Exploring Slush Pond - Part 2

The dogs and I were exploring the floating peat bog and Slush Pond (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

There were lots of Pitcher Plants, some of them ruby red. Some of the sphagnum moss, as you can see, was similarly red:

Seamus explored the water's edge:

And Daphne checked out every sight and every smell:

This tiny pink wildflower was new to me, though I could tell it was a Laurel. It turned out to be Pale Laurel, Kalmia polifolia, in the same genus as the more familiar Mountain Laurel and Sheep Laurel:

Daphne and Clover got a little too close to the water for my comfort, but neither one fell in this time:

There were also these tiny pink bell shaped flowers, growing on plants whose leaves reminded me of Rosemary. Indeed, they were called Bog Rosemary, Andromeda polifolia. It resembles the herb, Rosemary, but is not related. You can also see both red and yellow sphagnum in this photo:

While I looked closely at tiny plants, the dogs were bounding across the bog and giving everything the sniff test:

This is a close-up of the very tiny Cranberry plant. It was much too early in the year for berries, but maybe we'll return in the autumn to find some:

But the mosquitoes were biting me and it was time to head back to the car:

I took a slightly different route, just for the fun of it, and that suited Seamus just fine:

We all piled back into the car and I squashed as many mosquitoes as I could before we began our return home. Jack, Daphne and Clover settled down on the seat next to me for the drive:

Heading Back, White Hill Wild Forest Part 4

The dogs and I explored the swamp as best we could given the few rocks on which to stand. I decided that this was not Rock Pond because it was on the wrong side of the trail and - well, I didn't think we were on the right trail anyway. But if you notice the small stump in front of Daphne and Seamus, you'll see that it was the work of a beaver. So this was a beaver swamp:

But this was as far as I was willing to go. The deer flies and mosquitoes were ravenous and the air was hot and sticky. We began retracing our steps through the forest:

Although we took the same trail, I noticed many things I'd missed the first time. This mushroom, for instance:

Fergus's muddy feet stayed with him the entire way back. Daphne also had muddy feet, but hers pretty much dried up and fell off. That's why they call Papillons a "wash and wear" coated breed, I guess:

A creamy white, upturned mushroom surrounded by Shining Clubmoss:

And a white-bread, puffy mushroom looking shyly from behind a fern frond:

This was glorious country in spite of the heat, humidity, mosquitoes and deer flies. I managed to focus my mind on its wild beauty, at least in between my slapping at the bug bites:

We again crossed the wooden bridge which I supposed was built for snowmobilers. The air down around the creek was cooler and more pleasant, but that was only temporary:

We passed more gray flannel mushrooms:

And continued on through the White Hill Wild Forest. Notice Seamus' new, improved svelte figure. He hasn't looked so thin since he was a youngster:

And another gray mushroom, this one with what looked like it'd had a baby. The variety of mushrooms added immensely to my enjoyment of the hike. But we were by this time nearing the beginning of the trail and Clear Pond. I'll post more 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:

Mushrooms Galore! White Hill Wild Forest Part 2

I was on my second hike in the White Hill Wild Forest with my four younger dogs and this time we were taking a new trail. It wasn't as scenic as the the trail we took the first time - except, that is, for the huge variety of mushrooms. They were everywhere and in an array of shapes and colors. This one looked to me like something left behind by space aliens:

And onward we hiked through the forest. I was looking for Rock Pond (not Little Rock Pond which was on a different trail - wouldn't you think they could be more creative when naming ponds?) but truly suspected we were on the wrong trail and wouldn't find it. Well, there was nothing to be done at that point but to keep hiking and see what we would find:

The most common mushroom was a kind of ghoulish, cadaverous gray variety, many of which retained bits of the leaf litter through which they'd pushed their way up as they grew. I noted their eerie, ubiquitous presence just as a cool wind began to blow through the trees. Was this a haunted forest?:

Another mushroom, a toasted brown with upturned edges:

We came to a wooden bridge, charming in its way but perhaps a bit extravagant and out of place for a "Wild Forest:"

More mushrooms, some a rich mahogany:

And some a kind of peachy, buttery yellow - or perhaps I should describe it as butterscotch:

The trail was broad and level and easy to walk but felt so neglected and isolated as to be a bit eerie. But it was well marked, so we kept hiking:

And the forest was lovely. The cool breeze ended and the weather became hot and sticky. Mosquitoes and deer flies began to bite me and I spent much time swatting at them:

This odd plant was common. I'd seen it before but didn't know what it was. It was perhaps 6" tall and looked like a giant moss. I've since Googled it and think it was Shining Clubmoss, Lycopodium lucidulum, a relative of the Princess Pines which also grew there in abundance:

In spite of the mosquitoes, deer flies, humidity and hot temperatures, we were on a hike and I was going to make the best of it. We kept hiking onward. I'll post more tomorrow:

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: