Whitehill Wild Forest - Part 2

My sister and I were hiking with the dogs in the White Hill Wild Forest and had left behind the lovely shores of Clear Pond (see yesterday's post), following the trail into the Adirondack forest. We kept seeing this interesting flower. I looked it up when I got home and learned that it is the Whorled Wood Aster, Aster acuminatus:

The day was so hot and muggy that it would have been unbearable if it wasn't for the shade the trees gave us:

We crossed numerous small streams, where I struggled because of my braces and the dogs got cool and wet:

Another small, common, woodland flower (with a mushroom). I looked it up when I got home and learned that it is Dewdrops, Dalibarda repens, in the rose family:

We passed several beaver swamps, lovely and wild, alive with all manner of aquatic wildlife:

And the dogs scrambled across the rocks to investigate:

My sister and I stayed near the trail and just appreciated the view:

Daphne and Jack went exploring:

Clover and Daphne climbed rocks and Jack took a drink. Seamus, bulky and with a thick, black coat, was getting uncomfortable. We got him back into the shade as quickly as possible:

Another interesting plant, this one with opposite leaves and red colored flower buds. I thought I knew what it was but confirmed it when I got home. It was the Marsh St. Johnswort, Hypericum virginicum, the only St. Johnswort which doesn't have yellow flowers:

The forest floor had lots of interesting fungi, but few as colorful as this golden mushroom:

And then we arrived at Little Rock Pond:

Daphne and Clover climbed down a very steep rock to get near the water, making me nervous. We still wanted to get all the way to Long Pond, so we kept hiking. I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Finding A Swamp, White Hill Wild Forest Part 3

I was hiking the snowmobile trail in the White Hill Wild Forest with four of my dogs. I was the only person in the entire forest as far as I could tell and, as the trail led us farther and farther into the deep forest, it began to feel a bit eerie. But it was also lovely to look at and easy walking, so we kept going:

As I noted previously, there were mushrooms galore. I stepped over these miniature shelf fungi which grew on an old limb in the middle of the trail:

Trees of various sizes had fallen across the trail and it was clear to me that there'd been no trail maintenance performed recently. That added to the sense of eerie isolation, of wandering back into another time:

I saw a few red mushrooms. These had been common on our last hike here but perhaps their growing season was coming to an end:

And then I saw, on our right, a field of ferns and a swamp off through the trees. The dogs broke into a run to get there and I followed. I thought we might have found Rock Pond:

The dogs arrived first and were all excited at this great find. I was less thrilled. There was very little water, just enough to prevent us from entering the area. Mostly I saw fetid mud and oil slicks on shallow, opaque water:

Although it was not a comfortable place for humans, I was sure that this swamp supported much plant and animal life. Heaven knows, it certainly supported mosquitoes and deer flies! The dogs found a hillock from which they could investigate more closely:

I did some rock hopping to position myself inside the swamp a bit and began snapping photos of its eerie beauty:

In every direction were dead trees, shallow oily brown water and large, moss and fern covered rocks:

I suppose that this swamp would have been more of a pond if we'd arrived earlier in the season, but late in this hot, dry summer the water was very low:

Fergus tried to make his way through the mud and discovered that was a very bad idea. You can see his muddy feet in this picture. After that, he stayed on the rocks with the other dogs. He and little Clover did a bit of rock hopping. I'll post more tomorrow:

The Return Hike, White Hill Wild Forest Part 7

After leaving Little Rock Pond, the dogs and I continued following the trail back to our car at Clear Pond. We passed several sections where very large fallen trees littered the ground like giant matchsticks. Apparently there had been a considerable blow-down in the recent past. These were very large trees with comparatively small root systems, so I suppose it's no surprise that a mighty wind would topple them. Many places in the Adirondacks have shallow soil under which is solid rock:

And I stepped over this friendly little flowering plant, snapping a photo to use for identification when I got home. But I couldn't decide if it's Northern White Violet or Dewdrop. Now that I've seen Saturday's posting from the "Saratoga Woods And Waterways" blog, I'm convinced it was Dewdrop, also known as False Violet, Dalibarda repens:

And more club mosses, a favorite of mine:

We again skirted the northern tip of Little Rock Pond:

Daphne was alert for any signs of trouble:

Both Papillons were still full of energy and undeterred by the soaking rain. They may be small lap dogs, but don't tell them that! In their minds they are miniature Border Collies:

The wetter places were filling in with Sphagnum Moss. What a chain of environment altering events a family of beavers can initiate:

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:

Into The Woods, White Hill Wild Forest, Part 2

I'd discovered a 9000 acre wild forest just a bit south of my farm and set out with my four dogs to explore it on a rainy Sunday afternoon. Here's a map of the area I found on the Internet. For some reason this picture will not enlarge when you click it, but if your eyes are good enough you can see how the road took us to Clear Pond. We parked there and hiked around Clear Pond, turning south at the next trail intersection to Little Rock Pond and Long Pond:

We seemed to have the entire forest to ourselves and the tree canopy was some protection from the rain. I passed by lots of interesting sights and one of them was this unique mushroom. It looked to me like an old rag draped over a fence post:

I stepped over what I thought was Watercress growing abundantly in a mountain stream. I've searched my Peterson's Field Guide since and no longer think it's Watercress. But what is it? Does anyone know?

Daphne and Clover, the two Papillon youngsters (also referred to as the silly sisters), were constantly on the run. But when they stopped for a moment to watch me, I snapped their photo:

And then they began running again:

I'd long been lamenting the lack of Wood Thrushes in the Adirondacks. I've read that they were disappearing, perhaps as a consequence of acid rain. But this summer I've heard lots of them and I decided that it was a fine time to take a video and record the sounds and sights of the rainy forest with a Wood Thrush singing. There's also, you will notice, an Ovenbird singing loudly at about the 45 second mark. And Seamus panting as he waits patiently for me to begin hiking again. You may also notice Clover browsing on grass like a tiny Holstein. Both of my Papillons do that, so it must be a breed characteristic:

And then we came to a section of the trail which was flooded. There were trees down all around also. I figured it was beaver activity but saw no chew marks on stumps. Well, for the moment my job was to find a way around the flooding. As you can see here, Daphne and Clover were perfectly happy to run right through the water if that's what I wanted to do:

When we'd returned to dry trail, I passed by what must surely be a beaver swamp. But still I saw no chew marks on the stumps:

I checked my map and decided this must be Little Rock Pond. Daphne ran right down to investigate, perhaps hoping to meet a beaver:

Then Seamus, Fergus and Clover ran down to check it all out also:

The dogs' curiosity satisfied, we resumed our trek along the trail. Mosquitoes and Deer Flies were abundant and hungry. Next time I'll know to wear a hat to cover my shaved head: