A Return To Harper Falls - Part 1

The weather forecast was for a hot, sunny afternoon and I'd been working pretty hard around the farm. Deciding to take a break, I loaded the dogs into the car and headed down to the town of Russell, along the Grasse (AKA Grass) River, to find Harper Falls. I pulled into the empty trail head and let the dogs out:

The trail began as an easy walk, just fine for my problematic ankles. The only problem was keeping the dogs from running too far ahead. They were full of energy and enthusiasm:

They wouldn't stay close, so I made do by calling them back when they got too far ahead. Little Daphne thought it was a fun game, and all the extra running just added to her joy:

We crossed a little bridge over a tiny stream. There was a rocky cliff to the right of the bridge, over which a torrential waterfall must cascade during the snow melt. But this time of year, it was just a trickle:

Hurry up, Dad, we want to run more:

The next stream had no bridge and, in fact, I saw lots of evidence of flooding and figured it must be from Hurricane Sandy in 2012. Clover and Daphne stopped for a cooling drink and a little bit of splashing:

Fergus and Seamus joined them:

And then we continued on our way through a hardwood forest:

It was a short hike and before long I heard the roar of a waterfall. We all quickened our pace:

As soon as Harper Falls appeared, I realized that I had, indeed, been there before. Clover ran down to the rocky shoreline:

I was having a lot of trouble negotiating the sharp, slippery rocks, but the two Papillons considered it great fun:

Seamus and Fergus were intimated by the rocks and wanted to stay where it was safe. The Papillons joined them and watched me struggling to get back across the sharp rocks and up the bank. I decided next to continue on the trail to the top of the falls, but I'll post about that tomorrow:

The Riverside Trail - Part 3

We were hiking the Riverside Trail along the banks of the St. Regis River and began to see these lovely Gentians in bloom. It's difficult for me to know which species they were, but comparing them to my field guide now, after the fact, I'm inclined to call them Soapwort Gentians:

We pushed onward through the shoreline brush as the trail got longer and less well marked. I had not yet seen the trail intersection which would give us another route back to the car and I was becoming concerned. The dogs, however, were still having a grand time:

The trail continued to be sparsely marked, and then not at all. We retreated back into the forest to search for it, leaving the river just close enough to act as a guidepost:

I explored several possible trails which proved to be illusions. I finally decided that our only option was to return the way we came, so we started back along the riverside trail. Daphne and Clover danced out onto the rocks whenever possible:

Papillons aren't much for swimming, but rock hopping is definitely a specialty:

We returned the way we'd come, retracing our steps through the forest:

There were lots of white mushrooms growing on the forest floor, but these yellow beauties were my favorites:

Seamus and I were both slowing down at this point. In fact, I had to help Seamus over a fallen log and it became apparent that his back legs were very tired:

But the St. Regis River was ever present, ever lovely, a wild presence wherever we hiked:

We made fewer riverside stops on the way back, yet still there were places where we just couldn't resist:

We stopped at the river one last time where the trail made a sharp turn back into the forest and up the steep incline back toward where we'd parked:

It was all forest from then on and we were tired - even the Papillons. Poor Seamus was so exhausted that he needed help standing up when we'd returned home (he was all better by the next morning). So the Riverside Trail in Parishville had lots of surprises for us, both good and bad. But the most memorable part of the hike was the magnificent, wild St. Regis River:

The Riverside Trail - Part 1

Our first attempt at finding the Riverside Trail in Parishville was a total bust (see yesterday's post), so we got back in the car and began driving home. About 500 feet up the road, I saw this sign. There was no parking area, so I parked on the shoulder and we began our second attempt to hike the Riverside Trail:

The trail began as advertised, a broad, level, easy trail through a lovely forest. And unlike the "trail" we'd just tried, this one was marked:

The trail narrowed as we approached the ravine, down into which we'd find the St. Regis River:

And then the trail turned sharply downward:

Clover was bright, alert, and happy:

When the St. Regis River came into view, Fergus and the Papillons broke into a run to get to the water's edge. Seamus just plodded along with me:

Clover and Daphne were the first to arrive at the river, and hopped out onto a rock for a better view. Accented by early blooming Asters, the two Papillons looked stunning in such a wild setting:

I looked upstream and downstream, enjoying the wildness of it all:

And Fergus did a bit of rock hopping also:

Seamus, however, was thirsty and had more pressing needs than sightseeing:

The rocks were big enough that even I ventured out onto them for a better view and to experience the water rushing by:

I looked back and saw both Seamus and Fergus closer to shore, near the edge of the forest, and knew we'd have to venture onward to explore more of this trail. I'll post Part 2 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:

Very Sad News

I had a doctor's appointment in town and returned home in the afternoon. I went out to do the evening chores about 4:00, returning to the house about 5:00. I let the dogs out into their yard but noticed that Madeline was missing. I came back in and called to her, but found her dead on the kitchen floor. Whatever killed her happened quickly as I'd only been gone an hour. So today's post is in honor of sweet, smiling Madeline, a dog everyone loved:


Madeline was my niece's dog and came to me when she was about 6 years old. She's been part of my dog pack ever since. I've collected some "happy" photos of Maddie, beginning with this collection of dogs and cats on the kitchen floor pillows:

Maddie knew she belonged and was loved, making herself a regular part of the family:

In this photo, she waited with the other dogs at the top of the steps for me. I was carrying PeeWee and not as fast as they were:

She slept on the floor about half the time and on the bed about half the time:

And she was all full of smiles when I asked the dogs to pose for a hiking photo:

In this photo, we were at the end of a hike in Fort Jackson State Forest and Maddie's tongue was hanging out. But as you can see, we were almost back to the car anyway:

Daphne, Maddie and Clover loved to watch out the window as I drove along narrow, dirt lanes through state forests:

She looked to me like a miniature Lassie in this mossy hiking photo:

And this hike was along Quebec Brook, a pristine boreal forest in the Adirondacks:

And this will always be my favorite Madeline photo because of the happiness, love and trust which show on her face. This was at the St. Regis River:

Maddie often slept on my bed with Fergus, Clover and Daphne. Now, though she is buried out beneath the apple trees, I still expect to see her every time I enter a room or call the dogs. But posting this tribute to her helps me to remember her as the happy, loving dog she was: