the dogs were happy:

We aimed downhill, knowing that the St. Regis River was not far away:

We passed through what I thought must have been wind fallen trees:

And there, glistening in the springtime sun, was the St. Regis river. Clover and Daphne broke into a run (not that that's unusual):

Seamus trotted behind them as we all headed for the river:

We passed a fire ring, evidence of camping and/or picnicking. The dogs searched for dropped food or the most delightful of all, bacon drippings. They found nothing:

The St. Regis River was wild and scenic. It couldn't have been more beautiful:

Clover went down to the water's edge to investigate. But we'd just arrived. I'll post more tomorrow: