Five Overexcited Dogs In The Wild Forest - Part 3

The dogs and I had just hiked the Indian Rock Waterway Access trail (see also previous two posts) to the St. Regis River and the dogs were very happily enjoying the clean, clear water:

As for me, I climbed up onto a mound of earth to get a photo of the river beyond our location. People carry their canoes to this point so they can paddle into the wilderness and enjoy this spectacular scenery:

We explored the area a bit, but there wasn't much else to see so we began our return journey:

The dogs had slowed down a bit by this point, but not much:

These tiny plants were sporting whitish berries and I wondered if they were Partridgeberry or Wintergreen. I thought it was the latter, so I crushed a leaf and indeed, the aroma of Wintergreen filled my nostrils:

Seamus lagged behind and, given his age and faltering condition, I thought I'd better go back and find him. He was smelling something and seemed to have forgotten about us, so I got him back with his pack and we began walking the trail back to our car:

The little dogs were as spry and excited as ever - maybe more so:

It was a perfect day except for my constant yelling to keep the dogs close by me:

The dogs ran ahead barking at one point and, when I caught up with them, discovered they'd met a couple carrying two canoes. Luckily, they thought my friendly dogs were fun. Reindeer Lichen, Bracken Ferns and various mosses lined the sides of the trail:

We took occasional side trips to see the sights:

But mostly we stayed on the main trail:

When the parking area appeared ahead of us, I almost called the dogs to heel, but decided it didn't make much difference here:

So I let them run ahead to reach the car before me. I always marvel how they're just as excited to find the car as they were to leave it and begin their adventure:

St. Regis Flow With The Dogs - Part 1

I walk along the path by the St. Regis River in Santa Clara, New York every year to see and photograph the Cardinal Flowers, but this year there were none. Furthermore, most of the other flower and tree photos I took were not usable. But the dogs sure had fun and the scenery was lovely, so I'll share the photos I have:

I was taught to call these Spatterdock but my field guide says that is a southern species which holds its leaves above the water. What we have in the northeast is Bullhead-Lily, and its leaves float on the water. It sure is beautiful and the frogs love it, just like in the cartoons:

We investigated the shoreline by the boat launch, then headed back toward our car and turned left into the field to find the trail which paralleled the St. Regis River:

Common Milkweed was just beginning to bloom, but already the air was so perfumed that everywhere smelled like a florist shop:

And the sandy Adirondack soil grew an abundance of Wild Strawberries and Lowbush Blueberries. The blueberries were just ripening, but there were enough ripe ones to snack on. There was also a lot of Reindeer Lichen:

We hit the main trail and turned toward the river access. The dogs knew where we were going and broke into a run:

That brown patch on the right was Haircap Moss with its brown colored fruiting bodies, producing spores:

Daphne, Fergus and Seamus stopped for a moment in the shade:

And then we saw our first river access point and the dogs once again began to run:

Seamus and Jack went right in. They didn't hesitate:

Daphne got wet right up to her chin and looked silly. But we were just getting started. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 3

The dogs and I had hiked down to the St. Regis River in the Fort Jackson State Forest (see also Part 1 and 2, posted previously). We ascended the riverbank up to the main trail to begin our journey back to the car:

This trail follows the river through a largely Hemlock forest. It is level and scenic, perhaps 30 feet from the river, high enough not to flood:

We turned left, up the steep hill which would return us to our car, when I saw an eyeball in the trail - yes, an eyeball! It was shocking and gruesome, its size and pupil shape indicating it was from a deer. I didn't want to touch it with my finger, so I used a twig and discovered it was made of glass:

I picked it up and brought it home, then checked online and learned that it was a taxidermist's eye for a deer head. I figured that it must have been from a deer decoy being carried into or out of the forest last autumn during hunting season. For me, it was a highlight of our little adventure and it now sits permanently on my kitchen counter:

 The Hemlocks began to be replaced by Northern Red Oaks:

And as we climbed higher, the soil became very sandy and the trees became mostly Red Pines:

This was an entirely different landscape than we'd encountered previously, though a fairly common type in the Adirondacks:

Green mosses and blue Reindeer Lichens carpeted the ground:

And the coolness we'd experienced down by the river turned to hot summer, with the loud buzzing of insects (still no biting insects though):

The pines began to change to hardwoods and the sandy ground began to be more like forest soil when we reached the top:

I must have have inadvertently taken a different turn than usual, for we emerged into a clearing exactly at our parked car. That was highly convenient, but I wouldn't have wanted to have accidentally gone past it. I'll be alert to that possibility the next time:

Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 2

We were hiking in the Fort Jackson State Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and had just reached the St. Regis River. The four little dogs arrived first, and then big Seamus arrived later (his legs were still wobbly from the previous day's hike):

We walked out onto to a rocky section, exposed only because the water level was low:

And even little Jack braved the cold water. He has sure come a long way since his terrifying days at the Shelter:

Soon it was time to leave, but instead of heading all the way back to the trail, we continued on along the shore of the river, looking for more interesting places to access the water:

And soon we found a great place to get down to the river, with a grassy swath and a small, rocky island nearby. Fergus and Clover were the first to explore:

My sister sat on a giant rock and meditated on the beauty all around:

As for Seamus, his legs were tired and he just wanted to rest a bit:

My sister stayed behind while I took the dogs back to the trail which was once again right next to the river. I was looking for a big log on which to sit:

I noticed lots of Beech trees and the parasitic plants, Beechdrops. They are so nondescript that I've had little success photographing them, so I tried putting my hand behind one of them to help accentuate the odd, brown plant. They look dead, but they're not:

I found a big, comfortable log and sat down for a rest. Daphne came right up to me for some attention. Dogs are right at home in the forest:

We took a different, shorter trail back to our car, a trail which offered different forest types:

And large patches of moss and Reindeer Lichens:

Autumn woodlands are among God's finest creations:

And the dogs were tired from two days of hiking (yes, I was also). They were unusually well behaved for several days thereafter:

St. Regis River Access Plants - Part 3

I was hiking with the dogs at the St. Regis River Access (see also previous two posts) and discovering a wealth of wildflowers, including Red Clover and Queen Anne's Lace:

And a surprising number of Yellow Loosestrife, sometimes called Swamp Candles. They are not related to the invasive Purple Loosestrife:

Even without flowers or fruit, I recognized this as Spreading Dogbane. I still remember the first time I noticed it (it was flowering) and looked it up in my field guide. Now that I know what it is, I seem to see it everywhere. There sure was plenty along this trail:

Tiny, colorful Birdfoot Trefoil:

I usually come to this trail in the summer to see Cardinal Flowers and in the early fall to see Gentian flowers. I didn't expect any this day, but the Narrow-Leaved Gentians were right there along the trail:

Blue wildflowers are not common, but the Gentians are not only blue but a deep, dramatic blue:

I moved in for a closeup:

I saw Lowbush Blueberry bushes all along the hike but it wasn't until I got near the end that I began to find ripe berries. I ate quite a few of them:

Lowbush Blueberries are pretty plants, and I wonder if anyone grows them as ornamentals. I'll bet someone does:

Then I noticed a whole patch of minuscule plants with flowers so tiny I could barely make out what they looked like:

I got a closeup for identification and looked them up when I got home. I learned that they are called Eyebright because they used to be used for eye maladies. They are a member of the Snapdragon family. So I now know a new plant which I've never noticed before:

The last plant photo I took was of Reindeer Lichen, moss and Lowbush Blueberries. It seemed to me the quintessential Adirondack plant grouping and a fitting way to conclude this post: