Redwater Brook Trail - Part 3

I was hiking with the dogs in Brasher State Forest (see also previous two posts), but we turned around when we came to private land:

Headed back toward our parked car, the dogs were surprisingly well behaved and stayed close to me without my having to holler at them:

When we neared the trail head, I noticed another grove of tall White Pines, so we went exploring one more time:

I could see evidence that there were other trails here once, but they didn't go far, and a few minutes of walking always ended in the trail disappearing:

So we got back on the main trail. It was scenic and easy walking, so I had no complaints:

Clover, Jack and Fergus thought they smelled something interesting, but then that was the end of it:

Even Jack, who usually never stops running, began to slow down. Old Seamus fell behind and we had to wait for him to catch up to us:

Another pine grove, another excursion off the trail and opportunity for the little dogs to run. You can see how it might be difficult for me to keep track of four dogs running full speed in different directions and one dog lagging behind:

But they were good dogs and we had fun:

Seamus arrived in the pine grove to join us:

But our hike was almost over when we arrived back at the bridge over Redwater Brook. There was enough ice in places to make walking hazardous and I had to be careful:

But when we got to the parking area, the ice had all melted. The road, however (behind the car) had about three inches of solid ice, enough to cause a danger of sliding right off the road. That never happened, however, and we headed home, feeling happy about our winter adventure:

Redwater Brook Trail - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking the Redwater Brook Trail in Brasher State Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday), but were currently off the trail and exploring the woods:

I came to these colorful Turkey Tail fungi on a fallen limb:

And then we rejoined the trail. It was easy walking, except for a few icy places:

Clover and Daphne, apparently thinking they were mighty Timber Wolves, wanted to go explore off the trail, but I made sure they stayed close by and always in sight:

And I followed them a few times when it appeared they'd found something interesting:

For two little foo-foo dogs, they sure have adventurous spirits:

Clover, showing off her Timber Wolf stance atop the roots of a fallen tree:

But mostly we just walked along the trail. The last time we were here, it was autumn and the golden leaves were falling everywhere I looked. I tried to get a video of the showering leaves, but it didn't turn out good enough to use:

We left the trail again when I spotted a grove of White Cedars, a favorite tree of mine:

And there was more color on the forest floor, this time a mix of moss and lichens (and frost):

And an old stump, now supporting even more moss and lichens. I saw evidence that Red Oak was once dominant here, before the Cedars took over:

There is something magical about White Cedars, and a grove them is a wondrous place to be. But we still had more to see on the Redwater Brook Trail, and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Redwater Brook Trail - Part 1

We were surprised with another day above freezing. I couldn't stay indoors brooding all day, so I took the dogs back to the trail we'd discovered in the autumn. It began with this bridge, spanning Redwater Brook. There may not have been much snow, but the ice was treacherous in places:

I stood on the bridge and looked out over wild, beautiful Redwater Brook, which inspired me to give the trail its name:


There were still patches of green, like this fern, which I believe was a Christmas Fern:

 And this fern, which I believe was a Hay-Scented Fern:

The dogs joyfully explored a side trail, but we didn't go far:

We did, however, leave the trail and enter the forest to do a bit of exploring. I was always careful to keep the trail in sight:

It was clear that deer frequented the forest:

We came to a grove of magnificent White Pines:


And the dogs seemed dwarfed as they raced between the big trees:

Seamus has trouble stepping over fallen trees, so he was hesitant. But when we kept going on without him, he hurried to catch up with us:

We passed by a number of blow-downs such as this one with its roots exposed, still clinging to the soil and rocks which once anchored it. I wouldn't want to be in the forest during a storm wild enough to take down tall trees:

I had intended to continue on, following the trail but not on it - until we came to this ravine, with a creek and lots of brush. That's when I decided the trail was looking mighty good again and we headed for it. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Brasher State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking a new trail in the Brasher State Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). It was broad, level, easy walking and the autumn scenery was lovely:

The dogs were exuberant:

The trail, in places, was so straight that I tried to see where it was leading - but all I saw was more trail and more forest:

Usually the dogs would have slowed down by this time, but they continued to run ahead and I continued to call them back:

We took a few side trips off the trail, but not many and we didn't go far. I could imagine getting turned around in this forest and having trouble finding my way back to the trail:

I decided it was time to turn back toward the car and save further exploration for another time:

That was fine with the happy dogs. They don't care which way they are going, as long as they are going somewhere:

I noticed in a few bare spots that the trail (one time road) appeared to have been roughly cobbled with native stones. That's probably why it has resisted rutting and eroding over the years. On the other hand, I couldn't help but wonder who went to all that work. There is a nearby CCC dam and reservoir, so perhaps the Civil Conservation Corps did the work back in the 1930s or 1940s :

The dogs led the way with their usual exuberant joy:

And I enjoyed the autumn scenery as if we hadn't seen it all before. The sun had been in my face on the way out and was behind me on the way back, so every new turn of the trail looked new:

I could see something moving up ahead - something very big. I figured that meant we were close to the road but began to worry about my unlocked car. I later learned that logging trucks had slowly passed by, and that's what I'd seen:

We again crossed the snowmobile bridge over Redwater Brook, which meant our car was just ahead. I put my camera away and concentrated on keeping the dogs under control. We made our way back to our car and began the short trip home:

Brasher State Forest - Part 1

The dogs and I had just walked around the tame but scenic camping and picnic area (see yesterday's post), but I wanted to go exploring, so I parked my little red car at a nearby trail I discovered and we began a hike:

I chose the smaller of two trails, which led to a bridge so rotten I didn't dare set foot on it - and so many fallen trees that Seamus and I couldn't push our way through (the little dogs scooted underneath the fallen trunks and tangles of branches):

But that was no problem because another trail was just a stone's throw away. We began walking that trail:

And we came to another bridge, this one in fine shape and covered with rubber runners for snowmobiles in the winter:

I could see the old, rotten bridge just up Redwater Brook from the maintained bridge on which I was standing:


This trail was level, broad and easy walking. It was also a pretty forest with a few autumn colors left:

We headed off into the forest to see some of the golden Beech trees. It wasn't until I got home that I noticed how little orange Jack tended to disappear among all those orange leaves:

But soon we were back on the trail and exploring a section of forest we'd never seen before:

And it was beautiful, with golden leaves falling continuously, kind of like snowflakes:

I never did find out how far this trail went, but that leaves us a place to explore the next time:

And did I mention that nearly every place I looked was covered in beautifully colored leaves?:

We walked onward with me concentrated on keeping the dogs close, and having to call them back every minute or so. But we weren't done yet, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: