Snowy North Field Perimeter - Part 2

I was driving around the outside perimeter of the north field to see and photograph the wintry beauty (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). I stopped when I saw this snowy pine. It looked like a Scotch Pine, though I've never taken the time for a closer look. I didn't do so this time either, but maybe I can remember it in the summer:

There are remnants of a stone wall along the perimeter, though they are so old that it is now difficult to discern:

And there are still piles of old farm refuge - tires, farm equipment, pipes, etc. I removed close to a hundred old tires, but more keep appearing:

I came to the two big Sugar Maples which provide such nice color every autumn:

I own the woodland off to the right in this spot, and it did my heart good to see an Eastern White Cedar growing there:

Some giant rocks were piled along the woods, apparently removed from the field before it could be used. I have heard a story of how the former owner had someone clear the rocks but never paid them. He also never paid for his new silo, so they came and dismantled it - which is why I now have a silo base but no silo behind the barn:

One lone Beech tree still held onto its golden leaves:

This was my path. The north field lay to the left and the woods to the right. I had a narrow path between them, a path which I have to bush hog each summer in order to keep the weeds down. But this photo shows the great beauty I experienced as I drove the perimeter:

In places, remnants of an old barbed wire fence still separated the field from the woods, and Birch trees began to show along the edges:

Another shot of an old, leaning barbed wire fence, with woods just beyond:

The brushy places had such an abundance of small branches that they appeared extra white:

I think these dark, withered berries were those of the Shadbush, sometimes called Serviceberry. They should be blooming again this spring:

I turned left, heading back to the house and barn, with the county road to my right. There is a row of cattails along this section of road:

The most beautiful sight of the trip was this Foxtail Grass. The seed heads were so white from a coating of snow that they looked like extra fancy, hybrid ornamental grasses in miniature. Alas, the photo doesn't do them justice. They were exquisite. They were also my final photo. I put my camera away and began using the tractor to remove the snow which the town had piled at the end of my driveway:

Snowy Adventure At Whiskey Flats - Part 2

The dogs and I were exploring a logging road in Whiskey Flats State Forest and had been forced to turn around when our trail ended (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). It was plenty cold and snowy anyway, so I was OK with turning back:

The logging road was old and filling up with Scotch Pine saplings. The dogs just bounced around between them without a care:

Jack and Fergus love to run, and you can see Fergus on the right in this picture, running so fast that his ears were flopping:

We took a secondary logging road which was parallel to the first one, but it was nearly identical, so it provided no new scenery. Jack continued to run full speed:

Even Seamus did some running:

There were some nice pine forests all around us but I was in no mood to set off through the trees without a trail. Instead, I stuck to the logging road:

The dogs ran for awhile and then split up to investigate interesting smells and pee on pine saplings:

Almost back to the power line clearing, I figured it had been a short but worthwhile hike:

My merry band of misfit dogs were having the time of their lives:

Before returning to our car, I decided to follow the power line clearing to look for the trail I'd been unable to find when we began, so off we went - with Jack running on ahead as he usually does:

And that's when the crisis happened. I heard some animal screaming and saw, up ahead, what looked like Jack killing some small animal. I hollered and hurried to get there, only to find my little Jack with his leg in a steel trap. Lest you wonder why I took the time to snap a picture, I already had the camera out and ready. Also, I figured I might need evidence in case of legal action. I pulled off my gloves and tried to open the trap, but a terror stricken Jack bit me hard. I put the gloves back on and opened the trap, but by then Jack understood that I was there to help him. As you can see, the trap was set next to a Woodchuck hole. I tried to remove the trap to throw it away, but it was firmly anchored to the frozen ground and I was in a hurry to get Jack to the vet:

We returned to the car and hurried back home so I could call the vet. After examining him, the vet said no bones were broken and Jack should be fine. He gave me antibiotic and pain killer pills to help him through the coming week, but by that evening Jack was walking normally and apparently had forgotten all about his harrowing ordeal. One never knows when a pleasant hike can turn to crisis:

Snowy Adventure At Whiskey Flats - Part 1

It was a cold and snowy morning, but even more cold and snow was predicted for the coming week - so I took the pooches for a romp in Whiskey Flats State Forest, only 7 miles from my door. I pulled off the road and parked as safely as possible. I knew from past experience that the soil here was almost pure sand and easy to get stuck in:

The dogs exploded out of the car door with predictable abandon, anxious to explore - but the first thing we came to was a power line clearing. I vaguely remembered that there was a trail just up a little, so we headed off to the right:

Alas, I'd parked at the wrong access lane (there are lots of them) and we had to settle for an old logging road, now filled with many Scotch Pine saplings:

And underfoot were millions of Scotch Pine cones. They combined with the bed of old pine needles, snow and Adirondack sand to make walking a soft, cushioned experience:


I'd put a colorful bandanna on Seamus (and Fergus too) to help make him visible and, in case we met any people, to look more friendly and approachable:

Clover and Seamus led the way, sniffing for dragons, lions, bears and ogres:

Then little Daphne led the way, followed by Seamus, as we approached some taller trees:

But mostly the dogs just played and explored. Jack, as always, ran in big circles, then back and forth, up and down the logging road:

The snow continued to fall and it was colder than I'd expected. My right hand was becoming numb because I'd taken off my glove so I could operate the camera:

The dogs were pretty good and needed much less hollering by me than usual:

You can see little orange Jack running in this photo. It's a wonder I ever get any pictures of him which are not blurred. Snow continued to fall - big, fat, fluffy flakes which you can see against the green of the trees in this picture:

The logging road ended at signs, designating the adjoining property as County Conservation Lands. The area was open to the public but I saw no trail and had no intention of getting lost. We turned around at that point and began heading back - but I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

West Parishville State Forest - Part 2

I was hiking with the dogs in the West Parishville State Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and we were heading deeper into the forest:

The forest type began as Scotch Pines, then became hardwoods, then became mixed. I had trouble identifying the pines after that because they were all tall, with no saplings growing, and I could barely see the needles:

I thought I saw a beaver marsh through the trees and we walked over for a look, only to discover it was a farmer's corn field. So we made our way back to the forest trail and continued on our way:

There were tiny (1") orange mushrooms:

But we had traveled quite a way, at least for an old codger like me, so we turned back the way we'd come:

As always, the dogs were just as happy going back as they were going forwards, though by this time they'd used up much of their excess energy:

Seamus and Fergus showed off their new haircuts beneath the tall trees:

Tiny yellow mushrooms, so small they were overshadowed by this Tree Club Moss (Princess Pine):

A great big orange mushroom. I called Daphne over to sit beside it and she got nervous, which is why she has such a silly expression on her face:

We made a happy procession as we headed back toward our parked car. I believe these trees were Scotch Pines, which is what predominated at the beginning of the trail. And as if for confirmation, the trail was named "Scotch Pine Trail:"

The dogs were considerably slowed down by this time, enabling me to relax and listen more to the bird songs:

And then we arrived back at our car, which I'd parked just off the trail. It was a simple matter to pull back onto the all purpose trail and head back out of the state forest on the gravel road: