Wonderful Debar Pond - Part 2

A friend and I were walking a trail along the shore of the Adirondacks' Debar Pond (see also Part 1, posted yesterday), and arrived at a small stream. The dogs thought it was great fun but we humans decided to turn back toward the easier walking and the buildings:


We all walked back to the lodge and peeked in the windows. It must surely have been a luxurious mansion in its day:

The group of people and their dogs were all gone by the time we arrived, so we ambled over to the water's edge and enjoyed the scenery and serenity. A cluster of pink Joe-Pye-Weed stood on the shore:

And then a Red Admiral butterfly began flitting from flower head to flower head and a bee joined it, making a lovely scene:

And this shoreline was much easier for the dogs to swim in. Seamus was able to walk easily out and not have any trouble with his back legs. Daphne and Clover went in, but stayed closer to shore:

I gave them all a call they waded back in to join us:

My friend and I enjoyed the dogs' company as we surveyed the scenery:

The dogs walked over to the old boathouse and then went back into the water. Seamus disappeared and we called loudly for him until we found him:

Seamus, of course, loves the water and couldn't stay out of it. Even Jack went swimming

We began walking again, passing by the old caretaker's residence:

And out onto the lawn, which is still kept mowed, beneath the towering White Pines:

We made a happy caravan as we proceeded onto the dirt lane which would return us to our parked car:

My happy dogs continued to sniff and search everywhere along the way. We stopped for lunch at a small general store where we could eat at a picnic table with the dogs. It had been a good day:

The Drive Home - Part 1

Our walk along Clear Pond had yielded almost no wildflowers except for Painted Trilliums, but I'd seen other species in bloom along the road in to the trail head, so kept my eyes open as we traveled back out. The first flower I saw was another Painted Trillium:

And another. They were certainly do well this year:

And someone had engineered many stone cairns all along the one lane, dirt access road:

And then I saw a large Red Trillium:

Unfurling ferns at the base of a large, old Black Cherry tree:

And Hobblebush, a wild Viburnum. We hadn't seen any by the lake which were in bloom as apparently I was too late, but deep in the forest I found a few still blooming:

A wondrous creek, making its way through the forest:

The Trout Lilies were up but not in bloom. They are long past in most parts of the country. We are always later, being a northern location, but this year we were even later than usual:

Two more tall Red Trilliums:

Every time I'd get out of the car to photograph wildflowers, the dogs would watch me anxiously. They'd rather jump out and "help," but I wouldn't let them. But there was yet more to see, and I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Trout Lake State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I had hiked to a picnic area on Trout Lake and were on our way back to the trail head when I saw another water access and led the dogs downhill to get there (see Part 1, posted yesterday):

They were more than happy to get their feet wet again:

It was cool down there by the water:

But it was time to get back on the trail and continue heading toward our car. I stopped to photograph these tiny, orange mushrooms:

We walked back uphill to continue on the trail, but I couldn't find it. I stayed calm and searched the area, learning that we were on a peninsula (so I couldn't get too lost). I circled and explored, looking for the trail and was just beginning to worry when we heard splashing and playing up ahead. I figured it was a family who'd landed their boat at the picnic spot, so we headed toward the sound. When we arrived, Seamus had already been out in the water, making friends with the family:


Daphne had yelped just before we got there and began limping. When we arrived, she too swam out to greet the family:

Daphne was still limping, so I examined the pads of her foot - but saw nothing. Then we began to worry that she might have broken a bone. The father of the family, an animal lover, checked her also. I examined her one more time, and this time found a short porcupine quill stuck in her foot, above the pads. I held her while the father yanked it out. All was well again and we could resume our hike back to the car. I said good bye and thanked the family:

It was easy to find the trail this time, and I promised myself I'd stay on it. We were on our way home:

But then we came to a fork in the trail...................................Sorry, I really did find the fork and couldn't resist the corny joke. I picked up the fork and brought it back as trash:

More tiny, orange and scarlet mushrooms:

This was comfortable, easy walking, though both Seamus and I were tired. It was a pleasant walk:

The dogs got yet another cool drink from a mountain stream and we continued on our way back to our parked car. I was tired, so quit taking photos. I figured I already had more than enough anyway:

A Surprise Thaw And A Hike To Moose Pond - Part 1

We had lots of snow and cold, followed by a warmer day with rain. Then it turned even warmer, an amazing 67 degrees. Well, I figured I needed to take the dogs on a pleasant hike and I already had a new one in mind to explore - Moose Pond, in the town of Bloomingdale. We parked at the trail head and crossed the Saranac River on a footbridge:

Entering the forest, the dogs began to run gleefully:

And I enjoyed the miniature "forests" of Princess Pines (AKA Tree Club Moss) and the smell of Balsams:

The trail was smooth and easy walking:

We only saw one other hiker, and that was at the beginning of our walk. A man with a rifle was just coming out of the forest to get into his car and go home. The rest of the time, we had the entire forest to ourselves:

This trail, I had read, was once a dirt road which led to Moose Pond. It was still in fine shape and no trail markers were needed (which was a good thing, because there weren't any):

I set Clover up on this old log for a photo, but she couldn't hold still very long:

The dogs drank from clear mountain streams:

And the air in many places smelled strongly of Balsams. That wonderful aroma seemed to me to be as sweet as candy. And because it was intermittent, it always came as a wonderful surprise:

These rocky ledges rose up on the left and continued on for a considerable distance. I knew we were getting close to Moose Pond, but I'll post about that tomorrow: