Madawaska Pond

My sister, Lynn, and her husband, Tim, were visiting from Ohio and we'd just hiked in to see the Santa Clara waterfall (see the previous two posts). Our next stop was Madawaska Pond, which required a five mile drive on rough, one lane "roads" through the forest. We arrived at the parking site and started walking:

The trail to Madawaska Pond is through a stand of large White Pines and is both beautiful and peaceful:

The dogs had already used up some of their excess energy, so they were much better behaved by this time. Seamus' back legs were beginning to fail him, and I eventually had to put him on a leash to keep him from falling or wandering off to unsafe places and getting lost:

The trail to Madawaska Pond was not only lovely to look at, but also wonderful to smell because the White Pine aroma rose when the sun hit the trees and fallen needles:

We took a side trip to a hill overlooking the marshy edge of Madawaska Pond. The red leaves you see on the hill were Lowbush Blueberries:

Lynn and Tim stood and took in the expansive views, backed by the White Pine forest:

But then we hit the trail again, which took us along the edge of the pond:

These miniature red-capped lichens were called British Soldiers. They are never large, but these were the smallest I've ever seen:

We found several water access sites. This one was marked as a canoe launch:

Recent rains had produced a crop of unusual mushrooms all along the trail:

And I got another a photo of Tim and Lynn:

I've never seen a mushroom like this, but its general lumpiness and orange color seemed appropriate for Halloween:

We walked to the end of the pond, then turned around and began the trek back to our car. We were all tired by this time, and happy to reach the car and sit down. We headed home for a nap and dinner:

Our Favorite St. Regis River Waterfall - Part 2

My sister, her husband and all five dogs had hiked in to the waterfall in Santa Clara, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). We'd seen the base of the falls, so we began climbing the rocky trail which took us upstream:

The trail was lovely and wild, and my sister enjoyed the Adirondack scenery:

I stopped for this scene with Partridgeberry, mushroom and Sphagnum moss. The red and green had a kind of Christmas look to it:

The little dogs ventured out onto some rocks which were too scary for Seamus and me, both of us old and lame. I put Seamus on a leash for safety and the two of us took the safest routes we could find:

The trail took us upstream, where we could see the St. Regis River rushing through a narrow gorge:

But the trail ended, so we returned to the base of the falls:

We took a side trip on another trail along the St. Regis River and stopped to see these two gigantic rocks. Alas, the photo doesn't convey their huge size, but they were mammoth:

The trail had veered away from the river but soon brought us back again:

And once again, the autumn views were lovely and serene:

But soon we were headed back out to our car:

Lynn and Tim posed for a fun photo in the forest, and then we got in the car and drove to another nearby hike. I'll post about that tomorrow:

Our Favorite St. Regis River Waterfall - Part 1

My sister and brother-in-law had come to visit from Ohio, hoping to see some Adirondack scenery and autumn foliage. So of course we headed right out to see the waterfall near home. We hit the short trail which would take us there and the dogs began running for joy:

The pooches could barely contain their enthusiasm. Even old Seamus did a bit of wobbly running:

They'd run ahead, then I'd call them back, which is why you see Jack running toward me while the others are running ahead:

And of course the autumn scenery was lovely:

As we neared the falls, we could hear its roar and we had to step over a number of fallen logs (I had to lift Seamus over them, first his front half, then his back half). This log was covered with what I believe was orange Slime Mold:

And then we arrived at the base of the falls. My sister, Lynn, got there first, along with Daphne and Fergus:

Then my brother-in-law, Tim, arrived and they took pictures:

It's not a high waterfall but it's a roaring cascade of many levels. Furthermore, it's not well known and no one else is ever there:

Tim and a couple of the dogs walked out onto some flat rocks for a better view:

And what a view it was!

Lynn busied herself taking photos, a trait we share. But there was yet more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

How To Make Dogs Really, Really Happy

It's simple. Just take them for a romp in a hay field! I walked the dogs across the north field in search of colorful maple leaves. I found no leaves to use, but the dogs had the time of their lives. You can see little Jack in this photo, just rounding the bend at full speed:

And then Clover took off running - so fast that no one else could keep up:

Of course, everyone had to stop and sniff for wildlife:

But then they again took off running:

It's not a big field, so we were soon at the opposite fence line. I walked along the fence, watching for colorful leaves:

The dogs walked with me, sniffing for wild beasts:

The walk didn't last long, and soon it was time to return to the house and barn:

Which of course meant more running at full speed:

The little dogs ran, but Seamus and I, lame old codgers that we are, just plodded along:

Jack disappeared momentarily, but he too came running when I called for him:

It was a joyous procession back across the field. It did my heart good to see the dogs so happy:

And soon we were home. The dogs got to run to their hearts content and smell the exciting smells of whatever it is dogs smell:

An Attempted Hike To Meacham Falls - Part 2

My hike with the dogs to a waterfall fell through (see also Part 1, posted yesterday), so we instead were looking for a trail along the shoreline of beautiful Meacham Lake:

We were bushwhacking, enjoying the wild Adirondack forest:

The faint trail we'd been on ended at a wet marsh, and we could go no farther:

Foiled once again, we turned back toward the car:

But the forest was still beautiful and it was still a joy to be out in nature:

I'd hoped for some brilliant autumn colors but found none - until, that is, I found this Mountain Maple. The bright red exceeded anything I could have hoped for:

We returned to the parking area:

And looked out over the lower section of Meacham Lake:

Jack, Seamus and Daphne went into the water again:

And then we headed for our parked car:

I was all ready to go, but Jack was still running in circles so I let the dogs get wet one last time. It sure seems to make them happy: