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:

Whiskey Flats State Forest - Part 3

We had hiked a considerable way into Whiskey Flats State Forest (see previous two posts), but it was getting very hot. When I saw what appeared to be the roof of a building off through the trees, I decided we'd gotten too close to civilization and decided to turn around. That was just fine with little Jack, who enjoyed running across the mossy ground:

Seamus, who had been running full speed when we began, was now walking slowly. He was both hot and tired:

The little dogs, however, continued to explore although they didn't run ahead so much anymore. They too had slowed down:

It's pleasant walking after the dogs calm down. There were occasional traffic signs, as this multi-use trail was open to ATVs, dirt bikes and snowmobiles:

I heard what I believed were Hermit Thrushes calling off in the forest:

I stopped at this St. Johnswort plant in bloom and had Seamus come over and sit next to it for a photo. He was hesitant because he was hot and tired, but happy to be sitting once he was there. Photographing black (or white) dogs can be difficult, but the lighting was good here and I hoped the yellow flowers would help make a good portrait of my faithful friend:

The forest began to look barren again as we neared our parking spot:

And by now, we were all moving slowly. It was still early, but the day was heating up:

Can you see that little spot of bright red up ahead on the trail? That's our car, parked a couple hundred feet off the road. It was a welcome sight:

I saw a few mushrooms, but this was the only one with any real color:

There were lots of wild blackberries, but they weren't yet ripe:

We piled into the car when we arrived. I rolled down the windows (no air conditioning) and we headed off down the access road toward the highway:

Whiskey Flats State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking a trail in Whiskey Flats State Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday), where most of the ground was carpeted in mosses and lichens:

We took a side trip into a stand of pines and the dogs ran joyously over the mossy ground, dodging tree trunks as they explored:

They were having a grand time:

I saw these two examples of what appeared to be two varieties of Reindeer Lichen. I looked them up online when I got home, and though I learned that there are at least three species, I didn't find much more information. Nonetheless, they are fascinating:

Clover, almost always the leader of the pack, went ahead to explore:

And then Fergus joined her. Notice all the dead small trees. I thought at the time that a big wind storm or snowfall must have been the cause, but now wonder if it was further evidence of the pine false webworm infestation:

We saw a number of stands with such thick moss carpets that I couldn't resist. This is natural beauty of the first order:

Daphne and Seamus thought it was beautiful too:

I was looking at mosses when I saw these little pink dots. I had seen them in a nature blog I follow, so I looked it up when I got home. I thought they were jelly molds, but instead I learned that they were Pink Earth Lichen. The surrounding moss was more Brocade Moss:

And innumerable Pink Ladyslipper plants were growing in the moss. It must have been lovely when they were all blooming. Perhaps I need to return to this trail next year when it's Ladyslipper season:

We continued down the trail but kept taking side trips into inviting areas:

The thick carpets of moss beneath tall pines were the biggest draws for me. But we weren't done yet, and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Whiskey Flats State Forest - Part 1

It was going to be a hot day, so I decided to leave early and take the dogs to Clear Pond, in nearby Parishville, NY. We were on the road, headed toward our destination, when I noticed a new Multi-Use Trail into Whiskey Flats State Park. I'd been there before and hadn't considered it very interesting, but this might be a revelation and it was only seven miles from home. So we pulled off the road and parked in what seemed almost pure sand. Next to my parked car were Sand Cherries and pine seedlings:

And there were lots of Spotted Knapweed in bloom, an invasive species which does quite well in sandy spots:

I let the dogs out of the car and they took off running, stopping every now and then to sniff something they might find interesting:

Seamus and Jack ran side by side for awhile:

I saw lots of pines other than the usual White and Red Pines, and wasn't sure I could identify them. I looked up the state website on Whiskey Flats State Forest when I got home and learned that Scotch Pine had been planted in the 1930s and 1940s. Yes, of course, many of the pines I was seeing were Scotch Pine. There were also very long needled pines, two needles per bundle, which I never did identify:

I was initially put off by the barren look of much of the forest. It seemed to have been recently logged, though I saw no stumps and no bush left over from logging. Later, when reading the state website, I read that there had been infestations of pine false webworm, a sawfly which defoliates and kills pine trees. So that explained the barren look of the landscape. The good news was that I didn't see any current defoliation:

Furthermore, I began to find that there was some advantage to walking in a forest with such open views. I could see the rolling hills as we approached them and where lanes were going which led off of the main trail:

The only flowers I saw other than Spotted Knapweed were St. Johnswort, and they were exceedingly healthy:

And the dogs were on a new trail, which meant that they were even more excited than usual. That, in turn, meant I had to do more hollering at them than usual. Even big ol' Seamus got so excited and ran so fast that he accidentally bit his tongue. But he kept running even with his tongue dripping blood. They always came when called, though, and eventually the heat and exercise slowed them down:

I'd forgotten bug spray, but to my happy surprise, it wasn't needed:

We took many side trips down inviting lanes and into attractive stands of pines:

This was perhaps the mossiest forest I've ever seen, with much of the ground absolutely carpeted with a variety of mosses and lichens. These two were Common Haircap Moss on the left and Brocade Moss on the right. But we were just getting started, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: