Bear Mountain, In The Cranberry Lake Wild Forest - Part 2

We were hiking the trail to the summit of Bear Mountain and were almost to the top:

When we reached the summit, there was only this limited view of Cranberry Lake. Clover didn't care, as she was busy playing on the rocks:

Here's a little better view of Cranberry Lake from the summit:

Hoping there might be another scenic overlook, we continued on the trail for some time. We never found another viewing spot, but there were giant rocks which the dogs thought were canine playgrounds:

All four dogs climbed up and down the rocks, enjoying themselves immensely:

They didn't care about scenic overlooks. This was just what they enjoyed:

Seamus and Fergus found the highest spot of all and posed as nobly as they were able. Their haircuts were only one day old and they did look nice up there:

But there was nothing more to see, so we began our way back down to the car, passing the scenic overlook one more time along the way:

The trail dropped off as we left the summit and we began the downhill hike, maneuvering around rocks, mudslides and fallen leaves:

It was still chilly and I had to put something over my bald head to keep the heat in:

The trail became more level and less rocky as we neared the trail head:

The final shot of the day was of Clover, who had climbed up on a fallen log. We reached our car and began our journey back home, stopping for lunch along the way:

Bear Mountain, In The Cranberry Lake Wild Forest - Part 1

On day two of my sister's visit, we made PeeWee comfortable, put the other dogs in the car and drove down Route 30 toward the village of Tupper Lake. But on the way, we stopped at Lake Clear to walk the sandy beaches:

It was still early in the morning, the winds were strong, the temperature frigid and the waves pounded the shoreline almost like we were at the ocean:

We walked a short distance on the golden sands and admired the autumn colors and distant mountains:

We explored into the forest just a bit to get a look at a tributary:

But then we headed back to our parked car. The dogs loved this romp on the beach but frankly, I was shivering:

We drove to Tupper Lake and then turned west toward Cranberry Lake, where we located the trail head for Bear Mountain and began hiking up the trail:

The trail began easy enough, and the autumn leaves were lovely. The dogs ran and played:

I set Fergus on a mossy log for a picture, but he seemed to be embarrassed about it:

We passed a lean-to, and stopped briefly to take a closer look:

It rained several times while we were on the trail, but the trees overhead protected us:

The trail became steeper and much more rocky, presenting my injured ankles with some tricky walking. We made it in fine shape, though I paid a price for it with ankle pain that night:

I'd never hiked Bear Mountain before and was looking forward to the scenic overlook. But I'll post about that in Part 2, tomorrow:

Spectacular Wanakena, New York - Part 2

I'd just finished hiking up to the Cathedral Rock fire tower with my four youngest dogs and was taking a driving tour of nearby Wanakena, New York. By the way, they really are a "gateway to the wilderness." They aren't kidding. I once launched a canoe from Wanakena on a week long wilderness adventure on the Oswegatchie River:

The houses in Wanakena were quite nice, and everywhere was evidence, besides the obvious trees, that this was a community secluded in the middle of the Cranberry Lake Wild Forest:

There was a public beach on the shore of the Oswegatchie and I stopped and got out of the car to snap a photo or two:

A mother, two children and a Jack Russell Terrier were enjoying the public beach (notice one of the children to the right) and I could see the famous 171 foot suspension foot bridge (built in 1908) just downstream (or was that upstream?):

The Jack Russell Terrier saw my car full of dogs and started barking furiously. My dogs didn't bark much, probably because they knew I forbid hysterical barking fits and was within striking distance, but they sure were interested:

The only church in town was the historic Western Adirondack Presbyterian, and they were having a fund drive for money to maintain their notable historic building:

As I drove through town I continued noticing that nearly every porch was screened. As I said in yesterday's post, this is serious Black Fly and Deer Fly country. As Seamus and I found out on the Wolf Pond loop trail, those insects are nothing to trifle with:

A giant old White Pine, Adirondack themed shutters and trim, a flag with yet another screened porch:

A very nice place under the Spruces with Adirondack chairs on an non-screened porch. I'll bet they weren't sitting there in June:

Adirondack twig art and more screening:

Ferns, trees and, of course, a screened porch:

This idyllic setting was the last house I saw before I turned on the road toward the Wanakena Ranger School. But I'll post about that tomorrow:

Spectacular Wanakena, New York - Part 1

I was having a great weekend up at the farm and had just hiked up to the Cathedral Rock fire tower and back. But the day was still young, so I drove to the hamlet of Wanakena:

Wanakena is a hamlet on the shores of the Oswegatchie River and Cranberry Lake. I once began a week long wilderness canoe adventure in Wanakena, so I remembered much about the village and this felt a like a bit of a homecoming. The Cranberry Lake Wild Forest was evident even in the hamlet itself, with big trees shading the homes:

And many of the homes had a summer camp feel to them. Indeed, many of them were only summer residences:

And nearly all front porches were screened. This is prime Black Fly and Deer Fly country:

It was a relaxed and friendly place:

And water was everywhere, so owning a boat was a natural thing to do. The golf cart, I guessed, was for driving around town:

Adirondack siding. How appropriate:

Red Adirondack chairs on a deck without screening. Oh wait, there's a screened porch behind the deck. Black Fly and Deer Fly seasons are not to be trifled with:

I stopped at the Post Office and General Store to buy myself a sandwich for lunch. They had prepared sandwiches, all organic and very healthy at - well, very healthy prices. Apparently this is a high-end tourist town:

This 171 foot suspension footbridge was constructed in 1908 between the village and the Rich Brothers Lumber Mill to get employees to and from work. It still stands today and has become a bit of a tourist destination. I remembered walking across it when I was in Wanakena years ago for my canoe trip:

I was enjoying my driving tour of Wanakena and thinking how pleasant it must be to spend summers here. But there was still more to see. I'll post more tomorrow:

Chapter 3, Cathedral Rock Fire Tower

We were on our way back down the trail from the Cathedral Rock fire tower on a beautifully perfect day in the Cranberry Lake Wild Forest. I was happy and the dogs were happy. Fergus trotted down the trail:

The wild blackberries would be ripe soon and it looked to me like there would be a bumper crop:

The wild raspberries were already ripe and I helped myself:

Happy dogs, perfect weather, idyllic forest scenery. Life was good:

Usnea, also known as Old Man's Beard or Treemoss, hung from dead branches along the trail:

There were lots of Tamaracks along the trail, a tree which is a favorite of mine but which I don't often see:

We continued happily along the smooth trail through a canyon of trees:

We never saw another person the whole time we were there, but I insisted the dogs stick close to me in an effort to improve their "trail manners:"

Clover and Daphne were especially keen explorers, investigating everything:

We arrived back at the wetlands area where I noticed the same white flowers which had been blooming back at my place. I still suspect they were Elderberries:

When we got to the water, Seamus walked right in:

The Papillons and I followed him, but Fergus was nervous about the unsteady footing. He was wise to be cautious as I slipped and got my feet soaked. But our car was just ahead and our hike to the Cathedral Rock fire tower was over. But the day was young and there were several hamlets I wanted to explore before driving home. I'll post more about them in days to come: