Harvey Mountain Blueberries - Part 6

I'd hiked to the top of Harvey Mountain, a short and easy hike, with four of my dogs. We'd crossed from New York into Massachusetts and were now headed back toward the trail head. We took a small detour on our way down to climb up onto a small knob with nice views, blueberries and some big rocks for the dogs to climb. Little Clover was a natural climber, a regular mountain goat in a dog's body. She was having a grand time:

And downward we walked. This was not too steep, not too distant and not too rocky. In fact, it was just right. When the hiking is easy, I tend to see a lot more of the natural features along the way:

We passed by more Steeplebush plants in bloom:

Daphne and Seamus took a rest and all the dogs got cooled off in a mountain brook (see yesterday's video):

The dogs' excess energy had been mostly drained and keeping them at hand was now much easier. Also, I confess, the hike had settled and calmed my spirit and I was less fretful. The walk back to the car was serene and happy:

Clover still liked to run ahead, but Daphne learned a new "trick" on this hike. If I called her back to me and she did as requested, she'd get much petting and praise. This made her very happy and she learned quickly. In this photo, Clover is trotting rather too far ahead and Daphne has heard me call her back. She's on her way to getting some positive attention:

It may look as if we're getting deeper and deeper into the woods, but we're almost back to the car at this point. As you can tell, Papillon puppies have a quickly renewable source of energy:

And then we spotted my little car parked below us along a gravel road. The dogs were very happy about that, but then dogs are very happy about nearly everything. That, I think, is a large part of why we love them so much:

And we drove back out of the forest with beautiful long distance views along the way:

Daphne and Clover now ride in the front seat with me, while the other dogs ride in the back:

A Third Harvey Mountain Video

We were hiking back down Harvey Mountain toward the trail head and my parked car. When we arrived at the little brook filled with Wood Frogs, though, all the dogs wanted to cool off in it before going any farther. These are some quiet moments with my dogs in a natural setting. I very much like knowing that they get to experience such joys. I'm happy that I do also, and the dogs are superb company for me:

Harvey Mountain Blueberries - Part 5

I'd hiked up Harvey Mountain with four of my dogs and snacked on the blueberries at the summit. We'd hiked across the New York/Massachusetts border and were now turned back and headed for the trail head. In this photo, Clover and Fergus are leading the way out of the woods and into the Lowbush Blueberry fields:

I'm not exaggerating when I say there were acres and acres of blueberries. Here's a close-up of some ripening blueberries:

While I enjoyed eating them, the two Papillon puppies found the Lowbush Blueberries to be just the ticket for silly puppy play and romping:

"C'mon, Clover. Follow me. We'll go find a bear:"

And Daphne was fascinated by the concept of eating blueberries. She didn't, however, want to eat any herself:

Back again in the blueberry fields, I had views of the surrounding Taconic Mountains:

Distant mountains are difficult to capture in photos, but if you click to enlarge this one, you may be able to see the two mountain ranges. The closer mountains are the Taconics and the bigger, farther mountains are the nearby Catskills. What a magnificent view, while all the while the breezes blew and the birds sang:

After descending from the summit with the dogs, I decided to climb up onto that secondary summit just ahead on the right. I knew from previous hikes that it would provide some nice views, tasty blueberries and big rocks for the dogs to play on:

So up we went:

Daphne and Clover were leading the way. Papillons are not shy. They live life with enthusiasm. We were now on our way back down the mountain headed toward my parked car, but I've still got a couple of posts before this adventure is completed. More tomorrow:

A Second Harvey Mountain Video

The dogs and I emerged from the woods back into the Lowbush Blueberry fields atop Harvey Mountain. The trail leads right through these fields and, except for blueberry picking, I'd not strayed off the path lest I trample the plants. But this time I noticed deer paths crisscrossing the fields and decided that I could, in good conscience, follow them. The dogs were quite happy about this development. You can see some of the scenery off in the distance and hear the winds and bird songs:

Harvey Mountain Blueberries - Part 4

This is post number 4 of our Harvey Mountain hike. I was walking (hiking seems to be the wrong word for this easy trek) up to the summit with four of my dogs and hoping that I'd find lots of ripe Lowbush Blueberries. I wasn't disappointed and had snacked on wild blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. But it was a very hot day and the trail led from the blueberry fields into the cool, shady woods, so that's where we headed next:

Baby Clover was by now tired enough to be more obedient and had been relieved of her leash. She was having a grand time leading us all into the woods. She considers herself the Big Boss Lady and, I suppose, always will. I only require that she not be unkind to any other animal and that she obey me. She is very sweet, cuddly and loving, but deep down in her soul, she KNOWS that she's been divinely ordained to be Queen Clover:

The forest was indeed cooler and more pleasant - except for the gnats which, though they didn't bite, were so pesky that they were getting stuck under my eyelids every time I blinked. Off to the side of the trail, I saw a marker:

It designated the Massachusetts/New York state line. I've read that some (New York) locals hike this trail just to come to this spot and pee across the line onto Massachusetts, a good natured jab at our New England neighbors. As for the dogs and me, I'm afraid we'd already emptied our bladders and had to be content just to gaze across the line:

I did, however, set up a happy photo op with me on the Massachusetts side and the dogs still in New York. Don't they look happy? Clover was too busy sniffing out the woodlands to join us:

Seamus needed a rest, but Fergus led the two Papillon puppies on an exploration of an old stone wall:

Fergus seems to love to walk atop these old stone fences and both Clover and Daphne seemed to enjoy it also:

We hiked a bit farther into Massachusetts, but the gnats in my eyes eventually persuaded me to turn back towards New York and the blueberry fields. Clover was quite happy to lead the way:

Papillon puppies in the forest. They seemed right at home. Just as I'd read about the breed, they are not shy, limp-wristed toys, but adventurous and active dogs in small bodies:

This is one of my favorite pictures. It's Fergus emerging from the forest back into the blueberry meadows. The magical contrast of shade and light with the sense of a fairy tale adventure is very true to life. This sort of scene seldom looks the same in a photo, but this time the camera seemed to capture the magic. Well, our hike was not finished yet. I'll post more in the days to come:

Harvey Mountain Blueberries - Part 3

I was hiking up Harvey Mountain with four of my dogs. It was an easy hike, which was a good thing because it was a very hot day. We'd had quite a bit of shade from the forests on each side of the trail, but as we neared the summit, the landscape opened up. You can see the summit just ahead of the dogs in this photo:

Clover was still on her leash because she wasn't yet sufficiently tired to slow down and come when called. She was close to reaching that point, though. This picture shows how thin she is, and that she still has her puppy fuzz. Papillons grow an adult coat of longish, silky hair as they grow up. The vet was worried that she looked so thin, but when she tested negative for worms, he concluded that she was just naturally built that way:

Almost to the summit and with the sky opening up just ahead, Seamus decided to take a rest by the side of the trail. Daphne trotted over to keep him company:

And at the very top of Harvey Mountain were acres and acres of Lowbush Blueberries, many of them ripe:

And they sure were tasty:

The trail traces its way up through the blueberries. I stayed on the trail, but the dogs seemed to enjoy prancing through the blueberry bushes:

The acres of Lowbush Blueberries are not only tasty, but are also excellent for allowing views out over the surrounding Taconic Mountains:

Seamus was hot and needed to rest in the shade. Daphne and Fergus were happy to join him. Both of the Poodles had very woolly coats which were cut short after this hike:

Little Clover, now tired enough to be more manageable, was off her leash and decided to come over and join the resting dogs:

The views from the mountaintop were lovely, but I decided to continue on the trail as it reentered the forest and headed for the Massachusetts state line. But I'll post more about that tomorrow:

A Havey Mountain Video

When we arrived at the summit of Harvey Mountain, we found a large field of Lowbush Blueberries. This was of course good for me as I like to eat them, but also a fun place for the dogs to explore. You can hear the winds blowing and the birds singing as the dogs play in the blueberries. They didn't seem to be hurting them at all:

Harvey Mountain Blueberries - Part 2

I was hiking up Harvey Mountain with four of my dogs and hoping to find the mountaintop covered with ripe Lowbush Blueberries. The trail was a seldom used service road and quite pleasant. I endeavor to keep the dogs slightly ahead of me so that I can keep an eye on them, but not so far that I can't quickly call them back if necessary. They were doing pretty well - except for baby Clover, that is, who was again exhibiting her stubborn, independent streak. But in this photo, all is going well:

Clover and Daphne, both Papillon puppies, are buddies and like to do as much as possible together. They are incredibly active and athletic. Papillons, I've read, were originally bred to be toy Spaniels, but I've come to think of them as toy Border Collies because of their intelligence, high energy and need to have a job to do. Well, on this day their job was hiking and exploring. They considered it great fun:

Fergus can almost keep up with the two Papillon puppies, but he also understands the need to do as he's told and keep close enough to me. When he forgets, though, he immediately comes when called and we're balanced once again. In this picture, he's exploring an old stone wall, an activity he seemed to enjoy more than once on this hike:

It was a very hot, sunny day and we tended to slow down as we hiked upward. You can almost see Seamus' feet dragging in this picture:

And then I began to see Blackberries all along the trail:

Most of them weren't ripe yet, but I found enough which were ripe to make me happy:

And mixed in were Red Raspberries. They were a real treat. Wild berries heated by the summer sun and eaten out of hand with the birds singing overhead and the aroma of mosses and pines in the air, are among life's greatest pleasures. What version of heaven could compete?:

And then I heard splashing. Seamus was hot and tired, and had found a small brook just off the trail but screened by foliage so that I hadn't noticed it. It had a high population of Wood Frogs which scrambled out of the way when the dogs came down to cool off. You may notice that by this time, Clover was dragging her leash. That's because she was still running too far ahead and not coming when called:

All the dogs got a drink and enjoyed the cooling effects of the shaded brook. The two Papillon puppies were fascinated by the Wood Frogs:

Back on the trail once again, the woods opened up somewhat and we got more sunshine. This made it hotter, but also kept the Steeplebush, Spirea tomentosa, blooming beautifully. But we hadn't yet reached the summit, so I'll post more tomorrow: