Catherineville State Forest, Santamont Trail - Part 1

Our winter took a break, with temperatures rising to 40 degrees (F). The snow was all melted at the farm, so I took the dogs to Catherineville State Forest, about 8 miles away, where there was still plenty of snow. We began walking the trail, following a Coyote's footprints. The dogs were not concerned, so neither was I:

They began with their usual exuberance, though I am happy to report that they stayed a bit closer than usual and required less hollering on my part. Fergus' ears were flopping as he bounded along the trail:

Jack was just getting over a bad cough, but that didn't slow him down, especially when it was time for him to do his traditional rolling for joy in the snow:

The dogs investigated everything, covering much more ground than I did:

With five dogs going in five directions, I had all I could do to keep track of them all - and that's why I want them to stay so close to me:

Fergus wondered if that tiny tree was worth peeing on:

Seamus led the way for awhile and his little buddy, Jack, ran joyously behind. If you click to enlarge this photo, you can see that Jack's feet were not even touching the ground when I snapped this photo:

There were some interesting smells for the dogs and beautiful sights for me:

And every so often, the dogs collected in one spot with much enthusiasm. We saw no wildlife, though, not even a mouse:

The forest was mostly Red Pines and Balsam Fir, with an understory of golden leafed Beech trees:

The dogs took occasional side trips off the trail, but I stayed where the snow was worn down:

They ran and played, while I concentrated on not slipping - and on keeping track of the five of them. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

One Day After Our Snow Melt - Part 2

I was driving along the gravel road near my house to see the wintry beauty of new fallen snow (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). These tall Red Pines held the snow on towering heights:

Down lower, the bushes and saplings created a pearly lacework:

The small tree in the center of the photo was bowing gracefully:

A Cedar added a bit of green to the otherwise black and white tableau:

And the coppery leaves of a Beech added color in other places:

This was all private property, but some places sure looked inviting, seeming to say "Come walk around and explore:"

Red Pines and Beech trees:

A luminous filigree, created by snow covered branches:

Pines and hardwoods:

Beech trees and an old barbed wire fence:

White Pines have long, soft, flexible needles - five per bundle, and drape themselves artistically under a heavy, wet snow:

I turned onto another road to make my way home and began following a former field, now grown up into woodlands, as I continued to admire the wintry beauty. I put my camera away, however, for I had work to do at home:

One Day After Our Snow Melt - Part 1

If you saw yesterday's post, you know that our snow had almost all melted. The very next morning, I woke up to a winter wonderland - and the snow kept falling:

I took a drive down the (unplowed) gravel road alongside my pasture fence to see the wintry beauty. White Birch were plentiful. That's my pasture on the other side of the trees:

The scenery became mostly forest as I continued on past my property line:

A small, unused field was backed up with woods which looked as if they'd been dusted with powdered sugar:

A neighbor had cleared out around some old apple trees and pruned them:

Much of the tall Red Pines along the road have been cut, but some remain, and they are beauties:

A Beech tree had grown up outside the old fence which shows that there was once a pasture here:

It's hard to tell from the photo, but I think I remember that this was an Eastern White Cedar, a common tree in these parts:

An old stone wall, gradually being swallowed up in tree growth. I once live-trapped a mouse and released it here, hoping it found a good place to live:

The snowy tracery of small brush:

A White Pine had sprung up amid the hardwoods and Red Pines:

A golden leafed Beech behind an arabesque of snowy branches. But there was still more wintry beauty to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

County Reforestation Land, Sheldon Road, Fort Jackson NY

Normally I take a few scenery photos while hiking with the dogs, but then weed them out while editing photos. But I took so many of them while hiking with the dogs in the Fort Jackson State Forest (see previous two posts) that I decided to present them as a separate post. I began with these Pileated Woodpecker holes in a White Pine:

Technically, we were walking along County Reforestation land, though I think of it as Fort Jackson State Forest because this is the road which leads us there:

The forest was a mixture of Red Pine, White Pine, Red Maple, Sugar Maple, Beech and Aspen. I'm sure there were lots of other trees also, but these were the main forest denizens:

There was a snowy ridge along the road to our right (on private land), which I decided must be an old stone wall. I'll try to remember to look the next time we're there when there's no snow:

A forest troll:

The road took us through both tall timber and scrubby woods:

When we came to an old logging header, I snapped a picture and turned back toward our parked car:

It was obvious that this section had been logged, but how long ago I could not tell. I also didn't know if it was logged before or after being designated as County Reforestation land. I would think that "reforestation" means no more logging, but I realize "it ain't necessarily so:"

Beech trees and White Pines:

We would have ventured off into the forest if hadn't been for the snow. Maybe we'll do so this summer:

I am always inclined to wander off into the trees, just to see what mystery and beauty lies therein, but the time I got lost in the forest a few years ago has made me much more cautious. I am, after all, a crippled old codger:

More forest beauty:

We were soon back at our car and this excursion came to an end. I hope that you enjoyed the wintry loveliness along the way:

Happy Dogs In Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were taking a short winter hike on Sheldon/Barret Road in the Fort Jackson State Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

While only an unplowed, single lane, dirt road, it had a few road signs. The dogs ignored everything but exciting smells. They loved to find odoriferous surprises:

The pooches had been running ahead, but after awhile they slowed down:

The scenery was pleasant, mostly Red Pines and White Pines, with small Beech trees still holding onto their coppery leaves:

Fergus is quite the sprinter, and his ears flop as he runs:

And after each running session, the dogs would quiet down for a minute or two and investigate their surroundings:

Even old Seamus got playful:

But we didn't go far, and were soon retracing our steps, heading for our parked car:

The woods were so lovely that I kept taking scenery photos. I'll post them tomorrow:

Happy dogs:

I used to walk this trail/road all the time, but have since found so many new places to go with the dogs that it had been a long time since we'd been here. It's less than five miles from home, so we should go here more often:


I couldn't see our car because it was behind giant snowbanks, but I sensed it was just up ahead:

Indeed, the darker road up ahead was where the plowed road had ended and I parked the car. We were almost there. It had been a short but enjoyable hike, a pleasure to be outdoors with the happy dogs: