Part 4 - A Journey On The Port Kent Road

We were stopped at Grass Pond for a little fun and recreation on way home from the farm. Clover and Daphne were the first to arrive at the end of the boardwalk:

Clover jumped off the end of the boardwalk to explore the sights and smells of the marsh before the other dogs arrived. Madeline and Daphne watched her over the edge of the boardwalk but declined to join her:

When I got there, I was awed by the wild, natural beauty of the quiet pond:

This was the Adirondacks that most tourists don't get to see:

But this was just a rest stop, and soon we were headed back up to our parked car where old Winky and Wally slept, pretty much oblivious to all that was going on:

Seamus must have decided that he was a nature boy and refused to walk on the boardwalk, preferring only to step on the mossy ground alongside:

Madeline, she with the perpetual smile, was only too happy to use the easy wooden surface:

And we all paraded happily back up to the parked car, just visible through the brush:

There was a flurry of "Papillony" activity just as we reached the car, but everything went smoothly:

I did a head count and pulled back onto the Port Kent Road, here only a seasonal road:

And then we continued heading southeast toward Route 3, passing this logging operation on the way:

We passed through the little town of Loon Lake and turned south onto Route 3. I put my camera away and concentrated on driving, at least for the time being. But we were to have one more rest stop, and I'll post about that tomorrow:

Chapter One, Panther Mountain (Going Up!)

It was Tuesday morning and still very early. I'd taken a photo tour of the hamlet of Keese Mill (previous two posts) and then continued south on Route 30 to where it intersects with Route 3 just above Tupper Lake. I turned east on Route 3 for 1.6 miles and found the trail head parking, just as the guide book promised! I could only wish that finding trail heads had always been that easy. The dogs and I crossed Route 3 and began the rather steep ascent:

This was mature forest, but showing some signs of erosion on its steep slope:

But we were all happy and the day was exquisitely beautiful. The bug season was behind us and life was good:

This was a short hike but every bit as steep as the guide book had promised. We walked up, up, up - and then up some more:

Daphne hopped up on a rock to take a look around. Perhaps she was wondering why I was moving so much more slowly than she wanted to go:

Seamus has lost weight, but is still quite a chunky monkey. He was happy to go as slowly as I wanted and take a rest as often as I deemed appropriate:

Up we climbed, and then up some more. Past old growth forest and glacial erratics:

Hi Dad. Isn't this fun? Can't you walk any faster?:

And then we arrived at the summit. It had a breathtaking view:

Clover and Daphne trotted right out to the edge, exploring everything. I was more interested in the long range scenic overlook:

I followed them out to edge:

I was feeling happy and awed by all that beauty. I'll post more tomorrow:

Chapter 2, Cathedral Rock Fire Tower

I was hiking up to the Cathedral Rock fire tower with my four youngest dogs in the Cranberry Lake Wild Forest on a perfectly lovely, sunny day:

Clover, who loves to run ahead, was the first to see the fire tower. "Look what I found, everybody!:"

And they all broke into a run to go see it. Just look at Fergus' foot pads as he sprints ahead:

I tied the dogs to the base of the fire tower to prevent them from following me up the stairs. I climbed to the top and was rewarded with this stunning view of the Cranberry Lake Wild Forest:

Cathedral Rock was not an original fire tower location. The old fire tower on Tooley Pond Mountain was disassembled, relocated to Cathedral Rock and rebuilt by the students at the Wanakena Ranger School. I'll post more about the Ranger School soon:

This was not real mountainous terrain and Cathedral Rock would not have been high enough for a working fire tower, but it sure made a wonderful, short hike in a beautiful location:

I snapped a photo in each direction and was surprised that I couldn't see nearby Cranberry Lake:

I could, however, see Route 3. This was wild and largely unsettled territory, though, and I noticed very little traffic on the highway:

I started back down the steps and could see my four dogs waiting anxiously for me down below:

I got the pooches' picture before untying them:

And then we began hiking back down the trail, passing many flowers in bloom such as this St. Johnswort:

The trail had been not too long and not too steep. Even tubby old Seamus was not tired. But I'll post more tomorrow:

Chapter 1, Cathedral Rock Fire Tower

I'd driven up to the farm on Sunday and spent the night. Early Monday morning I loaded the four youngest dogs into the car and headed southwest toward the tiny town of Sevey Corners (click on label below to see previous post on Sevey Corners) and turned west onto Route 3. I found the unmarked trail head for Cathedral Rock, parked the car and began hiking past extensive wetlands:

The dogs were ecstatic. Just look at Fergus' ears flopping!:

As we passed beyond the wetlands, Spruces, Pines, Balsams and Tamaracks rose up to form a sort of canyon through which we walked:

We made a couple of turns, always going uphill. That was sure to be the best method for finding the fire tower:

I passed this plant in many places which looked very much like a strawberry, but with narrower leaves and petals. I never did get it identified. Maybe I'll come back in a few weeks and look for fruit:

Seamus plodded uphill steadfastly, but agile little Clover danced around like a canine elf, running uphill and downhill, through the forest and along the trail. She smelled and tasted everything. Ah, the energy of youth!:

And then I was stopped in my tracks by the sight of a Foxglove in bloom. Not just any old Foxglove, but a snow white flower. It was magnificent:

Onward we hiked, enjoying the sunshine and mild temperatures:

Clover stopped to graze like a miniature Holstein:

And then I found more Foxgloves, all of them the normal (and beautiful) purple color:

Ferns lined much of the trail:

I stopped to snap a photo of this butterfly but was unable to identify it when I got home. But I found a website which offers photos, descriptions and a checklist for identifying butterflies and moths. When I still couldn't figure out what it was, I took advantage of their offer to ID them for its readers. I emailed them the photo and received an answer within several hours. They told me that this is a Northern Pearly-Eye. The website is "Butterflies And Moths Of North America" (click here). Click here to find out more about the Northern Pearly-Eye. Click here to see my submission, which has been confirmed as a sighting which they will use to catalog range, seasonal movements, population density, etc:

From Grass Pond To Vermontville On Scenic Route 3

I'd just left from our rest stop in the Boreal Forest along the Port Kent Hopkinton Turnpike when I saw this sign for Grass Pond Fishing Access Site. Just completed a year or two ago, it is a handicapped accessible walk down to the lovely Grass Pond. Of course I stopped:

Since we'd just had a rest stop, I left old Wally and Winky napping in the car and proceeded down the walkway with the four younger dogs:

It wasn't far, and I shortly saw Grass Pond just ahead:

We walked to the edge of the pond and took in the magnificent Adirondack views:

Aptly named, Grass Pond's edges are chock full of grasses which seem to filling in the pond from the perimeter in, much in the same way that Sphagnum does:

Clover and Daphne wasted no time and ran right out onto the grass/water combination. They were light enough to get away with it but I knew better than to try it myself:

But then giant Seamus ran out there also and he didn't seem to be sinking. Nonetheless, I decided not to chance it myself. Maybe some other time:

But as always, this was only a brief rest stop and withing a few minutes I called the dogs back toward our parked car where Wally and Winky snoozed comfortably:

Seamus was reluctant to leave the water but ran right ahead of me after he'd done so:

We turned south on Route 3. By then it was lunch time, so I stopped at the Birch Bark Deli for a sub. Their restroom was not yet open. That had to wait for summer when they didn't have to worry about frozen pipes:

I headed south on Route 3 toward Bloomingdale, where I passed this field of Herefords with a backdrop of mountains. This looks more like Wyoming than New York. I guess that's part of why they call it the Empire State:

The farms along the way were beautiful, framed with forests and mountain peaks. I ate my sub and kept driving toward home. When I got to the town of Saranac Lake, I turned onto Route 86 and continued on our usual route: