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:

Grafton's Fire Tower Trail - Part 3

I was hiking the Fire Tower Trail at Grafton Lakes State Park up on the Rensselaer Plateau of upstate New York with four of my dogs. The snow had pretty much all melted down in the city, so I was surprised to learn that it lingered in such great quantities up here in the forest. I was following the trail uphill over ice and snow when my left foot slid out from under me right here:

I was quick enough to prevent being injured, though not quick enough to prevent the fall. I went down on the ice but then carefully got back up and continued on my way. This was the third cause for concern of the day. First I'd discovered that I forgot to bring my cell phone, then I'd found lots of bear tracks. I again reminded myself to be alert and cautious and kept climbing upward, now being more careful to stay off the ice:

We eventually arrived at a level spot in the trail and I could see a dirt road ahead. I realized we'd somehow missed the fire tower but had no idea where we went wrong. But to chronicle the hike, I reached into my pocket for my camera so I could photograph the dirt road. But my pockets were empty. I could only assume that my camera had flown out of my coat pocket when I slipped on the ice so we began backtracking, looking for the spot where I'd gone down:

This ice was so slick that even the dogs, with their low centers of gravity and claws, were slipping and sliding. But I had to search for my lost camera, so I carefully picked my way around the edges of the ice. I had just decided to give up, that I'd never find it, when I saw my camera on the ice near near where I'd fallen. It still worked just fine, so we continued on our way back toward the trail head and our parked car. None of the things which had worried me were of any concern to the dogs. This was a great fun experience for them from start to finish and, I must admit, their joy was a great blessing to me:

We hiked downhill at a more leisurely pace than we'd climbed uphill, and I was happy to allow the dogs lots of time to go off the trail and explore:

Seamus' new haircut was only one day old but it clearly was still woolly enough to keep him warm:

Fergus is only half Poodle but has the same woolly coat. He was likewise comfortable in the winter conditions there, even with his new haircut:

Daphne and Clover, the Papillon pups, have no undercoat and one would think they'd get cold. But it never seems to bother them and their love of the outdoors superseded all else:

Clover played "The Great She-Wolf, hunting for game:"

Seamus appeared more thoughtful and contemplative:

Grafton's Fire Tower Trail - Part 2

I was exploring the Fire Tower Trail in Grafton Lakes State Park in upstate New York. Though I used to live nearby, I'd never before explored most of those trails. I'd just begun my hike yet already discovered that I'd forgotten to bring my cell phone and I'd already found bear tracks, both discoveries causing me a bit of concern. The trail was covered with snow and ice yet was pleasant and easy to walk. My four dogs were overjoyed to be out in the woods again and ran back and forth smelling everything and having a grand time:

Even Seamus, who has put on enough weight to slow him down, was full of energy and ran out ahead of us. The younger, thinner dogs had to hustle to catch up to him, at least at the beginning of the hike:

But the dogs didn't stick to the snow covered trail. They spent a great deal of their time exploring the woods, reading the odors like a newspaper. I sure wish I could know what they smelled in this photo because it clearly was exciting to them:

In spite of the cold and wind, the day was clear and it was a great pleasure to be out in nature. I heard almost no birds singing. I guess it was still winter up there on the Rensselaer Plateau:

We climbed steadily upward, presumably heading toward a fire tower perched high on some scenic spot. And as we got higher, the trail became icier. I tried to walk in the crusty snow instead of the ice:

For all its winter beauty, the woods seemed curiously devoid of squirrels, birds and other wildlife. I'd love to spot a bear, but not with the dogs along. So we just kept following the trail uphill, avoiding stepping on the ice wherever possible:

As time passed, the dogs slowed down and their initial great excitement became a kind of natural, instinctive "belonging" in the forest. It was a pleasure for me to watch them so at home in nature:

One of the breed characteristics I've noticed is the Poodles' tendency to gaze out thoughtfully over the scenery. I've seen Seamus doing it many times, and on this day Fergus was doing it also. I believe it is a sign of their intelligence. Poodles are ranked second only to Border Collies in intelligence. Papillons are number eight on the list, still in the top ten:

We arrived at a sign marking the boundary of park property. A trail seemed to veer off to the left while a more traveled trail continued uphill into what apparently was private property. Since any fire tower would be on the highest point, I took the uphill trail. Seamus, you may notice, attempted to take the lower trail. Many of my past dogs have seemed sure that they knew better than I which way to go. I've learned to let them veer off in the wrong direction and then scurry to catch up when they realized they were wrong:

The uphill trail through private property also had telephone or electric lines and I guessed that might be further evidence that a fire tower was just ahead. So we continued to hike upwards on the increasingly icy trail. I'll post more tomorrow:

Grafton's Fire Tower Trail - Part 1

This has been one of the longest, coldest winters ever. The snow was melted pretty much everywhere in Albany and, according to my tenants, up at the farm also. So I loaded the four hiking dogs into the car and drove to Grafton Lakes State Park for our first hike of the year. Alas, I found snow and ice covering everything. A tree crew was trimming winter damaged limbs along the road. I parked on the side of the road because the snow was too deep in the parking area:

It was mighty cold up there on the Rensselaer Plateau, much colder than in Albany, and the winds were gusting strongly. I pulled my hat down lower and stuck my hands in my pockets as we began our hike:

The dogs were overjoyed to be out again and I happened to snap this photo of them running for pure joy. Big ol' Seamus looks especially happy:

We started up the Fire Tower Trail which a phone call to the Park office staff had assured me really did have a fire tower on it:

The day was bright and sunny in spite of the cold and it felt wonderful to be out hiking again. I realized that I'd forgotten to bring my cell phone and began to worry that I was an overweight old fogy all alone a long way from any other human beings and no one would find me for a very long time if something happened. This would be only my first mistake of the hike. There would be more:

I began to see deer tracks along the trail:

Ruh Roh, there were also a lot of bear tracks. It didn't appear to be a very large bear, but since I'd already begun worrying, I added mama bears with cubs to my list of things to fret about. Here's a rear foot print next to my boot print:

And both rear and front bear foot prints. They didn't appear to be particularly fresh, but I decided that it was important to keep the dogs in sight and obeying my commands at all times:

But we only saw the bear tracks in one location. The hike became a relaxed and thoroughly enjoyable stroll over the crusty snow through a lovely wild forest:

The official Grafton Lakes State Park trail map cut off the eastern portion of the Fire Tower Trail and did not show the location of the fire tower, so I really didn't know the length of the trail or much else about it. This was an adventure of exploration:

And a brief video of the dogs on the trail: