The Drive Home - Part 2

Since I hadn't found many wildflowers along the shore of Clear Pond, I was watching along the access road on our way out from the White Hill Wild Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). It was a bit late for Shadbush in bloom, but I found some:

And more Red Trilliums:

Clover watched out the window as we slowly drove past a beaver pond, causing startled Painted Turtles to slide off their logs and back into the water:

While Clover watched out the window, Daphne watched me:

We got back on the main road, but I knew another nearby location for two more species and I headed that way. The first one I came to was Marsh Marigold. They were growing and blooming in abundance:

  Marsh Marigolds like to grow in shallow water, among the cattails:

I stopped by the side of the road, beside wetlands filled with Marsh Marigolds. The dogs, of course, had to wait in the car for me:

And just up the road was a patch of Large-Flowered White Trilliums. Like the Marsh Marigolds, they bloom here every year:

They really are spectacular:

And they grew all along the road, occupying the mowed area between the forest and the blacktop. By this time we were almost home, so I put my camera away and headed back to the farm:

Happy Dogs In The Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 3

The dogs and I made it safely back up to the lane on which we'd walked to explore the forest and then we turned back toward where we'd begun:

We walked on typical Adirondack sandy soil with White Pine and Red Pine growing everywhere:

And the dogs continued to have a wonderful time:

Jack rolled in something and I tried to photograph him, but caught him as he was just standing back up:

A scenic yet easy walk such as this, less than four miles from home - what's not to like?

As is usually the case, the dogs were less excitable on the way back and easier to keep close to me:

This is a wonderful life for dogs, even little house dogs like mine:

Along the edge of the lane were saplings of the type which often are Balsam Firs, but in this case they all appeared to be pines:

This lane was broad and level enough to drive on but I know from sad experience that driving on sand can lead to expensive, time consuming and embarrassing AAA calls:

Daphne and Clover seemed to be slowing down:

We were almost back to where we'd begun:


And there was our little red car, parked .8 miles into the forest. The dogs broke into a run and I didn't try to stop them. After all, we had the entire State Forest to ourselves:

Happy Dogs In The Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking in the Fort Jackson State Forest and exploring a grassy lane through the trees (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

I could see a bluish gray field of nothingness downhill and through the trees. Deciding it must be water, I decided to walk down to it and find out what it was. There was, however, no path to it and the walking got dicey in many places. I put my camera in my pocket and took no more photos until we reached the water's edge:

It was a very large beaver pond. Like many wild ponds, there was no clear shoreline but only a tangled web of trees, bushes and beaver-gnawed stumps. I couldn't get very close to it, but the dogs could:

Clover found a grassy knoll to explore while Daphne waded into the water for a drink:

They were having a grand time:

As for me, I simply marveled at the serene and wild beauty of it all:

Fergus came down to join the exploration of the water's edge:

And little Jack waded in - but not too far:

  Seamus also came down to the water's edge but to my surprise, did not wade in:

I tried to search the far shore for openings, but saw none:

But there was nothing more to see, at least not within walking distance for me, so we turned back uphill, hoping to find the grassy lane again. I knew the footing was treacherous, so I put my camera back in my pocket. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Happy Dogs At Clear Pond - Part 1

The dogs and I drove to the White Hill Wild Forest, about 12 miles from home. I turned at the newly painted sign and began the rather long drive through the forest:

The one lane gravel road took us through the forest and across a beaver pond:

This beaver pond was both wild and scenic, yet accessible by car:

We drove a couple of miles to the parking area and headed off down the trail:

The first stop and, as it turned out, our only stop, was at Clear Pond. We've been here many times before, and the dogs love it:

Daphne was the first to jump into the water, bouncing up and down, splashing like a happy seal:

Seamus walked in amongst the gigantic Bullfrog tadpoles. He didn't do any excited splashing. He just likes to be in the water:

We walked back up to the trail which, I knew, would take us to more shoreline access. Little Jack was so excited that he was running in broad circles. He continued his running all the time we were there:

The trail brought us back to the edge of Clear Pond:

The dogs explored, Seamus walking and Jack running:

And they all had fun sniffing in the wildflower meadows along the shore:

Seamus and Daphne went into the water again, but I was too slow to get a photo. By the time I snapped a picture, Daphne was back on the trail and running again. This was all great fun, but we still had lots more to see. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Hiking The Long Pond Canoe Carry - Part 2

We'd hiked the Long Pond Canoe Carry trail as far as Long Pond and then turned back toward our parked car, waiting for us at the trail head. The Adirondack forest all around us was unspoiled and beautiful:

I had to watch out for black bears, who might stick their heads up out of the greenery at any moment:

Fergus and Clover generally led the way. In fact, they were not so well behaved as they had been on the previous trail and I had to keep calling them back to me:

Clover loves to climb up on things and look around:

We passed back across the beaver marsh, with the dam and pond just off to our right:

And then we were again in the deep forest:

There had been a side trail to a small, unnamed pond which we hadn't taken previously, so this time we turned downhill toward the water, just to see what was there:

And it was well worth the walk - a lovely pond which I guessed was another beaver creation:

It looked surprisingly large. There were stumps and dead trees in the water, evidence that this was indeed a beaver pond:

But then we retraced our steps to the main trail and continued on toward the trail head:

As soon as the dogs were all happily back in the car, I snapped one last photo and we began the drive home, where little old PeeWee was waiting for us: