Clear Pond - Part 1

I woke up one morning in a rotten mood and pouted for several hours until it dawned on me that I hadn't had the dogs out to the forest in quite awhile. I knew it would be a cure for my foul mood and the dogs would be ecstatic. So I put them in the car and drove 17 miles to the Adirondacks' lovely White Hill Wild Forest. I let the dogs out of the car and Jack, Fergus and Daphne led the way down the trail:

We'd just gotten started when I came across a clump of Pink Columbine. Wild Columbine is red, so I figured these must be leftover from when a Boy Scout camp was located here:

I'd noticed Lilacs still blooming along the road to this destination, so I already knew the area had an even later spring than where I lived, only 17 miles away. Still, I was shocked to see Canada Mayflower in bloom. But when I got home, I checked my field guide and decided that these were Three-Leaved False Solomon's-Seal, a related but later blooming species:

And there were lots of Bunchberry plants, a sort of miniature Dogwood, in bloom:

We arrived at the shore of Clear Pond in short order and Seamus waded in without hesitation. Daphne rushed to join him there:

Daphne and Jack tested the water:

And Daphne decided she liked it:

Clear Pond is a wild but accessible Adirondack gem. We had the entire White Hill Wild Forest to ourselves and, according to the register book, only one other person had been there in the last several days:

This Pink Ladyslipper surprised me because it was long past its normal bloom time. It was already faded and shriveled, though, so it was almost spent:

Brilliantly orange and yellow flowers were immediately identifiable as Orange Hawkweed, and the white flowers behind it were more Bunchberry (and one Oxeye Daisy):

We returned to the trail through the forest but took the next side trail to the water's edge, where Daphne again showed what a water dog she is. There was yet much more to see here, though, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Madawaska Pond - Part 1

I took the dogs to beautiful Madawaska Pond in the Adirondacks. I drove 24 miles south of home, then 5.9 miles into the forest on a rough, one lane, dirt road to arrive at the trail head. There was a vehicle parked there, but I never saw another person during our hike:

I first noticed a tiny purple flower with skinny leaves which was new to me. I looked it up when I got home and decided it was Slender Gerardia:

We began our hike in a forest of tall White Pines. The red color of the path was from dried pine needles:

Ferns grew along the edges of the trail as the dogs ran and played. As always, they were a little bit too energetic at first, and I had to keep reining them in:

This is a Bunchberry, in the same genus as Dogwood trees, a fact that always amazes me:

Bunchberries grew in big clusters, and the bright red and green reminded me of Christmas:

The dogs were excited, but I endeavored to keep them close to me:

Little Jack and Daphne thought they were timber wolves instead of foo-foo dogs:

We took a side trail to a bare hill which overlooked Madawaska Pond. I was shocked at the low water level. Clearly, our recent rains had not yet overcome the month long drought which preceded them:

I knew from experience that what looked like a meadow at the foot of the hill was in reality a marsh, so we turned back uphill to rejoin the main trail:

The Adirondack soil was so sandy that I had to sit on that fallen log and empty my shoes and leg braces. With that done, we were again on our way:

The day was heating up and the sun began to cause the pine aroma to increase. It reminded me of the Oregon forests of my youth. But we were just getting started. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Degrasse State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking in Degrasse State Forest and had reached an oxbow where they went swimming (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). This was my favorite photo of the day because of the look of joy on Seamus' face:

But of course we couldn't stay at the oxbow all day, and the time came to head back to the main trail. We began climbing uphill and I spotted this blue Gentian flower and bud, the first of the season. I looked it up when I got home and decided it was a Soapwort Gentian:

And I saw large patches of Running Ground Pine, a Club Moss:

And Bunchberry, a miniature relative of Dogwood trees:

Fan Club Moss:

We got back on the main trail and continued on our way:

 But I had to stop when I saw this Club Moss. It was different from the Running Ground Pine, above. I looked it up when I got home and decided it was One-cone Clubmoss, Lycopodium lagopus, a northern species:

We reached the border with private land and someone's beautiful cabin among the pines:

They'd mowed the grass all the way down to the Grasse River (no longer the oxbow), but I didn't walk down there because it was private land. I could have pushed through the underbrush on state land but decided instead to begin heading back to where I'd parked the car:

Along the way I spotted some ripening Wild Blackberries:

And stopped to enjoy them:

We were on our way back the way we'd come. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

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:

The Riverside Trail - Part 2

We'd reached the St. Regis River and did a bit of rock hopping and exploring, but there was more trail to hike, so we went back to dry land and continued following it. Riverside trail, true to its name, stayed right along the shoreline:

And the views were stunning, the river sometimes churning wildly and sometimes placid:

We stopped frequently, whenever there were rocks on which we could venture out:

Occasional trees on the opposite shore were turning scarlet already, and Clover looked tiny and fragile as she walked along the edge of a broad, flat rock:

Daphne and Fergus were all smiles:

Just then I began to see Cardinal Flowers in bloom, with a red so intense that it seemed they might glow in the dark. Cardinal Flower is a scarlet Lobelia, a true joy to behold:

Seamus was not as adventurous as he used to be, and often stayed back on shore instead of rock hopping:

Goldenrod and ferns populated the open parts of the shoreline:

And Fergus posed beside a few more Cardinal Flowers:

Clover peeked around a corner to see what I was doing:

One last photo of Fergus and the river before we got back on the trail and continued hiking to wherever it would take us:

As soon as we were back in the forest, we encountered these Bunchberries and mosses. But there was more to see on the Riverside Trail and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow: