Five Overexcited Dogs In The Wild Forest - Part 3

The dogs and I had just hiked the Indian Rock Waterway Access trail (see also previous two posts) to the St. Regis River and the dogs were very happily enjoying the clean, clear water:

As for me, I climbed up onto a mound of earth to get a photo of the river beyond our location. People carry their canoes to this point so they can paddle into the wilderness and enjoy this spectacular scenery:

We explored the area a bit, but there wasn't much else to see so we began our return journey:

The dogs had slowed down a bit by this point, but not much:

These tiny plants were sporting whitish berries and I wondered if they were Partridgeberry or Wintergreen. I thought it was the latter, so I crushed a leaf and indeed, the aroma of Wintergreen filled my nostrils:

Seamus lagged behind and, given his age and faltering condition, I thought I'd better go back and find him. He was smelling something and seemed to have forgotten about us, so I got him back with his pack and we began walking the trail back to our car:

The little dogs were as spry and excited as ever - maybe more so:

It was a perfect day except for my constant yelling to keep the dogs close by me:

The dogs ran ahead barking at one point and, when I caught up with them, discovered they'd met a couple carrying two canoes. Luckily, they thought my friendly dogs were fun. Reindeer Lichen, Bracken Ferns and various mosses lined the sides of the trail:

We took occasional side trips to see the sights:

But mostly we stayed on the main trail:

When the parking area appeared ahead of us, I almost called the dogs to heel, but decided it didn't make much difference here:

So I let them run ahead to reach the car before me. I always marvel how they're just as excited to find the car as they were to leave it and begin their adventure:

Clear Pond - Part 2

The dogs and I were walking along the edge of the Adirondacks' Clear Pond, in the White Hill Wild Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday), and I was surprised by all the wildflowers I was seeing. At first I didn't see any Blue Flag, but Clover and Daphne found one:

Blue Flag is our native wild Iris, and it is a beauty:

Clover looked at the pond wistfully but didn't go in:

And then Daphne joined her to explore around the rocks. You can see here what a gorgeous wild pond this is:

Little Jack, who most commonly runs in continuous big circles by himself, couldn't resist joining Clover and Daphne for a bit of water fun:

And then they split up to continue exploring:

 Back in the forest again, I was surprised to find this long stemmed violet. I usually don't try to identify violet species, but I looked in my field guide when I got home and decided this was definitely Marsh Blue Violet:

The trail took us through beautiful forest scenery:

And then deeper into the dark interior, the dogs leading the way:

But our main intent was to stay near the water, so we returned to the pond every chance we got:

 I was enamored of these jewel-like patches of Partridgeberry and mosses:

Daphne and Fergus again ran down to the water for a drink and some play. We were almost back to where we'd begun, and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

A Walk In The North Field - Part 2

The dogs and I had walked across the north field to the fence line, then crossed it and began exploring (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

I noticed a steep but otherwise easy path downhill into the woods, so down we went. There was still some snow lingering down there in the shade:

But there was also some greenery which had kept its color beneath the snow all winter. This, I believe, was Christmas Fern:

Seamus, Clover and Daphne led the way:

We skirted the snow patches, headed east toward an old farm lane:

Most everything was still brown, but it made for easier walking:

And then I found another green fern. This one, I believe, was Broad Beech Fern:

More greenery - a lush clump of moss:

We returned uphill to the field and crossed back through the fence. Jack had by then wandered off but came running full speed when I called for him:

And we began returning home, with the barn and farm house ahead of us as our goal:

Happy dogs, making their way back across the field (Jack is that tiny orange thing in the upper right hand corner):

When we got to the gravel town road, the mailman was just driving by, so I stopped the dogs long enough to let him get past us. Then we crossed the road and returned home:

Redwater Brook Trail - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking the Redwater Brook Trail in Brasher State Forest (see also Part 1, posted yesterday), but were currently off the trail and exploring the woods:

I came to these colorful Turkey Tail fungi on a fallen limb:

And then we rejoined the trail. It was easy walking, except for a few icy places:

Clover and Daphne, apparently thinking they were mighty Timber Wolves, wanted to go explore off the trail, but I made sure they stayed close by and always in sight:

And I followed them a few times when it appeared they'd found something interesting:

For two little foo-foo dogs, they sure have adventurous spirits:

Clover, showing off her Timber Wolf stance atop the roots of a fallen tree:

But mostly we just walked along the trail. The last time we were here, it was autumn and the golden leaves were falling everywhere I looked. I tried to get a video of the showering leaves, but it didn't turn out good enough to use:

We left the trail again when I spotted a grove of White Cedars, a favorite tree of mine:

And there was more color on the forest floor, this time a mix of moss and lichens (and frost):

And an old stump, now supporting even more moss and lichens. I saw evidence that Red Oak was once dominant here, before the Cedars took over:

There is something magical about White Cedars, and a grove them is a wondrous place to be. But we still had more to see on the Redwater Brook Trail, and I'll post Part 3 tomorrow:

Rutland Trail East - Part 3

The dogs and I were on the Rutland Nature Trail (see also previous two posts) and were on our way back to our parked car:

These gorgeous leaves grabbed my attention and I had to take a photo. When I got home, I searched diligently for an identification, but had too little information. I couldn't even tell if the leaves had been opposite or alternate. But they did look like they might be Beaked Hazelnut, so that's what I'll call them for now:

The dogs' feet were getting muddier as we walked - and so were mine. I was also getting sand inside my leg braces but decided I could wait until I got home to remove it:

And all the while the dogs played and explored. They had used up their excess energy by now, though, and were much easier to keep close to me:

The three little dogs investigated a channel near the trail but found nothing exciting:

And then we were off again, happily making our way along the trail and past the Gray Birch saplings. You can see the joy in Seamus' gait and Fergus was so peppy that his ears were flopping:

But there are always reasons to slow down and check out the wild smells:

There was no reason to walk around mud puddles when walking right through them is so much fun:

I saw clumps of moss and tried to identify them. I think this was Common Fern Moss:

But I have no idea what this was:

On the trees were patches of Green Shield Lichen:

But our little hike was almost over and I could see our parked car up ahead. I put my camera away and concentrated on keeping the dogs from running ahead: