The Trail Toward Madawaska Pond, Part 1

It was Easter Sunday morning and I was hiking trails off of Blue Mountain Road with my four youngest dogs. We'd just finished the scenic Canoe Carry to the St. Regis River and I'd intended to hike up St. Regis Mountain next but was experiencing weakness in my legs. So I pulled off the road and we began to walk down the trail toward Madawaska Pond. This was billed as relatively short, level and scenic so I figured my legs would see me there and back:

We walked through a Boreal Forest of wild beauty and small creeks with mossy banks passing beneath fragrant Balsams. It was gorgeous:

The trail was level, broad and just the ticket for an old codger with weak legs. The dogs bounced happily along, apparently thinking this was just about the finest adventure ever. But of course they think that about everything we do:

And what was that up ahead? Could that be ice even after all the hot weather we'd had?:

Indeed it was ice, and the dogs seemed to enjoy walking on it:

The soil was incredibly sandy and we came to several spots which were open and almost like an ocean shoreline:

The sandy trail wound peacefully through the Spruce and Balsam forest:

My only concern was the numerous dog-like scat along the trail. I guessed it to be from Coyotes and, though I didn't suppose they were a danger to us, I had to bear in mind that I had two tiny and delicate Papillons with me. But of more immediate concern was that the dogs began trying to eat the poop. I caught Clover looking like she was smoking a cigar and then realized she was eating Coyote poop. This was not acceptable for many reasons and I had to interrupt our otherwise idyllic walk with several sessions of loud bursts of "No, No, No, No, No! Drop That!":

But aside from the above mentioned poop problem, the walk was serene and lovely. I stopped beneath the Spruces and Pines to photograph these British Soldier Lichens:

The trail was marked occasionally with yellow rocks although I couldn't imagine how anyone could get lost or confused. The trail was a broad, sandy road through an almost impenetrable forest:

And we walked on through the quiet forest, enjoying the beauty and the wonderful aromas. There was little sound save for the wind through the trees and an occasional Blue Jay or Warbler (unknown species):

The sandy trail was great for seeing who had been there before us. Clearly there had been a lot of very large Turkeys walking the trail recently. I'll post more tomorrow:

The Hike To Duck Pond, Part 4

I'd given up on finding Duck Pond but was unsure what I'd done wrong. Well, the best thing was to enjoy the hike and scenery at hand as the dogs and I returned to the trail head. When I again passed the beaver pond, I decided I had plenty of time for a closer look. It was clear that beavers were still active there:

So I threaded my way downhill through the trees and the brush toward the beaver pond. I think I was following a beaver trail, not a deer path, for it was clear only up to about two feet and then the tree branches were undamaged and fully obstructing my passage:

Seamus jumped right into the water the moment we arrived but pushing through the tree branches delayed me and he was back out of the water by the time I arrived. I was too late to take any pictures of his swim:

And to quote Robert Frost, "The woods were lovely, dark and deep:"

Fergus was interested in the water, but would only get his paws wet and take a drink:

And again I encountered a pile of Norway Spruce cones. Did they fall here in a mass because one productive tree was just above? Or did some enterprising animal collect them here? I don't know the answer:

And more scat (it was everywhere!), this time showing signs of a more varied diet. Again, I suspected it was from coyotes:

Daphne and Fergus along the trail. I don't know why this totally imperfect picture strikes me as being so wonderful except that perhaps it's because both dogs look so much as I know and love them:

The Tamaracks provided just about the only bursts of color in the forest and I was happy to see them. Though the primary forest was Spruce, I also saw a lot young Balsam Firs getting started along the roadside. I've always thought of Balsam Firs as a deep woods species, but they apparently are a pioneer species and like to populate open spaces where they can get a bit of sunlight.

We were almost back to the trail head. But I'll post more tomorrow:

The Hike To Duck Pond, Part 3

The dogs and I had come a long way on our November Adirondack hike to Duck Pond, though we still hadn't seen it or any side trails which might have led to it. I was beginning to wonder if I'd made some mistake. Heaven knows it wouldn't be the first time! But the dogs were happy and so was I. Clover came running when I gave her a call, seeming almost airborne in her speed. This kind of speed and agility is why Papillons so often win obstacle course agility competitions:

On and on we hiked, though no Duck Pond appeared:

A handsome pair of small Adirondack mountains watched us from beyond the trees:

The skies clouded over but no rain was predicted so I didn't worry. We just enjoyed our excursion:

And the scat was everywhere, some old and some new, apparently from one species. This looked rather dog-like (heaven knows I've seen plenty of that!) but there were far too many to be from dogs. Coyotes perhaps? They have certainly become common and might be inclined to use the road:

But mostly the pooches and I just walked. I enjoyed the scenery and silence. The dogs enjoyed the smells:

The leaf littered hills were full of bright green ferns, apparently a different species from those along Quebec Brook which had turned brown more than a month earlier:

Eventually it became clear to me that there was no Duck Pond along this trail and we turned back toward the trail head:

More carnivore scat filled with hair. My best guess was coyotes, but I am open to suggestions:

These Spruce cones littered the ground in many places and I have since concluded that they were from Norway Spruce, an introduced species which I have read has become common in many Adirondack forests. Again, I am open to correction:

The Hike To Duck Pond, Part 2

The four younger dogs and I had just begun a November hike to Duck Pond and were traversing an old dirt road through the Adirondack forest. It was a lovely experience:

With almost all the leaves off the deciduous trees, my attention naturally turned toward other natural wonders such as this diverse collection of lichens and mosses. The only one I knew the name of was the wonderfully named Pixie Cups. I don't need to explain which one is the Pixie Cup, do I?:

And then we arrived at a wash-out perhaps eight feet deep through which a small stream passed. Clearly no vehicles could pass beyond that even if the gate was opened. But we simply walked down and back up to continue our hike on the other side:

The downstream side of the small brook which had apparently caused the washout:

And the upstream side where it burbled its way down from higher elevations:

I took this picture to remind me to tell you about the grouses which were abundant and allowed us to walk right up to them or, in many cases, past them before they flew off in a huff. I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say that for one stretch of the trail, a grouse appeared every ten feet or so. The grouse in this picture is visible only as an oblong blob toward the top of the trees on the left. In real life, it seemed rather close and plainly visible:

We passed a beaver pond on the right down through the trees. I wondered briefly is this might be Duck Pond, but since no trail led to it I decided it was not:

Natural beauty was everywhere. This old log carpeted with emerald moss rivaled anything in any art gallery:

And minor Adirondack mountains were visible here and there through the trees:

The dogs kept stopping and getting fixated on smells along the trail. It turned out to be poop and was so common that I began to investigate them myself. This old one was full of hair and clearly from a carnivore. I began to wonder what animal frequented that trail, but I'll say more about that in upcoming posts:

Another natural work of art, a moss covered boulder. I was truly enjoying this hike: