Return To The Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 1

It was hot and humid - and becoming more so by the hour. I was not doing much of anything, so decided it was a fine time to take a return trip to the Fort Jackson State Forest, only five miles from home. We parked and began walking down the sandy lane:

I was hoping to find the St. Regis River this time. I'd checked a map and knew it was close to the trail. I just had to turn left as soon as I found a trail. I didn't want to take off through the woods without a trail to follow. I learned my lesson a couple of years ago:

We'd barely begun when I saw a trail taking off to the left and slightly downhill. We turned and followed it:

The scenery was lovely, with Reindeer Lichens and mosses carpeting the forest floor:

The decline began to steepen:

And the forest cover thickened. The trail became much steeper and darker as we plunged downward. I could tell that this trail was used by dirt bikes, and they would just love steep grades. As an old codger with leg braces, however, I had to be careful:

We reached the bottom of the hill and another trail running crosswise. I could hear the river through the trees but there was no easy access, so I turned right and started walking. I knew there would be an access point before long:

But of course the forest itself was a main attraction, a mixture of conifers and hardwoods. It was enormously pleasant - except for the mosquitoes:

The walking was easy, level, scenic. The dogs were happy:

And then I saw a way down to the river's edge and took it. There were ATV tracks in the mud, but the St. Regis River was otherwise as majestic and pristine as ever:

It was brutally hot and Seamus wasted no time going in. The other dogs weren't up to doing that, but they sure did enjoy a drink of cool, clean water:

There was a small island near the shore. In my younger days, I might have waded out to it and then called the dogs to follow me. These days, however, I'm not agile enough - so I just enjoyed the view. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: