Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 1

We had just hiked to Black Pond and Long Pond the previous day, and my sister was leaving after lunch, but we decided we could do a quick hike in the nearby Fort Jackson State Forest. Black Pond had been about 37 miles away, but this state forest was only about 3.5 miles from my door. So we drove to it and let the dogs out. Still tired from the previous day's hike, they were more subdued than usual:

I found the scenery less picturesque than what we'd seen around Black Pond, but in some ways I liked this better. These woodlands seemed like home and reminded me of the New England forests of the Pilgrims:

A friend was hiking with us and called our attention to an old stone foundation in the forest. Someone had a large cabin here long ago:

We were just leaving the foundation when I discovered a laid up stone well, about ten feet from where the cabin once stood:

And we saw these amazing plants. I thought they were Liverworts, but looked them up when I got home and decided they were lichens, mixed with mosses:

It was a wondrous autumn scene, though there wasn't yet much color:

A quiet walk in an autumn woods is good for the soul:

We took a left onto another trail, a path which took us downhill toward the St. Regis River (I knew from previous hikes here):

The dogs may have sensed the river, for they began to pick up speed:

The trail continued on, but we left it and went straight toward the river:

Clover and Fergus broke into a run. They knew what was ahead:

Indeed, even we humans could soon see the river:

When we emerged onto onto the rocky flats, we paused to admire the pristine beauty of the St. Regis River:

The four little dogs waded in. There's more to the story, of course, but it will have to wait until tomorrow's post, Part 2: