Black And Long Ponds - Part 2

My sister and I were hiking with the dogs along the Adirondacks' Black Pond (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). It was not only beautiful, but also aromatic, thanks to the Balsam Firs along the trail:

We reached the end of Black Pond but stayed on the trail, which continued northward:

At the north end of Black Pond was a fish barrier, dividing Black Pond and Long Pond and designed to prevent the spread of invasive species. We checked it out but then continued on our original trail so we could see Long Pond:

Long Pond was both smaller and narrower, yet still incredibly beautiful:

We stopped to enjoy the wild scenery and quietude at the Long Pond lean-to:

And then walked out onto the pier which jutted into Long Pond. It had deteriorated and was much shorter than it used to be:

The dogs walked out onto it also, but none of them fell off (which I had thought might happen):

Seamus and Fergus got some loving attention at the lean-to:

And then we turned back southward toward the trail head:

All along the way were places for the dogs to access the water and they often made use of them:

As we neared the trail head, Black Pond narrowed, and we looked back at the bigger pond which we had just visited:

Jack and Daphne played in the water. None of my dogs actually swim, but they've gradually become comfortable with splashing and wading:

My sister spotted the Common Merganser family again and pointed them out:

But this hike was almost over. Our car was just ahead. We called the dogs and put them on leashes for the last little bit of trail:

Hiking The Long Pond Canoe Carry - Part 2

We'd hiked the Long Pond Canoe Carry trail as far as Long Pond and then turned back toward our parked car, waiting for us at the trail head. The Adirondack forest all around us was unspoiled and beautiful:

I had to watch out for black bears, who might stick their heads up out of the greenery at any moment:

Fergus and Clover generally led the way. In fact, they were not so well behaved as they had been on the previous trail and I had to keep calling them back to me:

Clover loves to climb up on things and look around:

We passed back across the beaver marsh, with the dam and pond just off to our right:

And then we were again in the deep forest:

There had been a side trail to a small, unnamed pond which we hadn't taken previously, so this time we turned downhill toward the water, just to see what was there:

And it was well worth the walk - a lovely pond which I guessed was another beaver creation:

It looked surprisingly large. There were stumps and dead trees in the water, evidence that this was indeed a beaver pond:

But then we retraced our steps to the main trail and continued on toward the trail head:

As soon as the dogs were all happily back in the car, I snapped one last photo and we began the drive home, where little old PeeWee was waiting for us:

Hiking The Long Pond Canoe Carry - Part 1

We'd just finished hiking a small portion of the Floodwood Loop trail and I drove farther up Floodwood Road to see about possibly hiking another short trail. We crossed the railroad tracks and parked by St. Regis Canoe Outfitters:

I let the dogs out of the car. They were enthusiastically greeted by a large group of school kids and then we entered the forest, after which we never saw another person:

We proceeded through the deep forest until we entered this clearing, a beaver marsh:

The dogs were excited and ran ahead to explore everything:

As for me, I held still and enjoyed the wild, Adirondack beauty:

We followed a boardwalk across the beaver marsh:

Past the beaver dam:

And then the dogs got to splash around a bit in the beaver pond:

But this was not our destination, so we continued on along the trail:

We passed through a variety of forest types:

Daphne was having a grand time:

And then we arrived at our destination, Long Pond. It was quite unspoiled and wild, but with very little access to the water. So I briefly enjoyed its beauty and then turned back toward the car. But I'll post about the return trip tomorrow:

Black And Long Ponds, Keese Mills - Part 4

We were hiking southward, back the way we'd come, and passed the fish barrier dam between Long Pond and Black Pond:

 This was only my second "real" hike in my new braces and, while they were keeping my ankles from pain, they were making the rest of my feet and legs both tired and sore. I stopped for a rest along the shore of Black Pond:

 My seated position gave me a good opportunity to photograph the happy dogs. Fergus was again looking noble:

 And Daphne, I noticed, had filled out with a full, adult, Papillon hair coat:

Clover was looking regal::

 We got up and started hiking again. Daphne took a detour into the Horsetails:

 The trail took us along the western shore of Black Pond:

 Another species of dragonfly, differently colored than the smiley-face species I'd seen before, but similar enough that I wondered if it was closely related:

 The pooches stopped for a cool drink:

 The trail was extremely scenic, and Wood Duck nest boxes were attached to trees at intervals:

 Even Clover and Daphne were slowing down at this point:

 We rounded a bend and I was thinking ahead to taking more photos at the Black Pond lean-to when my camera's memory card beeped that it was full. So I put my camera away and we finished our hike without any more photos:

Black And Long Ponds, Keese Mills - Part 3

We had hiked northward along the western edge of Black Pond (previous two posts) and had arrived along the shore of the smaller Long Pond. Wild blackberries were blooming wherever a bit of sun got through the forest canopy:

We stopped when we got to the Long Pond lean-to:

The big attraction at the lean-to was its pier, leading out into the water and providing wonderful views:

The dogs and I all walked out on the pier, but only the smaller dogs went right to the end of it. Seamus and I stayed back a bit because the end was tipping and sinking:

This was the view looking south, down the length of Long Pond, while standing on the pier at the lean-to:

Clover and Seamus were very happy:

I had to arrange this posed picture of the dogs in the Long Pond lean-to, but by this time they'd expended all their excess energy and were willing to hold still - temporarily:

Wide patches of Bunchberries in bloom filled the forest floor:

And I discovered a new wildflower I'd never seen before or even heard of. It was Twinflower, in the Honeysuckle family, with double, pink, trumpet shaped blossoms. It's a creeping ground cover which likes cold, northern forests - so it sure was growing in the right place:

Fergus waited for me to catch up:

We turned back south from the lean-to and were retracing our steps along Long Pond:

The dogs were happy and often traveled in a little cluster. I told them to heel for much of the hike and they seemed to enjoy it just as much as running free. I liked it because I didn't need to keep hollering at them for running too far ahead. All in all, they behaved better on this hike than ever before: