Beautiful Lampson Falls - Part 3

The dogs and I hiked to the top of Lampson Falls, then down to its base and around a rocky ridge for more spectacular views (see also Parts 1 and 2, posted previously). Now we were climbing back up to the top of the falls:

The roaring, churning wall of water was just to our right, but my focus was on the dogs' safety and my own as I navigated the wet rocks with my leg braces and awkward gait:

We took one last look at the top:

And then we began our journey back toward the car. The trail from the top of the falls to the parking area is handicapped accessible:

I stopped to admire a handsome patch of Partridgeberry. Our spring was so delayed that little else was growing yet:


The trail back was broad, level and easy. The dogs were worn out and their wild behavior at the beginning was by now calm and mild. When we got home, they curled up on their beds and slept for the rest of the afternoon:

The scenery was first class even if the Beech leaves were behind schedule this year:

And I was both happy and getting a sun tanned face:


It was a joy to have such well behaved dogs. If only they were so calm at the beginning of a hike:

They still stopped to investigate every smell, but even Jack was tired and reduced to a walk by this time. I signed out at the register and loaded the dogs up into the car for the journey home:

Beautiful Lampson Falls - Part 2

The dogs and I had hiked to the top of Lampson Falls, then down to the bottom. We then began ascending the rocky ridge across the way, but little Jack was unable to scramble up the steep, slippery rock. Like me, he had to find an easier route:

Seamus made it to the top without help and seemed quite proud of himself:

I had continued to resist the impulse to walk toward the steep cliff and churning water, but the dogs led me in that direction and I didn't object. The truth was that I wanted to see it too:

At the foot of that steep drop off, huge quantities of churning, foaming water were roaring - and the falls were just beyond, continually feeding more water to the pool:

I didn't want any of the dogs to get too close to the edge and called them back when they appeared to be headed that way:

But we did walk down a sloping trail to lower rocks which looked somewhat safer:

This lower ridge was even more impressive because it was so close to the water and the roar of the falls:

 The dogs found this great fun and, to my relief, stayed away from the edge:

 
But instead of going farther, I turned us around and headed back toward the base of the falls so we could return to our car:

We climbed back up to another high point, then back down to the base of the falls. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Beautiful Lampson Falls - Part 1

I had been to Lampson Falls a couple of times in the past, but that was years ago and I'd pretty much forgotten about it. Then I saw a mention of it online, so the very next morning I put the dogs in the car and drove 35 miles to the trail head. We had the entire forest to ourselves:

I almost didn't sign in at the register, but then did so because I want the state to know that people are using the trail and besides - if I were to fall in and drown, I'd want them to know who to look for:

The dogs were wildly excited at the beginning, and I had to keep hollering at them to keep them from running too far ahead:

The pooches investigated everything, and were having a grand time:


They gradually slowed down, and by the end of the hike were heeling nicely:

It was all a great adventure as we made our way down the broad, level, handicapped accessible trail. But I began to hear the roar of the falls and wanted to keep the dogs close and away from the cascade:

When we arrived near the top of the falls, I could see (though it was no surprise) that our spring snow melt and rain had the water level high. Indeed it was so high that much of the view of the falls was obstructed by the huge wall of water. The mist produced amazing rainbows but alas, they didn't show up on the photos:

Down below, the pool at the bottom of the waterfall was overflowing its banks and churning wildly:

We carefully descended the rocky, muddy hillside to the bottom, where the pool was now covering the sand where folks like to swim on hot summer days. Just ahead of us, a rocky ridge loomed impressively. I was not inclined to climb up there with the dogs, but we kept walking in that direction:

I turned back to see the falls, 40 feet high and 100 feet wide. The amount of water rushing over was huge:

I didn't want to climb up onto the rocky ridge, but Clover and Daphne led the way - so I followed. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow):

Lampson Falls, Part 2

I had hiked in to Lampson Falls on the Grasse River with my sister, my niece and five dogs. We knew that it would soon begin raining, so had chosen this series of waterfall hikes because they were relatively short and all in a row. If and when it began to rain, we'd be able to return to the car in without a lengthy hike. And the Grasse River, just downstream from the falls, was wondrous:

We explored the rocks:

My niece took a snapshot of her beloved dog, Madeline:

And my sister did a bit of rock hopping with Madeline while Seamus waded in a secluded pool:

A quiet moment of joy and wonder in a wild, scenic environment:

My sister and my niece took a brief rest downstream from Lampson Falls:

We began walking back toward the car, but this time took a different route:

And got ourselves a bit lost:

We had to backtrack in order to find the trail again:

I know that trail is around here somewhere:

But of course we found the trail and resumed our hike back toward the car:

It was quite early in the morning, but we were trying to beat the rain. Everyone was happy. It had begun to sprinkle off and on. Would we be able to visit another waterfall or two before it really began to rain? Stay tuned:

Lampson Falls, Part 1

Tuesday morning had not yet dawned on my sister and niece's visit when I awoke to a weather prediction of rain, rain and more rain. But it wasn't raining yet, so I roused them from bed and we headed out with the dogs to hit a few trails before the rain arrived. I'd intended to hike the Wolf Lake Loop, but changed my mind when it began to sprinkle sporadically. Instead, we drove to Lampson Falls:

We parked and hiked in to the magnificent falls. The water level was quite low, but that had the advantage of allowing us far out onto the rocks. My niece walked right up to the waterfall with her dog, Madeline. Seamus stopped for a drink of water:

This fallen tree had been caught halfway down the falls when the water level dropped. The full spring water volume had been quite impressive:

We walked downstream to explore the ledges and see the views:

And along a sandy beach where, we could tell, many people had gone in swimming and launched canoes:

The dogs led us down the ledges along the Grasse River:

And my niece stopped with Madeline for a bit of quiet contemplation:

My sister, niece and Madeline. One of the purposes of their visit was to leave Madeline with me, so this was in many ways a farewell tour for my family. They loved Madeline very much but my niece's life would no longer enable her to give her beloved dog the care she deserved. And she just happened to have an uncle with a dog pack which included other Papillons and went to fun places in the Adirondacks:

We continued to explore the shores of the Grasse River:

Magnificent, wild scenery:

We walked out onto the rocks downstream from the falls:

Fergus waded into a small pool in the rocks. But we'd barely begun to explore this lovely area. I'll post more tomorrow: