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:

Madawaska Pond - Part 3

The dogs and I were hiking along Madawaska Pond in the Adirondacks (see also Parts 1 and 2, posted previously), and came to a sort of peninsula where people had been camping:

The dogs immediately ran to a big rock next to the water. It was very steep and the water there was deep, so I was a little worried:

And just as I'd feared, both Fergus and Seamus fell in. Fergus was strong enough to climb up the rock and get out, but Seamus was not. I tried to encourage him, but as he tired out, I realized this had crisis potential. I couldn't go in wearing my leg braces and might not be able to get back out myself if I tried. So I hooked two six foot leashes together and looped one end. I lassoed his head with it and hauled him up the steep rock and out of the water:

Seamus had to rest for awhile after his rescue, and the other dogs got to explore the campsite on the peninsula while he recuperated:

But pretty soon, he was back on his feet and I called Clover to come with us:

Daphne, I learned, had also gone into the water but had found a safe place to do it. She too stopped her play and came with us as we returned to the main trail:

Before turning back toward our car, we went to look at the old dam, which blocks Quebec Brook to form Madawaska Pond. It was so decrepit that I began to wonder if it was the reason for the low water level. The Adirondacks has strict rules about leaving most places natural, so it may be that they will not repair the dam. That would be a shame:

The dogs were overjoyed again to be on the trail, though their previous excess of energy had by that time been much reduced:

Seamus was tired, wet and subdued. Jack was still a bit shaken and stinky, and the other dogs had run off some of their exuberance, meaning that I got to walk peacefully with my dogs as we returned on the trail to our parked car:

I knew this wildflower immediately from previous hikes. It was Whorled Aster, a sure sign of coming autumn:


Madawaska Pond was on our right, the forest on our left and soft, aromatic pine needles underfoot:

Almost back to the trail head, I felt grateful for a wonderful hike in a beautiful forest:

Madawaska Pond - Part 2

I was hiking along Madawaska Pond with the dogs, one of the loveliest areas in the Adirondacks (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

The forest smelled of White Pines, heating up in the morning sun. The dogs were happy and the trail was easy to walk. It promised to be a fine day:

We stopped to walk down to the edge of the pond, where I was again taken aback by the low water level. The floating masses of peat were covered in mud, causing me to think it had recently been even lower during the drought:

The dogs ran down to the water and Jack went right in, paddling out to a muddy, floating mass of peat:

  He kept trying to climb up onto the peat but couldn't manage to get up there. I didn't dare step into that mud with my leg braces, so I tried calling him back. Becoming fearful, he just kept trying to climb up on the little island of muddy peat. So I walked away from the water, hoping he'd panic at the thought of being left behind and swim back to shore. It worked:

Jack was a tired, muddy mess when he rejoined us and stunk like swamp mud for several days afterwards, but he was safe and I'd like to think he learned a lesson (but I know better):

On the trail again, we passed some golden mushrooms like this one, which sat next to a White Pine cone:

The trail stayed along the shore of Madawaska Pond but rose up, giving us many scenic views:

A four lobed mushroom of banana yellow, also next to a White Pine cone:

A peach colored mushroom:

And a red mushroom, which I think was a Bolete. The green leaves, I believe, were Canada Mayflowers:

We passed over a section of low grass, Wild Strawberries, pine seedlings and, to my surprise, what seemed like Wild Blackberries which stayed only 2" high. I later learned that they were Dewberries, and their trailing growth habit was characteristic. But we had more yet to see, and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Madawaska Pond - Part 1

I took the dogs to beautiful Madawaska Pond in the Adirondacks. I drove 24 miles south of home, then 5.9 miles into the forest on a rough, one lane, dirt road to arrive at the trail head. There was a vehicle parked there, but I never saw another person during our hike:

I first noticed a tiny purple flower with skinny leaves which was new to me. I looked it up when I got home and decided it was Slender Gerardia:

We began our hike in a forest of tall White Pines. The red color of the path was from dried pine needles:

Ferns grew along the edges of the trail as the dogs ran and played. As always, they were a little bit too energetic at first, and I had to keep reining them in:

This is a Bunchberry, in the same genus as Dogwood trees, a fact that always amazes me:

Bunchberries grew in big clusters, and the bright red and green reminded me of Christmas:

The dogs were excited, but I endeavored to keep them close to me:

Little Jack and Daphne thought they were timber wolves instead of foo-foo dogs:

We took a side trail to a bare hill which overlooked Madawaska Pond. I was shocked at the low water level. Clearly, our recent rains had not yet overcome the month long drought which preceded them:

I knew from experience that what looked like a meadow at the foot of the hill was in reality a marsh, so we turned back uphill to rejoin the main trail:

The Adirondack soil was so sandy that I had to sit on that fallen log and empty my shoes and leg braces. With that done, we were again on our way:

The day was heating up and the sun began to cause the pine aroma to increase. It reminded me of the Oregon forests of my youth. But we were just getting started. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Return To Madawaska Pond - Part 2

The dogs and I had reached the dam area of Madawaska Pond. There was a cleared area there where, I suspected, someone's cottage once stood:

The dogs did some rock hopping and I feared one of them would fall into the water, but it didn't happen here (it did happen later, however):

The old earthen dam and spillway was thrilling for the dogs. Daphne walked out onto a fallen log with rushing water all around here. I was nervous, but she was fine:

And then we walked farther down where we could see the spillway and cross over to the other side of the earthen dam:

Quebec Creek, the water source for Madawaska Pond, continued on as a wild and pristine stream on the other side of the dam:

The road/trail continued on beyond the dam but I've never walked any farther to discover where it leads. I called the dogs to begin the hike back toward the trail head:

The water was visible through the trees on our right as we made our return trip:

And the dogs had spent some of their excess energy, making them much easier to control. I got to enjoy the silence and feel the peacefulness of the Adirondack forest:

Little Jack followed his big buddy, Seamus, much of the time:

There were small mountains surrounding the pond and many channels leading to more areas of water which I could not see from where I stood. Canoeing here would be a wonderful experience:

We stopped wherever we found easy access to the water's edge:

A day like this helps me to feel alive and happy:

And the White Pine forest was beautiful and peaceful:

We were back at our car in no time at all. The dogs hopped in and I began the 6.5 mile gravel lane through the forest back to the highway: