Catherineville State Forest, Santamont Trail - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking in the snowy Catherineville State Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

The dogs were less rambunctious than usual, which made me happy, yet they got to run and play - and also to poop and pee everywhere:

Fergus, Daphne and Seamus went exploring off the trail, but they didn't go too far:

And sometimes they thought they heard something. They'd all stop and pick up their ears, then decide they'd been mistaken and continue on along the trail:

Fergus most often walks at my heels but was more forward on this hike, though he sometimes looked back at me to see if I was OK with that. I was:

It was lots of fun, but we didn't go far. Soon we turned back the way we'd come, returning to our parked car:

Clover and Daphne, imagining themselves to be Timber Wolves, strode boldly through the trees off the trail:

We stopped at a giant bolder, a glacial erratic, a bit of "gravel" left behind as the glaciers melted:

We again crossed a Balsam Fir which had fallen across the trail:

And took another exploratory trip off the trail:

I was happy to be out in nature and to have the dogs behaving so well:

And then we saw our little red car, parked along the side of the road up ahead. I had all the dogs heel (our version is pretty loose). Jack has never quite learned, but he sort of has the idea by watching the other dogs:

Catherineville State Forest, Santamont Trail - Part 1

Our winter took a break, with temperatures rising to 40 degrees (F). The snow was all melted at the farm, so I took the dogs to Catherineville State Forest, about 8 miles away, where there was still plenty of snow. We began walking the trail, following a Coyote's footprints. The dogs were not concerned, so neither was I:

They began with their usual exuberance, though I am happy to report that they stayed a bit closer than usual and required less hollering on my part. Fergus' ears were flopping as he bounded along the trail:

Jack was just getting over a bad cough, but that didn't slow him down, especially when it was time for him to do his traditional rolling for joy in the snow:

The dogs investigated everything, covering much more ground than I did:

With five dogs going in five directions, I had all I could do to keep track of them all - and that's why I want them to stay so close to me:

Fergus wondered if that tiny tree was worth peeing on:

Seamus led the way for awhile and his little buddy, Jack, ran joyously behind. If you click to enlarge this photo, you can see that Jack's feet were not even touching the ground when I snapped this photo:

There were some interesting smells for the dogs and beautiful sights for me:

And every so often, the dogs collected in one spot with much enthusiasm. We saw no wildlife, though, not even a mouse:

The forest was mostly Red Pines and Balsam Fir, with an understory of golden leafed Beech trees:

The dogs took occasional side trips off the trail, but I stayed where the snow was worn down:

They ran and played, while I concentrated on not slipping - and on keeping track of the five of them. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

A New Favorite Hike - The Santa Clara Waterfalls - Part 1

The owners of the feed store told me about a short trail to a waterfall where I could walk the dogs. It sounded almost too good to be true, but I was excited about it and drove the dogs there the next day. It was located exactly where they'd said, only 16 miles from my door. I parked my car and let the dogs out to run:

The trail was easy to walk and took us through a beautiful forest of Balsam Fir, Hemlock and Mountain Maple:

The ground beneath the trees was covered with moss and Canada Mayflowers:

The dogs were wild with excitement to be out on another adventure, and they stopped to sniff every smell along the way. At other times, they ran too far ahead and I had to holler at them:

Just as it had been described to me, we soon saw a smaller, less used trail take off to the right. We followed it:

A fallen tree was covered with small, orange fungi which looked like upside down mushrooms. I stepped over it but forgot to watch Seamus, who has always had difficulty with such obstacles. He either managed to step over it or walked around:

We took several forays into the trees (mostly Balsams), just to see what we could see:

One thing we saw was lots of Partridgeberry:

We heard the roaring water before we could see it. The dogs ran ahead and I again called them back. But soon we all arrived at the falls:

There were flattish rocks at the base of the falls, and Fergus and Daphne rushed out onto them. I followed cautiously because I am rather clumsy in my leg braces:

The falls were not high, but they were nonetheless dramatic and magnificent. The dogs found them lots of fun to explore:

We all climbed up on a higher rock and I marveled at the beauty of the St. Regis River (east branch):

Then the little dogs clambered down to the water's edge again for a drink of pure water and to investigate. Seamus and I, both of us awkward and prone to falling, stayed up on the flat rock where we'd be safe. But we had just arrived and there was much more to see. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Black And Long Ponds - Part 2

My sister and I were hiking with the dogs along the Adirondacks' Black Pond (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). It was not only beautiful, but also aromatic, thanks to the Balsam Firs along the trail:

We reached the end of Black Pond but stayed on the trail, which continued northward:

At the north end of Black Pond was a fish barrier, dividing Black Pond and Long Pond and designed to prevent the spread of invasive species. We checked it out but then continued on our original trail so we could see Long Pond:

Long Pond was both smaller and narrower, yet still incredibly beautiful:

We stopped to enjoy the wild scenery and quietude at the Long Pond lean-to:

And then walked out onto the pier which jutted into Long Pond. It had deteriorated and was much shorter than it used to be:

The dogs walked out onto it also, but none of them fell off (which I had thought might happen):

Seamus and Fergus got some loving attention at the lean-to:

And then we turned back southward toward the trail head:

All along the way were places for the dogs to access the water and they often made use of them:

As we neared the trail head, Black Pond narrowed, and we looked back at the bigger pond which we had just visited:

Jack and Daphne played in the water. None of my dogs actually swim, but they've gradually become comfortable with splashing and wading:

My sister spotted the Common Merganser family again and pointed them out:

But this hike was almost over. Our car was just ahead. We called the dogs and put them on leashes for the last little bit of trail: