A Wet Time At Slush Pond - Part 2

The dogs and I were exploring the floating peat bog at Slush Pond, a magical place of wild splendor (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):


Ripe, red cranberries were scattered atop the Sphagnum:

And of course I had to taste them. They weren't quite ripe yet but had lots of flavor. They were sour, but let's face it - cranberries are sour even when ripe:

The brush was treacherous and tall enough that I often couldn't see the dogs and had to trust them to come with me. Besides, I was up to my ankles in water and struggling to keep from tripping and falling:

We made it back to solid ground and began making our way back through the forest:

And arrived at our car, which was parked in an empty campsite. I felt let down that our visit had been so brief:


But I knew we passed two more access points along the road back to the highway and decided to stop at both of them. That made the dogs happy once again:

There wasn't much walking I could do at either spot, but the scenery was wonderful:

Seamus stood atop some red and yellow floating sphagnum and smiled:

We traveled on to another access point and I snapped a photo of the narrow channel leading back toward where we'd begun:

Daphne went right into the water and splashed around a bit. It didn't matter, for we were all soaking wet already anyway:

We carefully made our way back to the parked car. As you can see, the road was very narrow. I called the dogs back into the car, counted them several times to be sure I hadn't left anyone behind, and began the two mile drive back to the highway:

A Wet Time At Slush Pond - Part 1

It had been a few years since I'd been to Slush Pond, and it was only 32 miles from home. One morning I decided to take the dogs down for another look. I parked in the last campsite (none of them were occupied) and let the dogs run through the trees, headed toward the Slush Pond:

Slush Pond is truly wild and lovely, a wonderful place for a boy and his dogs:

With lots of interesting smells to keep the canines sniffing:

But the main attraction for me was the floating peat bog. I walked out onto it and discovered that the driest places I could walk were those where the water only reached my ankles. I was looking for the sphagnum moss which comprised this floating bog. I came in three colors - yellow, red and green, which I've read are three distinct species. Ripe, red cranberries dotted the surface:

The peat bog was more overgrown than I remembered it and I could not find a single Pitcher Plant or Sundew plant. Nonetheless, how could a person complain in such a magical place?:

Tamaracks had taken root in some places and Fergus led us straight toward the water:

I figured that the floating peat would be shallower and less likely to hold my weight as we approached the edge, so I walked carefully. I'd long since given up trying to keep my feet dry:

This would have been perfect moose country, though we never saw one:

Closer and closer to the edge:

C'mon, Dad. Don't be chicken. Walk right out here with us:

Yikes! Fergus fell right in, though I didn't see exactly how it happened. It took a bit of effort, but he was able to climb back up on the floating mass of sphagnum without my assistance:

Jack simply ran, first one way and then the other, disappearing into the tall brush and then back out again. This was all new to him and he was enjoying it. But there was still more to see and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Exploring Slush Pond - Part 2

The dogs and I were exploring the floating peat bog and Slush Pond (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

There were lots of Pitcher Plants, some of them ruby red. Some of the sphagnum moss, as you can see, was similarly red:

Seamus explored the water's edge:

And Daphne checked out every sight and every smell:

This tiny pink wildflower was new to me, though I could tell it was a Laurel. It turned out to be Pale Laurel, Kalmia polifolia, in the same genus as the more familiar Mountain Laurel and Sheep Laurel:

Daphne and Clover got a little too close to the water for my comfort, but neither one fell in this time:

There were also these tiny pink bell shaped flowers, growing on plants whose leaves reminded me of Rosemary. Indeed, they were called Bog Rosemary, Andromeda polifolia. It resembles the herb, Rosemary, but is not related. You can also see both red and yellow sphagnum in this photo:

While I looked closely at tiny plants, the dogs were bounding across the bog and giving everything the sniff test:

This is a close-up of the very tiny Cranberry plant. It was much too early in the year for berries, but maybe we'll return in the autumn to find some:

But the mosquitoes were biting me and it was time to head back to the car:

I took a slightly different route, just for the fun of it, and that suited Seamus just fine:

We all piled back into the car and I squashed as many mosquitoes as I could before we began our return home. Jack, Daphne and Clover settled down on the seat next to me for the drive:

Exploring Slush Pond - Part 1

It was a fine day and I decided to make a quick run down to the floating peat bog at Slush Pond with the dogs. It was about 30 miles from my house, plus another couple of miles through the forest, but the entire drive was scenic and pleasant. As soon as I saw a place to pull over and access the water, I parked and let the dogs out. My first discovery was that it was mosquito season and I was immediately covered with hundreds of the vicious, ravenous little insects. The dogs didn't seem to be bothered, but they had much less skin exposed than I had:

We walked out toward across the peat, heading toward the water. Clover and Daphne ran on ahead:

Seamus was interested mostly in the water:

But there wasn't much to see there, so I called the dogs back into the car and we continued on to a campsite where I knew there to be a good access to the peat bog:

We got out of the car and headed down the trail through the forest toward Slush Pond:

Jack had never had such an adventure and was very excited to be included:

We were soon walking on the floating peat bog, which bounced with every step. If I stood in one place too long, the water oozed up through the peat and covered my shoes:

There were carnivorous Pitcher Plants growing everywhere and other vegetation one only finds in peat bogs:

Fergus and Jack were ecstatic:

Not all Sphagnum is green. Some of it is bright red or golden yellow:

Jack bounced on ahead to explore this wondrous habitat:

Clover, Daphne and Seamus explored the water's edge. I am happy to report that no one fell into the water this time. There was more to see at this extraordinary place. Tune in tomorrow for Part 2:

Beautiful, Peaceful Slush Pond - Part 2

My sister and I were exploring the floating peat bog at Slush Pond and the dogs had led us out to the edge:

My sister enjoyed eating the abundant cranberries but they were too tart for my taste:

The dogs had no fear of the edge, though ponderous, gigantic Seamus did fall through once. He was able to get himself out of the water, though, and didn't need to be rescued:

Madeline sniffed a clam shell and took a drink of water:

I led the way as we walked along the channel, headed toward the main body of Slush Pond:

There are no signs at the road for Slush Pond and most people don't know about it. That leaves it pristine and wild for us to enjoy:

Madeline was a very happy little Papillon:

This patch of red sphagnum was so brilliant that the ripe cranberries atop it are barely discernible. You can see the cranberry stems, though, looking here like little necklaces strung artistically across the red cushion:

We continued to make our way toward the wider pond:

There were also patches of golden sphagnum which made a spectacular display, all adorned with bright red cranberries:

Fergus smelled something interesting. There were two empty clam shells there, so perhaps a raccoon had been dining recently, leaving behind a fascinating scent:

Walking was dicey and the floating peat bog gave way beneath our feet. We couldn't stop for long because our feet would sink down under water. We had to keep moving:

Once our exploration of the bog was over, we returned to the car. The piney forest was as lovely as the peat bog. There was beauty everywhere: