Return To The Grafton Fire Tower Trail, Part 4

It'd been a wonderful hike. I'd been to (and climbed) the Grafton Fire Tower, hiked the Chet Bell Loop and generally enjoyed a day in the woods with four of my dogs. But the day was hot so we hiked a bit farther down to the shoreline of Long Pond. Seamus knew just what to do and did not hesitate:

Little Clover and Daphne were not so sure:

Well, the little dogs could dither all they wanted, but Seamus was going for full immersion:

"Ha ha, you little wimps. I dare you to come in!":

I waded out myself, shoes and all. Long Pond was lovely and pristine. It was a fine day, both for hiking and for getting wet:

There were a few other hikers nearby, everyone enjoying the views:

When I emerged from the lake, cold water spewing out of my sneakers, Fergus, Daphne and Clover looked at me like I was nuts:

It wasn't too far back to the car, but it seemed like it with soggy feet. I bid farewell to Long Pond, taking one last look, and headed back to the car:

Return To The Grafton Fire Tower Trail, Part 3

I'd hiked Grafton's Fire Tower Trail, accompanied by four of my dogs, to the fire tower itself (see yesterday's post). It was terrific, with views in all directions, and then we began returning back down toward the trail head on the same trail which brought us to the fire tower. Recent rains had left many puddles:

A little red eft scampered to get out from under foot but I first got his picture:

The day was a hot one, but the trees provided us cooling shade and the walk was pleasant:

When I arrived at a trail junction, I had plenty of energy so decided to take the Chet Bell Loop Trail which should bring us back to our car by way of new and hopefully interesting scenery:

The woodlands of the Chet Bell Trail were less traveled and more pristine. Still, I did not encounter even one other person. We had it all to ourselves:

After completing the Chet Bell Loop, we arrived at our car. But I still had lots of energy and the day was hot and muggy. So I began leading the dogs downhill toward Long Pond:

I knew from previous experience that if we simply hiked downhill, we'd reach Long Pond and could cool off in its waters. We began in a clearing and then descended through deep woods toward the lake:

When we finally saw the Long Pond, I heard a dog barking and put mine on leashes. We continued toward the shoreline which was by then in sight. I'll finish the story in tomorrow's post:

Return To The Grafton Fire Tower Trail, Part 2

I'd returned to the Grafton Fire Tower Trail and this time found it. I tied the dogs to some very small trees at its base and climbed up the 60 feet to the cab at the top of the fire tower. The view was amazing in spite of the summer haze:

There were rolling hills turning into more distant mountains in every direction. It was no wonder that this was a good spot to watch for fires:

I could see the Taconic Mountains, Vermont's Green Mountains, the Adirondack Mountains, the Berkshires and the Rensselaer Plateau. The president of Friends Of Grafton Fire Tower climbed up behind me and identified many of the scenes I was looking at:

Just below us was Dickinson Swamp. Since the fire tower is atop Dickinson Hill, I suppose the family who once owned this land was - well, you know:

This is what I heard (birdsong and wind) and saw:


The winds were howling up there, turning an otherwise hot and muggy day a bit chilly:

And far below me, my four dogs waited impatiently, barking to get me to hurry up:

When I reached the ground, I released my dogs and explored the area a bit. I'll bet this was the outhouse which the fire tower observers used:

Return To The Grafton Fire Tower Trail, Part 1

You may remember that earlier in the spring, when there was still ice on the trail, I hiked the Fire Tower Trail at Grafton Lakes State Park trying to find its fire tower. I never found the fire tower, and I also had my first heart palpitations which led, a few weeks later, to my getting a heart stint. This return to the trail would be a test for me. Would I have problems hiking uphill? The dogs and I began slowly, enjoying the initial flatness and the luxuriant greenery:

But soon the trail turned gradually uphill. I remembered being winded the last time and fearful of my heart palpitations, but this time it all seemed rather flat. I guess my heart was doing just fine:

This time I found the fire tower, and it was a beauty. It was built in 1924, so it was 87 years old. At 60 feet high, I was sure to get a magnificent view. The wooden steps and platforms had just been repaired and the president of the Friends Of Grafton Fire Tower was there to check out the work. He also told me he was publishing a book about the tower which would be out in July and and a 97 year old woman, who made history here as the first woman to work as a fire tower observer, would be there also. I hope to attend the signing. But the task at hand was climbing up to the top of that tower:

I tied my four dogs to saplings at the foot of the tower and began climbing. At the second platform, I looked down to see how they were doing:

At the fourth platform they were beginning to look very small:

When I reached the sixth platform, my dogs were looking tiny. They also were not happy at being left behind:

At the eighth platform, the final step before entering the cab, I took one last look down at the dogs. I was almost at the top and was not even winded. My heart was doing just fine. I'll post the view from the top tomorrow:

Grafton's Fire Tower Trail - Part 5

I'd hiked the Fire Tower Trail at Grafton Lakes State Park in upstate New York with four of my dogs (see previous posts) and was almost back to the trail head. We were going more slowly now and taking time for exploratory jaunts off the trail and just to stop and listen to the beautiful, rich silence of the snowy woods:

I pulled my camera out of my pocket and brought it up to snap a photo and just as I was about to snap a picture, I once again slipped on the ice and fell down. I had the presence of mind to protect my camera and was able to shoot the picture when I'd stood back up and regained my dignity. This hike had sure had some accidents and cautions. Well, it was the first hike of the year so I hoped that I'd learned from my mistakes:

The dogs seemed not to be tired at all, and little Clover was as perky as a show dog posing for a judge. I think she imagined herself a small she-wolf, mistress of all she surveyed:

Big ol' Seamus had slowed down but was still going strong:

Fergus hadn't even slowed down but was keeping up with the two Papillon pups:

We rounded a bend in the trail and saw our little red car parked just ahead:

The dogs broke into a run and circled the car, clearly overjoyed to be back. This surprised me and I never quite understood what was going on in their doggy minds. Were they tired or just happy to see a familiar sight? I guessed it was the latter:

We all piled into the car and began driving out of the park on the snowy dirt roads. We passed Second Pond:

The dogs enjoy sightseeing as much as any humans:

And we passed Mill Pond. I bought myself a sandwich at the Grafton General Store and headed for home:

Grafton's Fire Tower Trail - Part 4

The dogs and I were hiking downhill back to the trail head and our parked car but we were moving at a leisurely pace, taking the time to explore and see the natural wonders. I sent this photo of Clover to her breeder to illustrate what a fine looking Papillon she is becoming. I'd originally planned to breed her but am now thinking I may instead go back to taking in small, elderly foster dogs:

Down through the forest we traveled, being as careful as possible to stay off of the slippery ice. We passed by this large rock cliff which I guessed had been created by the movement of glaciers long ago:

There were several trail maps posted along the way but they did not reveal the secret of where to find the mysterious disappearing fire tower:

We'd been on the trail long enough for the dogs to slow down a bit and we all were thoroughly enjoying being out in the woods, free of interruption and the pulls of civilization:

Another good Papillon pose by Clover which I also sent to her breeder:

Daphne may not be a sterling example of the Papillon breed, but she sure is sweet, smart, athletic and loyal. We were passing by this small ridge which hid the landscape on the other side, so I decided we'd all just climb to the top of it and take a look:

This was just about the only spot along the trail without snow cover and the only spot where we actually saw green moss and even a few flattened ferns. I reminded myself that spring was near:

I'd had some hope that we'd have a spectacular scenic view from the top of the ridge but only saw more forest. It was, however, comforting to my soul to experience a large forest in its natural condition. Just gazing at it was restorative and settling:

I can't read dogs' minds, but I imagined that they also took heart from this momentary experience of their paws touching moss, rock and soil instead of snow and ice:

But we'd had our moment in the sun and began to descend that little ridge, returning to the trail. That's Clover looking so tiny on that hill. She's right at home in the forest as if she was born to hike. And she comes when called now. Only last summer she was a puppy who ran ahead on the trail and refused to come when called. She's developed into quite a lovely, well behaved dog: