Madawaska Pond - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking in to Madawaska Pond, a scenic gem in the Adirondacks, a short drive from home:

The forest was mostly towering White Pines, interspersed with sections of hardwoods:

And then we arrived at Madawaska Pond. The dogs ran down to the shore and waded in:

It was great fun and resulted in happy and refreshed dogs:

As I said, Madawaska Pond is a scenic Adirondack gem. Floating peat islands dotted the water and Fragrant Water Lilies bloomed like stars on a summer night:

But we had more walking to do, so I gave the dogs a call and we headed back onto the trail:

I stopped to photograph Fireweed in bloom. Fireweed is common in the Adirondacks and a beautiful member of the Evening Primrose Family:

And everywhere we went we saw natural beauty, heard bird songs and smelled pine and moss:

I stopped once again, this time to photograph Bunchberries, a member of the Dogwood Family. I was too late to see the flowers, as all the plants were already producing berries:

Jack and Seamus posed for a photo:

I began looking for a place to empty the sand and pine needles from inside my braces and shoes, and discovered this interesting little wildflower. I recognized it as a Pyrola but had to wait until I got home to look it up and learn that it was a Shinleaf Pyrola, a member of the Wintergreen Family:

My ankles were getting painful and I wasn't sure if I could get to the dam on Quebec Brook which created Madawaska Pond. I kept thinking it would be the next sunny area, just up ahead. But even though I must have been very close to it, I finally decided that it would be wiser for me to turn back toward the car. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow: