Taylor Creek State Forest, Buck Pond Road Trail

Our first short trail in Taylor Creek State Forest was unexciting, so we drove south to the Buck Pond Road to try the second trail. Once again, it was a short access road instead of a hiking trail, and I drove almost to the end and parked. I could see Buck Pond through the trees, so the dogs and I set off through the forest to get to the water's edge:

When we arrived, I discovered that the shoreline was marshy and not a place where I wanted to slosh through the mud and water. As you can (almost) see, Daphne did not hesitate to dive right in:

 Clover ran off along the edge of the pond, but Daphne and Jack explored the shoreline. It was a truly beautiful location:

Alas, Seamus disappeared and when I looked around for him, he was too far away, heading off in the wrong direction. I called his name until I got him to turn around, but once again took note that his advanced age means I will have to be extra careful with him:

Daphne and Fergus bounced through the ferns:

We returned through the forest to our parked car, though I stopped along the way to photograph this tiny orange mushroom:

And yet another Yellow Finger Coral Mushroom. This one, however, looked as if the dogs may have knocked it over as they ran ahead:

When we got to the road, AKA trail, I noticed a lot of white flowers in bloom and recognized them as White Snakeroot. It is a poisonous plant and was once the source of what was called "Milk Sickness," caused by drinking the milk of cows which had eaten the plant. It is suspected as the cause of death of Abraham Lincoln's mother:

We were quickly back at our car, ending our mini-hike:

But instead of returning the way we'd come, I took Buck Pond Road eastward, where the road several times crosses the waters of Buck Pond. It was a lovely drive, with views far better than we got on foot:

Buck Pond, according to the map, is quite large but we only got glimpses of several bits of it. Nonetheless, it was a beauty, and the drive across it was the best part of this "hike:"

Trout Lake State Forest - Part 1

The dogs and I had just hiked up to the Cedar Lake Overlook (see yesterday's post) and were now embarking on a longer but flatter trail to a picnic spot on the shore of Trout Lake:

 All along the way I saw White Baneberry plants with ripe berries. They are also called Doll's Eyes for obvious reasons - white orbs with a black dot (pupil):

This trail was more comfortable walking for the two old codgers of the group, Seamus and me. Although there were some muddy spots, at least there were no hills to ascend or descend:

There was a dizzying array of wildflowers, especially Asters and Goldenrods - so many, in fact, that I gave up trying to photograph and identify them. I already knew False Solomon's-Seal, however:

The dogs were having a grand time but I'd forgotten bug spray and kept swatting at gnats and mosquitoes:

There were lots of mushrooms but I only stopped to take pictures of the really colorful ones. This ruffled yellow mushroom was sure a beauty:

I tried to avoid the muddy spots but the dogs delighted in traipsing right through them:

And then we arrived at the picnic spot. It had a small, sandy beach, where folks landed their canoes, and a picnic table. I sat at the table and watched Seamus wade out into the cool water and lie down. Daphne soon joined him:

Daphne began bouncing around, splashing and playing, so Seamus stood up. We stayed for awhile but then it was time to begin walking back:

We walked uphill into the Hemlock forest to get back on the trail:

And then started our journey back. When I saw another water access, however, I led the dogs back downhill to see it:

 On the way, I saw this strange fungus. I searched for an I.D. when I got home and finally learned that it was Yellow Finger Coral Mushroom. The name perfectly describes it. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: