Hiking In Fort Jackson State Forest, Part 1

It was a sunny, Sunday afternoon and I'd finished all my chores and shopping. Rain and colder temperatures were predicted for the following day, so I decided to take the dogs out for a short, nearby hike. I drove to the south Barrett Road entrance to Fort Jackson State Forest but decided that was where I'd entered last time. So I drove to the north Barrett Road entrance, drove several miles into the forest and parked between some trees. I had the feeling that we'd just been there recently but there was no turning back at that point. I gave the dogs a call and we headed out down the "road" to look for new, untried trails:

The forests were a brilliant, coppery gold wherever there were concentrations of Beech trees and it occurred to me that I seldom notice Beech trees unless they're giant or clad in autumn foliage:

We found a curious mix of White Pine and Beech, with sandy soils and lots of moss. Daphne, having learned my feelings on dogs running ahead, kept stopping to look and be sure I was well and she was within the allowable range. Good dog, Daphne. Now, to teach that same thing to Fergus and Clover:

Once I got to stop hollering "Clover, stop!" and "Fergus, stop!" every few seconds, the forest became a peaceful, mysterious and beautiful place for both man and beast:

And the natural beauty was indescribable:

In places with heavy Beech concentrations, it was downright breathtaking:

We began following what must once have been a road through the forest and it took us in the general direction of the river:

Mountain Maples had dropped their variegated leaves and they brought even the place where we trod into vivid, vibrant color:

I began hearing the St. Regis River as it dashed over rocks long before we could see it. And when we did see it, it was a beauty:

The downside was that somehow, and I never did figure out how, we'd managed to arrive at exactly the same spot on the river we'd been the last time. Well, never mind. We just enjoyed the present moment in the place where we were:

Madeline gave me her biggest, happiest grin:

But this, thus far, was only half a hike, so I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

A Country Autumn, Part 1

I'm sure it won't surprise you to learn that I've been taking photos of the lovely autumn scenery which I passed whenever I traveled anywhere. So I collected some of the pictures into two blog posts. This first photo is of a field on Barrett Road in Fort Jackson:

Another farm field with black and white cattle grazing, off in the distance:

A corner lot with a small white shed way off by the trees. Might it have been a ground level deer blind?:

Luscious red apples in my own yard, backed up by rows of hay bales and the brown barn:

At the Mound Hill Cemetery in Nicholville:

A wonderful country scene along the Port Kent Road:

All along the road were explosions of color, almost like fireworks:

Red, yellow and green interrupted by the white trunks of birches and poplars:

This scene brought the climactic finale of the 1812 Overture to my mind:

A gigantic pile of neatly split and stacked firewood beneath brilliant red trees:

A quiet country lane, swathed in gold:

Orange and gold, yellow and green - all of it beneath blue skies. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Fort Jackson State Forest Via Barrett Road - Part 1

One sunny autumn day, I'd finished everything I wanted to do by 2:30 in the afternoon and decided to take the pooches back to the Barrett Road entrance to Fort Jackson State Forest. This is a little known, little traveled, dirt lane leading far back through the forest. I traveled through private lands into public property and kept driving (slowly!) until the road got too rough to go any farther. Then we began walking the road, hoping to find the river:

This was the place I'd tried during the summer but got turned back by the ravenous, vicious deer flies. On this day, I'm happy to report, there were no flies of any kind and the scenery was lovely. We turned off the main "road" down a lane which I thought might take us to the banks of the St. Regis River:

The dogs were happy, happy, happy:

And the Mountain Maple leaves were spectacular:

When the trail turned sharply downhill and the forest became mostly Hemlocks, I figured there was a good chance we were on our way to the river:

Little Clover positioned herself up on a hill to watch us pass by on the trail below her:

And then I heard and saw the river off to our left. The way down to it, however, looked mighty rough so we kept walking, hoping the trail would lead us to an access point:

The forest was lovely and mysterious. The river made gurgling noises as it tumbled over rocks just below us:

And then I saw an access point and headed straight down to the banks of the St. Regis. It was even more lovely than I'd hoped:

And the dogs, of course, were happy too. They ran to the water to wade and drink:

Daphne and Clover pushed through the tall grass as they explored, and I followed them:

Fergus and Seamus stayed behind, but only briefly:

All in all, it was a fine day, a beautiful natural setting and a wonderful hike. The dogs were happy, but we'd seen what we'd come to see and had to find our way back uphill to the car. But I'll post about that tomorrow: