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:

White HIll Wild Forest - Part 1

I tried taking the dogs to White Hill Wild Forest just six days earlier, but found the access road still blocked with snow. But we'd had some warm, sunny days, so I decided to try again. I drove to Parishville and turned at this sign - which, you may notice, still had dirty snow piled up around its base:

But the access road was passable and the scenery along the almost two mile stretch was gorgeous. This beaver marsh, for example:

Daphne and Clover watched the passing forest landscape with interest and excitement:

When we arrived at the parking area, I let the dogs out and headed into the forest on the hiking trail. Our first stop, barely a few hundred feet in, was lovely Clear Pond:

Daphne rushed right down to the water's edge:

A couple of guys launched a small fishing boat from another shore. My dogs watched briefly and then continued having fun. Seamus, of course, waded right in:

Clover and Daphne were a bit more cautious:

We continued on the trail, passing greenery in the form of Princess Pines, one of our most beloved local clubmosses. They seemed to have made it through our rugged winter without difficulty:

Clear Pond is quite large and we skirted the edge of it, often making side trips to explore interesting places. Seamus, lover of water that he is, was especially fond of the wet places:

And all along the shore line was great beauty. This is why people love the Adirondacks;

But the trail took us away from Clear Pond and into the forest:

I was just thinking that no spring flowers were up yet when I noticed patches of Trout Lily. They were only a couple of inches high, but they were up and looking prosperous. They'll be blooming in a week. But we'd just gotten started on this trail, and there was much more to see. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Hiking Vroman's Nose, Part 5

The dogs and I were on our way down the side of Vroman's Nose. I'd seen some incredible scenic views from the rocky crags atop the mountain but now it was time to go home:

I love this picture because it shows the dogs running for joy with Fergus' ears flopping:

There were moss covered logs on the forest floor which silently collected tiny bits of snow which fell from above. These were not snow "flakes" but small grains similar to what I've heard called corn snow:

The woods were silent when the dogs held still for a moment:

But then the rustling of oak leaves and the huffing of "dog laughter" once again filled the air:

The Vroman's Nose trail is a loop and we soon arrived back at the junction:

I put the dogs back on their leashes when we hit the farm fields and it was a good thing I did as a family was just beginning their ascent with two large dogs. Their dogs were on leashes. The big brown Pit-Bull type dog appeared friendly but the Dalmatian did not. I took a wide arc around them:

And back to my parked car. That's Line Creek, a tributary of the notorious Schoharie Creek, next to the road. There was still much evidence of terrible flooding left over from last August's Tropical Storm Irene:

I took a couple of photos of the local scenery as I drove away. This was a typical Schoharie Valley scene, though it was not Vroman's Nose:

I noticed a covered bridge just off the road and turned in to the parking area to take a closer look:

This, I learned, was the 115 foot long Fox Creek Bridge. It was not open for traffic so I parked and walked around and through it:

Right next to the covered bridge was the historic homestead of the Revolutionary War Colonel, Peter Vroman. I've searched the web to find out if Vroman's Nose was so named because he really had a nose shaped like that or just because it was near his home. But I could find no answer:

Hiking The Pinnacle, Part 3

I'd reached the scenic overlook of The Pinnacle and enjoyed the magnificent view, though I tied the dogs up first to keep them away from the edge:

I didn't know if this was the final overlook or if the trail would lead on to more scenic wonders, so I followed a little trail into the woods only to have it end near a patch of Trilliums already in fruit:

There was nothing to be done at that point except to begin the descent down the same trail which had brought us to the top. But it was a lovely path through the Adirondack forest and I knew it would be a scenic, pleasant walk:

Princess Pines, also known as Ground Pines or Club Mosses, grew in little mini-forests scattered along the trail:

And these rather large mosses holding their spore capsules aloft:

Daphne, true to form, stopped frequently along the way to browse on vegetation:

We hiked down, down, down the magnificent Adirondack forest mountainside. You can see in this photo how the mountain drops off just past the trees:

And little Clover once again gave me her "She-Wolf, Queen Of The Forest" pose:

A happy moment with the camera on self-timer mode:

And onward through some level parts of the forest with Seamus leading the way. He had lots more energy now that he'd lost some weight:

And soon we were back at the trail head. There had been not one other person on the mountain. Once again, we'd had that lovely forest and scenery all to ourselves. I signed out at the kiosk and began driving down the 1.7 mile gravel road to the highway:

The Return Hike, White Hill Wild Forest Part 7

After leaving Little Rock Pond, the dogs and I continued following the trail back to our car at Clear Pond. We passed several sections where very large fallen trees littered the ground like giant matchsticks. Apparently there had been a considerable blow-down in the recent past. These were very large trees with comparatively small root systems, so I suppose it's no surprise that a mighty wind would topple them. Many places in the Adirondacks have shallow soil under which is solid rock:

And I stepped over this friendly little flowering plant, snapping a photo to use for identification when I got home. But I couldn't decide if it's Northern White Violet or Dewdrop. Now that I've seen Saturday's posting from the "Saratoga Woods And Waterways" blog, I'm convinced it was Dewdrop, also known as False Violet, Dalibarda repens:

And more club mosses, a favorite of mine:

We again skirted the northern tip of Little Rock Pond:

Daphne was alert for any signs of trouble:

Both Papillons were still full of energy and undeterred by the soaking rain. They may be small lap dogs, but don't tell them that! In their minds they are miniature Border Collies:

The wetter places were filling in with Sphagnum Moss. What a chain of environment altering events a family of beavers can initiate: