Madawaska Pond - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking in to Madawaska Pond, a scenic gem in the Adirondacks, a short drive from home:

The forest was mostly towering White Pines, interspersed with sections of hardwoods:

And then we arrived at Madawaska Pond. The dogs ran down to the shore and waded in:

It was great fun and resulted in happy and refreshed dogs:

As I said, Madawaska Pond is a scenic Adirondack gem. Floating peat islands dotted the water and Fragrant Water Lilies bloomed like stars on a summer night:

But we had more walking to do, so I gave the dogs a call and we headed back onto the trail:

I stopped to photograph Fireweed in bloom. Fireweed is common in the Adirondacks and a beautiful member of the Evening Primrose Family:

And everywhere we went we saw natural beauty, heard bird songs and smelled pine and moss:

I stopped once again, this time to photograph Bunchberries, a member of the Dogwood Family. I was too late to see the flowers, as all the plants were already producing berries:

Jack and Seamus posed for a photo:

I began looking for a place to empty the sand and pine needles from inside my braces and shoes, and discovered this interesting little wildflower. I recognized it as a Pyrola but had to wait until I got home to look it up and learn that it was a Shinleaf Pyrola, a member of the Wintergreen Family:

My ankles were getting painful and I wasn't sure if I could get to the dam on Quebec Brook which created Madawaska Pond. I kept thinking it would be the next sunny area, just up ahead. But even though I must have been very close to it, I finally decided that it would be wiser for me to turn back toward the car. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Exploring The Summit Of Mount Greylock

I had chosen a beautiful, sunny Sunday to drive up Mount Greylock and so had hundreds of bikers. Individual or groups of two to ten bikers were ascending or descending the winding mountain road and negotiating the hairpin turns. I joined this group parked on the shoulder of the road to admire the view out over the Berkshire Mountains:

The view was magnificent:

And we looked out over a small town which I believe may have been Adams, Massachusetts:

I snapped one more photo and then resumed my drive up to the summit. Notice the cloud shadows moving across the landscape:

There were a lot of visitors to the summit that day and a ranger was collecting the $2.00 parking fee. I parked way off at the end of the lot by myself, near this Thunderbolt Shelter, or pavilion, because I knew from previous visits that a woodland trail from there would serve as a shortcut to the scenic summit:

I could see the War Memorial Tower from the parking lot:

I hiked up the short trail through the forest into the sunshine where these butterflies flitted and danced. I couldn't remember what it was except that I remembered it had an odd name. Indeed, when I looked it up it was a White Admiral, Limenitis arthemis arthemis. I consider it an odd name because a mostly black butterfly is called white:

As I neared the views of the summit, I passed a large patch of Fireweed. I was almost there:

Just around the next bend I saw the beautiful War Memorial Tower:

But first I walked over to the grassy viewing area where I'd had my first experience of Mount Greylock many decades ago:

The views were as I'd remembered them except that the first time there were colorful hang gliders drifting on air currents below the summit:

I walked among the wildflowers at the summit enjoying the view before I went inside the War Memorial Tower, but I'll post about that tomorrow:

Reaching The Summit Of Azure Mountain

The trail up Azure Mountain had become seriously steep and both Seamus and I were panting and taking frequent rests. But we continued upward, on our way to see the summit of Azure Mountain. I took far fewer photos than usual during this part of the hike because I was focused on hauling my aging body uphill without hurting myself:

I stopped for a photo with Fergus and Daphne:

The trail was so seriously steep that Seamus finally decided that he could go no farther. He plopped himself down on the trail and panted. Out of concern for his welfare and because I was feeling similarly, I sat down and we all took a long rest. I had a water bottle with me and squirted water in his throat every now and then, a refresher which Seamus seemed to appreciate:

Daphne was still full of happy energy, but those of us with more body weight and accumulated years needed a rest:

Seamus didn't move for some time and his buddy, Fergus, came over to see if he was alright:

But we all recovered and resumed our ascent. On the exceedingly steep parts I had to use both my hands and feet to keep moving upward:

I was beginning to think, with some embarrassment, that I might have to turn back without making it to the summit when just above us I glimpsed the fire tower. My first thought was that it was shorter than most, with fewer flights of stairs. This occasioned both disappointment and relief in me - disappointment that it might not provide a magnificent view and relief that I would have fewer steps to climb:

As we walked out onto the summit, the trail leveled out and the sunshine increased. There were few trees at the peak, but lots of flowers like this Fireweed, Epilobium angustifolium, a member of the Evening Primrose family. In fact, there were large patches of this striking purple beauty:

And I deposited the rocks I'd carried up with me in the pile designated for that purpose. This was a magnificent mountain summit and I was charmed by its peaceful beauty. I'll post more tomorrow: