Our Favorite St. Regis River Waterfall - Part 2

My sister, her husband and all five dogs had hiked in to the waterfall in Santa Clara, New York (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). We'd seen the base of the falls, so we began climbing the rocky trail which took us upstream:

The trail was lovely and wild, and my sister enjoyed the Adirondack scenery:

I stopped for this scene with Partridgeberry, mushroom and Sphagnum moss. The red and green had a kind of Christmas look to it:

The little dogs ventured out onto some rocks which were too scary for Seamus and me, both of us old and lame. I put Seamus on a leash for safety and the two of us took the safest routes we could find:

The trail took us upstream, where we could see the St. Regis River rushing through a narrow gorge:

But the trail ended, so we returned to the base of the falls:

We took a side trip on another trail along the St. Regis River and stopped to see these two gigantic rocks. Alas, the photo doesn't convey their huge size, but they were mammoth:

The trail had veered away from the river but soon brought us back again:

And once again, the autumn views were lovely and serene:

But soon we were headed back out to our car:

Lynn and Tim posed for a fun photo in the forest, and then we got in the car and drove to another nearby hike. I'll post about that tomorrow:

Our Favorite St. Regis River Waterfall - Part 1

My sister and brother-in-law had come to visit from Ohio, hoping to see some Adirondack scenery and autumn foliage. So of course we headed right out to see the waterfall near home. We hit the short trail which would take us there and the dogs began running for joy:

The pooches could barely contain their enthusiasm. Even old Seamus did a bit of wobbly running:

They'd run ahead, then I'd call them back, which is why you see Jack running toward me while the others are running ahead:

And of course the autumn scenery was lovely:

As we neared the falls, we could hear its roar and we had to step over a number of fallen logs (I had to lift Seamus over them, first his front half, then his back half). This log was covered with what I believe was orange Slime Mold:

And then we arrived at the base of the falls. My sister, Lynn, got there first, along with Daphne and Fergus:

Then my brother-in-law, Tim, arrived and they took pictures:

It's not a high waterfall but it's a roaring cascade of many levels. Furthermore, it's not well known and no one else is ever there:

Tim and a couple of the dogs walked out onto some flat rocks for a better view:

And what a view it was!

Lynn busied herself taking photos, a trait we share. But there was yet more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

A Visit With My Sister - Part 1

My sister came to visit, but I was sick and not at my best. The cats were terrified of her and hid almost the whole time. The dogs loved her and thought we were going hiking. We didn't really do that, though, as it rained almost continually. It was cold, wet, and miserable weather.

We did go touring, first to the Mohawk museum near the Canadian border. Alas, it was closed for remodeling. Next we went to a waterfall in a private campground. It too was closed, so we continued on to the nearby NYS trout hatchery. One man gave us a tour:

The staff was outside in the cold rain, and busy notching the fins of small fish in order to identify their origins later in life:

Inside the building, the tanks of hatchlings were full:

Tiny little trout, from the size of guppies to about 4" long:

The trout eggs are incubated in trays along the walls but it appeared this was the wrong time of year and the trays were empty:

He took us outside and showed us the bigger fish, some of them 3' long:

Alas, the giant, gold colored albino trout, which I've enjoyed on former visits, had all died (mostly from old age, he said):

We also tried to hike to a waterfall in Santa Clara, New York. Though the snow at my house was all melted, it was 18" and crusted over in the Adirondacks:

Each step sent my feet down through the snow and it was difficult to pull them back out because of the crust on top. We only went about 25 feet, but that was enough to cause me leg cramps and poor old Seamus, who crashed through the snow right up to his belly and was immobilized, was very wobbly afterwards. I had to help him stand up the next morning:

But the road was plowed and inviting, so we walked happily there for a short time:

We didn't go far, though, because a passing car made it clear that it was not safe for the dogs:

But we did get some gorgeous views of the St. Regis River. Somewhere down in that valley was the waterfall we didn't get to see plus other incredible sights. We'll try again, though, when my sister visits in better weather:

Another view of the St. Regis River, taken from a bridge as we drove away:

A New Favorite Hike - The Santa Clara Waterfalls - Part 3

The dogs and I had just hiked to a waterfall on the St. Regis River and then hiked up the river to a spot upstream (see also Parts 1 and 2, posted previously):

The agile little dogs explored the rocks while Seamus and I watched them:

And all of us had great fun. I don't know if the dogs appreciate the scenic beauty, but they sure enjoy the smells of nature and drinking pure, clean water:

The trail seemed to end, or at least become too difficult for me to manage the thick brush, so we turned back the way we'd come, heading once again for the base of the falls:

We climbed down the rocks we'd just climbed up as we returned along the trail to where we'd begun:

When we got to the base of the falls again, we continued on along a trail by the river which took us downstream. There were lots of nice views, though not as dramatic as at the falls:

The river downstream was quieter and calmer, a welcome bit of peaceful, easy walking:

Peaceful, that is, until we came to these fallen tree trunks:

The trunks were no problem for me and the small dogs, but Seamus has never been able to get over them - not even when he was young:

So the small dogs and I crossed the fallen trees and walked down to the quiet water of the St. Regis River:

We didn't go far, as the trail seemed to end there anyway, and Seamus was waiting patiently for us when we returned to the fallen trees:

Then we returned to the main trail and began our journey back to our parked car. By this time the dogs had used up much of their excess energy and were much less rambunctious:

In fact, it was a quiet and peaceful walk through the forest. Once in the car, I discovered another trail, so I parked and we walked it to the river. Alas, it wasn't worth the effort. I did however, see one more very large trail which we will explore some day soon. Furthermore, I found another waterfall online, which is just a few miles upstream from the one we'd just visited. There is much more adventure to come. Stay tuned:

A New Favorite Hike - The Santa Clara Waterfalls - Part 2

The dogs and I had just hiked to a waterfall on the east branch of the St. Regis River (see also Part 1, posted yesterday), and the views were magnificent:

There was a natural channel along the side of the river above the falls into which water was cascading sideways, then flowing downhill beside the main falls. As you can see, Fergus went up to explore:

And then Clover joined him:

Seamus stayed at the base of the roaring waterfalls with me, where it was relatively safe:

Then we began walking upstream to see the top of the falls. This photo illustrates the pure, wild beauty of the area:

The trail paralleled the river but not right along the edge, which would have been dangerous:

We were clearly headed uphill:

The dogs were happy and still a bit silly. They hadn't yet tired out:

The Mountain Maples were already turning colors:

And then the trail took us to a high point above the river:

There was a high rock alongside the river which the little dogs wanted to investigate. The waterfall was downriver, just about where that fallen tree trunk was caught on the rocks:

The four little dogs were excited to be exploring. They are always up for a great adventure (sometimes too much so):

They scrambled down the rocks to the water's edge but Seamus and I wisely stayed up where the walking was safe. There was still much to see on this adventure, though, and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow: