A Visit With My Sister - Part 2

My sister was visiting and we had so much trouble finding a snow free place to take the dogs, that our next attempt was in the camping area of Brasher State Forest:

The tall White Pines seemed to have protected us from late snows, and we had the added benefit of outhouses, just in case the need arose:

And it was indeed a beautiful area:

We never walked far from the road, but instead walked parallel to it as we passed beneath the pines:

This area was a former CCC project, and in some places it was obvious that these trees had been planted in rows:

The dogs were happy and didn't mind getting their feet wet at all. In fact, I think they enjoyed it:

We began heading back toward the road:

Almost to the road, I stopped for a photo of my sister:

And then we crossed the road and walked out on a peninsula which jutted into the reservoir, also a CCC project:

The dogs ran and played, alternating with stops to smell who had been there before:

They sipped the clean water, then continued running:

Alas, a freezing rain began, driving us back to the car. Though this was a fun visit by my sister, I cannot say the weather cooperated:

Return To The Walter Pratt Camping Area - Part 2

The dogs and I were having a pleasant walk along the shore of a peninsula which jutted out into the CCC reservoir in the Brasher State Forest. There were a few campers nearby, but not close enough to present a problem:

Clover, always the adventurer, explored some tree roots near the water's edge:

And there were many trips down to the water as we made our way back toward the car:

The forest itself was mostly White Pine and entirely gorgeous. The dogs were as happy as I've ever seen them, as evidenced by Seamus' prancing in this photo:

Fergus ran full speed whenever he got the chance:

Seamus felt adventurous and I had to keep calling him back - but it was not a problem:

Daphne stayed close to me, smiling the whole time:

Beautiful weather, lovely scenery, happy dogs. It was entirely pleasant:

Until Jack explored a steep bank and fell, head first, into the water. He was having trouble getting out and I was on my way to give him a hand (after snapping a picture), but he managed to get out of the water and up the bank by himself:

And then we headed back through the trees toward our parked car:

The last photo was again of Indian Pipe, the parasitic flowering plant which grew in abundance on the forest floor:

Return To The Walter Pratt Camping Area - Part 1

We had one of the most idyllic summer days which I've ever seen. It was warm but not hot, low humidity, with blue skies, puffy clouds and gentle breezes - while all the while birds and crickets sang. I decided to take the dogs for a walk at a nearby park. It's normally just a ten minute drive to the park but there was a bridge out a quarter mile before the entrance. The location was so incredibly rural that the few roads which would have taken me around to enter from the other direction petered out in a forest or ended with their own bridges out. I drove around for nearly two hours, exploring dirt lanes through forests and country roads which just ended in the middle of nowhere even though the map said they continued on. I finally found a way, though, and took the dogs for a short but beautiful walk.

I quickly spotted a number of Indian Pipe plants, a flowering species without chlorophyll which grows in shady spots in association with certain trees and fungi. I've always found it fascinating:

The dogs cared nothing for plants and just ran wildly through the trees, headed for the reservoir:

My frustration fell away in such a lovely setting:

Clover was the first to wade into the water:

The other dogs kept their feet dry, at least for the time being:

There was much excited running through the trees and I tried to keep the dogs close to me without yelling because we were not alone. There were campers not too far away:

Pine needles, mosses, mushrooms and Wild Strawberries carpeted the ground:

We approached the tip of a peninsula which jutted out into the reservoir:

The dogs ran to the top of a hill but I called them back down to the shoreline. A dog on the opposite shore barked a few times:

We explored the water's edge:

Seamus got his feet wet, wanting to go see the dog on the other shore - but that was the end of it. We were having an entirely pleasant walk in a beautiful setting. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

The Reservoir in Brasher State Forest

The dogs and I had just taken a hike in Brasher State Forest (see yesterday's post). When we were done, I decided to drive back to the reservoir before going home. I found a spot to pull off the road. I parked and let the dogs out:

They happily ran down to the water's edge, where Seamus immediately waded in amongst the cattails:

Jack decided to give the water a try. I was sure he'd never go in, though:

But little adventurer that he is, Jack decided to go all the way into the water. He seemed to enjoy it:

There was not another person anywhere and the views were wonderful:

Daphne and Clover explored the water's edge:

We walked down the shoreline and then back up toward the picnic area:

The dogs enjoyed the grassy expanse. It was a great place to run and play:

I encouraged them to go closer to the water's edge, hoping they'd go in:

Daphne did go in the water, though with less enthusiasm than she sometimes shows:

Seamus always goes in:

It had been a peaceful and scenic experience in a place to which we will surely return:

Brasher State Forest, The Walter Pratt Camping And Picnic Area

I recently took a driving tour, during which I discovered this camping and picnic area of Brasher State Forest. So on one fine, sunny morning I took a drive back there with the dogs:

The entrance is only 10 miles from my house. I drove in another mile or so, carefully avoiding a tree fallen across the road, to the CCC dam and reservoir. It was lovely:

I stayed in the car, carefully driving around the reservoir and camping areas:

There were no other people, no other cars. Apparently to camp there, one need only sign in at this kiosk:

The picnic areas were shaded by tall pines and looked like a wonderful place to have a meal:

The campsites were numbered and came with picnic tables, fire pits and nearby outhouses:

I drove back along the access road, parked next to a trail and let the dogs out:

The dogs, true to form, ran excitedly while I hollered at them to calm down and stay close to me. They soon calmed down:

And it was a fine day to be in the forest:

We took numerous side trips off of the main trail, sometimes on other trails, sometimes just through the woods:

The camera had a difficult time adjusting to the dappled sunlight, deciding whether to adjust to darkness or light. In the end, I had taken 162 photos, of which only 36 were usable:

The dogs and I stayed mostly on the trail. We had just begun, and there was still a lot more to see. I'll post more pictures of our Brasher State Forest hike tomorrow: