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:

Black And Long Ponds - Part 1

My sister usually visits me each autumn and the visits are mostly brief, so I try to make good use of our time together. This year we took the dogs south to the Black Pond trail in the Adirondacks. We parked and began at this small section of Black Pond. It was lovely, but I knew there was much more up ahead along the trail:

We saw some ducks, apparently a family group which was traveling north up the lake at about the same speed as we were walking. We used a zoom lens for a better look and identified them as Common Mergansers, diving ducks. We got a chance to see them in a communal feeding frenzy, apparently when they'd located a school of fish:

We approached the first of several lean-tos:

We walked to the lean-to and stood, taking in the wild beauty of Black Pond:

And then we continued on our way up the trail. The trail is mostly level, but not entirely flat and easy to walk for a guy like me with leg braces and awkward gait:

The trail never left the shoreline, and the dogs were able to take a drink whenever they pleased:

There were patches of Balsam Fir trees, and we knew when we entered one of them by the heavy Balsam perfume:

Parts of the trail were easy even for me:

And there were planks across the marshy places:

Seamus waded in up to his chest to get a drink and cool himself off:

The little dogs liked the water also, though they picked shallower spots and only got their feet wet:

We saw evidence of beaver activity, though most of it looked old:

The trail ran between a tall esker on the left, and the pond on the right. An esker, by the way, is a gravel ridge, left behind by melting glaciers:

My sister stopped beside a Winterberry Holly, laden with scarlet fruit. We were headed north along the shore of Black Pond and there was much more yet to see. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: