County Reforestation Land, Sheldon Road, Fort Jackson NY

Normally I take a few scenery photos while hiking with the dogs, but then weed them out while editing photos. But I took so many of them while hiking with the dogs in the Fort Jackson State Forest (see previous two posts) that I decided to present them as a separate post. I began with these Pileated Woodpecker holes in a White Pine:

Technically, we were walking along County Reforestation land, though I think of it as Fort Jackson State Forest because this is the road which leads us there:

The forest was a mixture of Red Pine, White Pine, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Beech and Aspen. I'm sure there were lots of other trees also, but these were the main forest denizens:

There was a snowy ridge along the road to our right (on private land), which I decided must be an old stone wall. I'll try to remember to look the next time we're there when there's no snow:

A forest troll:

The road took us through both tall timber and scrubby woods:

When we came to an old logging header, I snapped a picture and turned back toward our parked car:

It was obvious that this section had been logged, but how long ago I could not tell. I also didn't know if it was logged before or after being designated as County Reforestation land. I would think that "reforestation" means no more logging, but I realize "it ain't necessarily so:"

Beech trees and White Pines:

We would have ventured off into the forest if hadn't been for the snow. Maybe we'll do so this summer:

I am always inclined to wander off into the trees, just to see what mystery and beauty lies therein, but the time I got lost in the forest a few years ago has made me much more cautious. I am, after all, a crippled old codger:

More forest beauty:

We were soon back at our car and this excursion came to an end. I hope that you enjoyed the wintry loveliness along the way:

The Rutland Trail With The Dogs - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking on the Rutland Trail (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and had reached beautiful Allen Brook. The dogs were ecstatic:

But this was to be only a short hike, so I soon began leading the pooches back along the trail the way we'd come:

It's a beautiful trail any time of year, but autumn is my favorite:

The leaves were mostly fallen, but alongside the trail were Beech saplings with colors so bright that it seemed they might glow in the dark. If I were to name this color, I'd call it Neon Butterscotch:

And Red Maple seedlings with rich red colored leaves:

I was getting sand and tiny stones inside my leg braces, but we were close to our car so I kept walking:

I did, however, stop for a quick photo of a large turkey feather. There were several of them, and I wondered if a predator or human hunter had gotten a bird here:

The dogs were by this time somewhat settled down, their excess enthusiasm mostly spent. That made it more relaxing for me:

They'd walk together for awhile and then split off individually as they each smelled some fascinating scent:

Fergus and Clover were running and wrestling at the same time, having great fun. Up ahead, Jack was barreling down the trail toward us while Seamus wondered what all the excitement was about. Daphne was running ahead, the opposite direction as Jack:

Great excitement, much fun and silliness. I enjoy seeing them happy and playful as long as they don't run too far ahead:

As we neared the trail head, I told all the dogs to heel, which they did, except for Jack. He doesn't yet know what that means, so I put him on a leash to help him learn:

Autumn On The Rutland Trail - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking on a section of the Rutland Trail on a fine autumn day (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). The scenery was magnificent:

 I saw these Milkweed seedpods and wanted a picture. As common as Milkweeds are, I seldom see the exploding seedpods. These always remind me of my childhood, when I wandered the fields behind our house:

The dogs were happy and exploring every inch of the trail ahead of me:

 There wasn't much color except for Red Maple saplings:

 Paper Birch grew along the trail:

And Wild Ginger. Alas, I've never seen their odd flowers, which are born beneath the leaves in April and May:

These cones notified me that there were White Pines nearby:

Not that the trees were hidden. Indeed, they were the tallest trees along the trail:

This section of trail runs through wetlands, and water in one form or another borders both sides of the trail. There are "No Trespassing" signs in places, but with all the water, I couldn't see how anyone could stray from the path:

We arrived at the spot which previously had a foot of water covering the trail as the pond on the right emptied itself into the marsh on the left. But this time, someone had built a bridge and we were able to keep exploring. Previously, I'd always had to turn around here:

The pond on the right was large, bigger than it appears in this picture, and beautiful:

But the bushes began to grow up along the trail, hiding the water on both sides:

And we came to another bridge, this one a steel grid with rubber mats over it. We'd never been this far before so I didn't know if it was new or not:

 And despite the late season, I began to find wildflowers in bloom. These were Heart-Leaved Aster:

 Tall Meadow-Rue was not in bloom, but its distinctive leaves gave it away. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Spring Flora White Hill Wild Forest - Part 1

I took the dogs to the White Hill Wild Forest and walked around Clear Pond one day, but took so many photos that I separated them into dog pictures and plant pictures. These are the latter, and the first photo is of Leatherleaf in bloom along the shoreline of Clear Pond:

 There didn't seem to be many flowers blooming, but the Red Maple leaves unfurling sparkled in the sun and were as pretty as any flower:

  Violets are hard to identify but I guessed that these  were Northern White Violets. They were very tiny:

 An unknown Moss. I searched Google for an ID, but finally gave up:

 Wild Strawberries, of course. They were blooming everywhere:

 Blue Flag, our Wild Iris:

 Tree Club Moss, or Princess Pine:

Viburnum lantanoides, or Hobblebush. I included the Latin name because I found the plant so difficult to find online and it wasn't in my wildflower field guide:

 A closeup of Viburnum lantanoides or Hobblebush:

 Painted Trillium:

 Pillow Moss:

 Running Club Moss, sometimes called Running Ground Pine. But there was more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: