Redwater Brook Trail - Part 1

We were surprised with another day above freezing. I couldn't stay indoors brooding all day, so I took the dogs back to the trail we'd discovered in the autumn. It began with this bridge, spanning Redwater Brook. There may not have been much snow, but the ice was treacherous in places:

I stood on the bridge and looked out over wild, beautiful Redwater Brook, which inspired me to give the trail its name:


There were still patches of green, like this fern, which I believe was a Christmas Fern:

 And this fern, which I believe was a Hay-Scented Fern:

The dogs joyfully explored a side trail, but we didn't go far:

We did, however, leave the trail and enter the forest to do a bit of exploring. I was always careful to keep the trail in sight:

It was clear that deer frequented the forest:

We came to a grove of magnificent White Pines:


And the dogs seemed dwarfed as they raced between the big trees:

Seamus has trouble stepping over fallen trees, so he was hesitant. But when we kept going on without him, he hurried to catch up with us:

We passed by a number of blow-downs such as this one with its roots exposed, still clinging to the soil and rocks which once anchored it. I wouldn't want to be in the forest during a storm wild enough to take down tall trees:

I had intended to continue on, following the trail but not on it - until we came to this ravine, with a creek and lots of brush. That's when I decided the trail was looking mighty good again and we headed for it. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

A New Favorite Hike - The Santa Clara Waterfalls - Part 3

The dogs and I had just hiked to a waterfall on the St. Regis River and then hiked up the river to a spot upstream (see also Parts 1 and 2, posted previously):

The agile little dogs explored the rocks while Seamus and I watched them:

And all of us had great fun. I don't know if the dogs appreciate the scenic beauty, but they sure enjoy the smells of nature and drinking pure, clean water:

The trail seemed to end, or at least become too difficult for me to manage the thick brush, so we turned back the way we'd come, heading once again for the base of the falls:

We climbed down the rocks we'd just climbed up as we returned along the trail to where we'd begun:

When we got to the base of the falls again, we continued on along a trail by the river which took us downstream. There were lots of nice views, though not as dramatic as at the falls:

The river downstream was quieter and calmer, a welcome bit of peaceful, easy walking:

Peaceful, that is, until we came to these fallen tree trunks:

The trunks were no problem for me and the small dogs, but Seamus has never been able to get over them - not even when he was young:

So the small dogs and I crossed the fallen trees and walked down to the quiet water of the St. Regis River:

We didn't go far, as the trail seemed to end there anyway, and Seamus was waiting patiently for us when we returned to the fallen trees:

Then we returned to the main trail and began our journey back to our parked car. By this time the dogs had used up much of their excess energy and were much less rambunctious:

In fact, it was a quiet and peaceful walk through the forest. Once in the car, I discovered another trail, so I parked and we walked it to the river. Alas, it wasn't worth the effort. I did however, see one more very large trail which we will explore some day soon. Furthermore, I found another waterfall online, which is just a few miles upstream from the one we'd just visited. There is much more adventure to come. Stay tuned: