Old Keenan Road, Brasher State Forest, Part 2

I'd gotten my car mired in a deep mud hole on the logging road called Old Keenan Road on the state map (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). I'd already contacted AAA and kept walking back toward the camping and picnic area even though I knew no one was there:

We kept walking, and by this time the dogs had also begun to slow down:

There is one small private property along the road, but no one was home:

We finally arrived at the camping area, and I still had enough energy to call the dogs into the forest to explore the stream from the overflow of the CCC reservoir:

It was cool and beautiful back there, with a new beaver dam under construction:

White Pines dominate this forest and much of the walking was free from brush:

We continued on along the stream, headed for the picnic area and reservoir:

When we got to a place with easy water access, Daphne went in to cool herself off:

Then Fergus and Clover joined her:

I had walked for several miles with my painful ankles and new leg braces, all the way to the camping area because the guy at AAA said that's where I'd meet the tow truck. But when I talked on the phone to the local operator, I explained that I was old, crippled and with five muddy dogs, so he might prefer me to head back to my car. He agreed, so I started walking again, this time back to where my car was stuck:


The tow truck arrived at my mired car before I did, but not by much, and my car was out of the mud by the time I got there. I made it a point to turn around on that narrow dirt road so I wouldn't have to back through any more mud holes. That, after all, is how I got stuck in the first place. But I had been rescued and was on my way back to civilization and decent roads:

Old Keenan Road, Brasher State Forest, Part 1

I took the dogs to nearby Brasher State Forest, the place we go so often, but this time followed the state map to get to a hiking trail we'd never tried before. I turned onto what the state map said was a road. Alas, it had deep ruts and mud holes which I was able to avoid until I came to where the entire road was covered with water. There didn't look to be enough room to turn around safely, so I backed up - but wound up stuck permanently in a deep mud puddle.

The dogs and I were able to get out on the passenger's side, avoiding the two feet of muddy water on the other side. Then we started walking. As you can see, the dogs thought it was just a happy, fun hike:

I tried repeatedly to call AAA but without success. They put me on eternal hold, promised to return the call but only left a voice mail (which I was able to return only by calling the main "emergency" number and going through the whole process again). We kept walking:

It was a happy walk in the woods for the dogs and I enjoyed the scenery:

I took my time because of my lameness and new, uncomfortable leg braces. The dogs wanted to run, and I had to keep calling them back:

But at least the "road" was level and made of soft sand:

I stopped to check on local wildflowers, including this Yellow Loosestrife:

And there was deep forest on both sides of the "road:"

Logging operations had obliterated any intersections with hiking trails, but they'd finished logging and moved elsewhere, so there was no one to assist me:

So we kept walking, and I kept trying to reach AAA:


I finally called the Albany area office where I originally got my AAA membership. They were helpful, and a local tow service owner said he'd come out and check to see if he could pull me out of the mire. He was not happy to be called to what he called "a trail, not a road," but he said he'd come take a look. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow:

Fort Jackson State Forest - Part 1

Our weather was hot and we hadn't been out for an adventure in some time, so I put the dogs in the car and headed to the nearby Fort Jackson State Forest. It was only 4.3 miles from our door, and about 2 miles of that was a tiny dirt lane such as this. I parked and let the pooches out to run - and run they did:

The Wood Thrushes and Ovenbirds were singing beautifully and I didn't want to disturb the peaceful beauty by hollering at the dogs, but soon I was forced to start yelling "Stop!" and "Get Back Here!" Sometimes, though, they stopped on their own to smell something fascinating:

I had parked where I did because I knew the lane became impassable for a car just up a bit farther. Indeed, we quickly arrived at a mud hole. Daphne celebrated by going in up to her chin:

We were taking the same route my sister and I walked last autumn. It was so peaceful and beautiful that I'd been looking forward to walking it again. I'd been hoping to wait until bug season was past, and indeed it was. I never got a single bite of any kind:

We came to the stone foundation of a former cabin, and turned off the trail to investigate:

The old stone well, barely ten feet from the foundation, was still there but the stones had caved in somewhat, making it safer than it must have been when it was a well:

And near the well was this tiny toad, barely bigger than my fingernail:

Then we headed off along the trail once again. The dogs had already slowed down. Like me, they're not as young as they used to be. Also, it was hot:

Then we turned left down a gradual slope which I knew would take us to the banks of the St. Regis River:

The trail down to the river was also one of the nicer walks in the state forest:

Soon we could hear the roaring river up ahead, and the dogs knew what it was. They began picking up their speed. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: