The Hayes Brook Horse Trail

The dogs and I were on our way once again up to the farm and traveling through the beautiful Adirondack Park. When we turned onto Route 30, I began watching for the sign indicating the Hayes Brook Horse Trail, another favorite rest stop. I parked my car and the dogs all jumped out, running excitedly into the forest and sniffing everything:

Winky and Wally, both getting slower as they age, stayed together as they moved at their own speed. The youngsters could run wildly along the forest path if they wanted, but Wally and Winky had more mature thoughts and interests:

Daphne And Clover were, as always, full of fun and excitement. Life is a great joy for them and they investigate the world with such enthusiasm that it's difficult to not feel likewise:

I found another patch of Whorled Loosestrife, Lysimachia quadrifolia, along the trail, a beautiful plant and a flower I only discovered this year:

Winky was not moving very fast and we had to wait for him, but he seemed so happy about it all that it was a pleasure to have him along:

Seamus has such long legs that he can arrive almost anywhere ahead of the rest of us if he chooses to. Mostly though, he's happy to walk calmly along, thinking deep doggy thoughts and contemplating the world as he experiences it:

I ambled along the trail through the beautiful Adirondack forest with the young dogs ahead of me and the oldsters lagging behind. This is the same trail which my sister and I walked back in December when it was covered with snow. It was quite lovely then also:

Wally's eyesight is failing but his nose works just fine:

And Clover read the "forest newspaper" by sniffing everything:

All the dogs got themselves a good olfactory workout and we all got to stretch our legs and experience a bit of Adirondack forest. But it was time to continue our journey to the farm:

Retracing Our Steps, White Hill Wild Forest Part 6

The dogs and I had hiked into the White Hill Wild Forest from Clear Pond, where we'd parked, and then hiked on to Little Rock Pond and Long Pond. We'd had the entire forest to ourselves and it had been beautiful and awe inspiring in spite of the continuous rain, the Mosquitoes and the Deer Flies. But the time came to turn back toward the trail head, retracing our steps:

I saw many things I'd missed the first time I passed by them. For instance, this shiny Turkey Tail shelf fungus on a mossy log:

When we arrived at the shore of Little Rock Pond, it was simply too inviting to pass by. So the dogs and I pushed through the ferns to make our way to the water's edge:

Poor little Clover was drenched, and without all that fluffy hair it was evident how truly skinny she was. Well, she's certainly healthy and happy, and didn't seem to mind the rain at all:

And Little Rock Pond was serene, lovely, wild and primitive:

We were truly in a natural setting, just the dogs and I, and I found it a wonderful experience:

And right at the water's edge were many Whorled Loosestrife, Lysimachia quadrifolia. I've never seen this plant before but recognized it right away because I'd seen it in someone else's blog. By the way, if you're interested in a spectacular nature blog, I recommend Saratoga Woods And Waterways, http://saratogawoodswaters.blogspot.com/ :

Fergus, Daphne and Clover ambled over to find a beaver to say hello to:

Seamus did his Brontosaurus imitation, a giant wading in the shallow waters:

In spite of the rain it was a fine day and a wonderful hike. So we lingered at Little Rock Pond for quite a while. But then it was time to continue on. I confess that I was beginning to tire. I had, after all, been up since 3:00 and spent 5 hours on the road. It had been a long day. I'll post more tomorrow: