Lots Of Mushrooms On The Trail To Jug End Ridge

The dogs and I were hiking up to Jug End Ridge and I had marveled at the great variety of beautiful mushrooms all along the trail. But when I saw several bright PURPLE mushrooms, I knew I'd seen the best of them all:

And right near by were these fluorescent, DayGlo orange beauties. The young ones look like typical toadstools, but the older ones were upturned like Marilyn Monroe's skirt as she stood over a subway grate:

And just so you won't think that all mushrooms are pretty, I photographed this ugly monster which looked to me as if an Ogre had pooped alongside the trail:

There were Mountain Laurels aplenty on both sides of the trail, though none of them grew to much height. At this point in the hike, Seamus still had lots of energy:

And the two "Silly Sisters" never run out of energy. Every waking moment is an opportunity for them to run, wrestle, play and get into trouble:

Small Sassafras trees grew all along the trail but there were no full size trees. In fact, I saw no Sassafras taller than about two feet. I finally decided that they must be able to flower and bear seed at a young age and in this harsh environment, only live a few years:

A very large white fringed mushroom with an orange center:

And an abundance of Coral Fungi, intricate little clumps of white loveliness:

I was becoming tired by this time and my toes were beginning to hurt. I might have turned back right then and there except that I could see blue sky off to our right and I could smell the sun's warmth heating the pine needles on the rocky ridge. I knew we were getting close:

And we passed by these orange mushrooms with sprinkles. We were getting close to our goal, so I kept hiking. I'll post more tomorrow:

On Our Way Up To The Jug End Ridge

It was the first morning after Tropical Storm Irene had devastated much of the northeast and I was hiking up to Jug End Ridge in Massachusetts' Mount Everett. The trails were wet but I was managing to keep my feet out of the water - at least so far. The little mountain streams were lovely and all the little cascades were burbling merrily:

We passed through a section where there obviously had been a great blow-down in the past, but the trail had long ago been cleared for easy passage:

And up through a small ravine:

I spotted these frilly, curly, butterscotch mushrooms along the way:

And little baby butterscotch button mushrooms. Were these the same species as the curly ones? I suspected they were because they were so close by:

The terrain became rockier and tended more toward an uphill climb. The dogs scrambled up onto a mossy rock outcropping and I followed them:

Where I spotted this pure ivory colored mushroom:

And tiny brown parasol mushrooms:

I could tell that we were reaching the high ridge because I could see blue sky off through the trees. I could also smell pine needles heating in the sun, a smell I wouldn't experience deep in the damp forest:

And another apple-red mushroom, this one looking as if it'd had a bite taken out of it:

And a luminescent, peachy colored mushroom:

This was becoming a wonderful hike and I set the camera on a rock in self-timer mode to get a photo of myself with the Papillons. As you can see, Seamus just made it into the picture:

Beginning The Hike Up Jug End Ridge

Tropical Storm Irene presented me with not much of anything except a lot of rain, nothing I hadn't seen before. In fact, by the afternoon it was almost over and I went to the gym and the grocery store, complete unaware of the devastation that other places all around me had suffered.

The next morning, still not realizing that there'd been a lot of damage, I drove to Mount Everett Reservation in northwestern Massachusetts to hike Jug End Ridge. I found some washed out roads on my way there and heard news reports of the destruction some places had suffered. When I arrived at the Mount Everett Reservation, I found the gate locked. I figured either someone hadn't gotten out of bed early enough or Irene had washed out the mountain road. It was perhaps two miles to the trail head, so I parked my car and began to walk up the road:

I quickly discovered that the reason for the locked gate was the devastated road which would have been completely impassible for my car. But my feet still worked and the dogs were happy to be out, so we kept heading upwards:

It was about two miles to the parking area and to lovely Guilder Pond:

And on the way, Fergus posed in front of a very large Mountain Laurel bush, possibly the same bush I photographed in full bloom earlier in the year:

And just past the parking and picnic area, I joined the Appalachian trail which passes by, going right up over the peak of Mount Everett, down to the parking area and then up to Jug End Ridge, which is where we were heading:

The trail entered the woods looking pleasant, level and easy. The sun was shining and I quickly forgot about Tropical Storm Irene. Most of the brush alongside the trail was Mountain Laurel:

But then I began to encounter lots of wet trails. In this spot, someone had built a kind of log bridge. I used it but the dogs seemed to think it was silly:

Fascinating mushrooms of many varieties had sprung up in the mosses all around (and in) the trail:

And the trail got wetter. The dogs walked right through the water but I endeavored to rock hop or find alternate routes:

And then the trail became a veritable stream. I was able, however, to walk along the sides, out of the water:

And I continued to be amazed by all the mushrooms. This family of apple red fungi was so stunning that I decided to take photos of all the different kinds I could find along the way:

The dogs uttered a startling "W OOF!" and I looked up to discover another hiker with a large yellow Pit Bull/Lab mix:

The dog was named Everett (after the mountain) and was exceeding well behaved and playful, a wonderful combination. He and Seamus played and then Everett chased the Papillons for a bit. I discussed hiking with dogs with Everett's dad and then they moved on ahead of us. We were well on our way. I'll post more tomorrow:

Part 5, Mountain Laurel Heaven

The dogs and I had hiked to the top of Mount Everett and back down. But before beginning the trip back home, we stopped at beautiful Guilder Pond to enjoy the views and get refreshed:

Seamus was sorely tempted to wade right in as he usually does, but for some reason did not. I was happy that he did not cover himself with mud. But all the dogs were fascinated by the shoreline and investigated it carefully:

My little red car waited for us beneath a canopy of cedar and hemlock:

At this lower altitude, the Mountain Laurel was still mostly in the bud stage, though still lovely. Nevertheless, I knew that we'd pass through a forest of full blooms on our way down the access road. I was looking forward to it:

After one last parting shot of beautiful Guilder Pond, the dogs and I piled back into the car and began our journey down the access road:

As we descended the mountain, the Mountain Laurels became taller and more numerous. Still mostly in the bud stage, I kept alert for the spots I'd seen on the way in where it was in full bloom

And then we were at a low enough altitude for the Mountain Laurel to be mostly fully open. I was not disappointed:

This surely is one of nature's most beautiful plants, and a woodland filled with them is a breathtaking sight:

Mountain Laurels are not tiny bushes. Just look at this one towering above my parked car:

When our hike was over and we were on our way home, I stopped for a cold diet sports drink (well, I actually had 3 of them because I was dehydrated). And then we drove along the small highways through Copake Falls and Hillsdale, New York on our way to the Taconic Parkway. But I couldn't resist stopping for one last photo of this totally unique little shop along the way. I suppose I should have stopped in to see what they had for sale, but in truth I was tired. So I snapped a photo and continued on my way toward home:

Part 4, Mountain Laurel Heaven

We were descending the trail down Mount Everett toward our parked car, the dogs and I. The day had been warm, sunny and breezy. At about the halfway point, the narrow, rocky trail became a gravel service road, making the walk easier. The rocky cliffs along the route provided magnificent scenery:

A mountain stream began flowing downhill along the edge of the trail and all four of my dogs were quick to help themselves to multiple drinks of clean, cool spring water:

We continued downhill, sometimes steeply and sometimes comfortably, through the emerald forest:

When we reached the car, I first had to spend some time with a large family of picnickers who fell in love with my dogs and wanted to hold the two Papillons. But then I began driving down the access road alongside beautiful Guilder Pond. When I saw a turn off, I took it and parked. There were even more Mountain Laurels here than on the steep mountainside, but most were still only in the bud stage:

The dogs and I threaded our way through the Mountain Laurels, Cedars and Hemlocks toward lovely Guilder Pond:

As Daphne and Clover, the two Papillon pups walked through the forest, passing beneath blossoming Mountain Laurels, the scene was surely magical:

And at last we arrived at the shore of Guilder Pond, with Mountain Laurels lighting up the forest like glorious little beacons:

Seamus wasted no time rushing toward the water:

Daphne and Clover found a safe spot to get a sip of water but were careful to keep their feet dry:

If there is a heaven, surely it must look like this. Or maybe we'll discover some day that this earth was heaven, and be judged for how we despoiled it or treated it with love: