From The Giant Mountain Area To The Keene Valley

The dogs and I were making another trip up to the farm and had just made a rest stop at our little campsite near the Ausable River. From there we headed northwest on Route 73 through the Giant Mountain region:

Even though it had so far been an exceptionally mild winter, there was snow in them thar mountains. The dogs watched me every time I got out to take a photo:

Mountaintops loomed all along the edges of the roads:

Because I so love to hike, I often gaze at mountaintops and evaluate their potential for good hiking. This one had lots of bare rock surfaces which would provide nice scenic views:

And speaking of rocky mountain surfaces, get a load of this:

And then Route 73 began to drop us down into the Keene Valley:

This lovely little farm in the Keene Valley was one of the most picturesque:

And more mountains rose up on both sides of the valley:

It was such a clear, fine day that I stopped at Marcy Field to snap a photo:

And again at the intersection of Routes 73 and 9N. I never tire of this view:

God bless New York State for creating the Adirondack Park and protecting these wilderness lands. It is today the largest protected area in the lower 48 states, larger than Yellowstone, Everglades, Glacier and Grand Canyon National Park combined:

Starting Another Trip North To The Farm

I hadn't been up to the farm in 3 or 4 weeks and had decided not to attempt another trip during the worst of the winter's cold and snow. But as soon as I heard that the upcoming weekend would be in the 40s, I made plans to travel northward. I began on Rt. 87, the Northway, that limited access highway taking Albany folks to the Adirondacks and Quebec. After an hour and a half of driving, the scenery made it clear to me that I was in the Adirondacks:

The surrounding mountains continued to get bigger as I neared my exit:

And when I turned onto scenic Rt. 73, there directly ahead of me was Giant Mountain and Rocky Peak Ridge.I have lots of fond memories of hiking those heights:

But we'd been on the road for almost two hours and my six dogs needed a break. So I took a chance and pulled as far off the road as I dared and ushered the dogs back into our favorite little campsite along the Ausable River:

There was just a few inches of snow - no hindrance whatsoever for most of the dogs. Daphne and Fergus ran with joy, stopping momentarily to make sure I was with them:

 But the snow slowed little old Winky down considerably and Wally simply didn't want to walk through it at all:

We didn't go very far into the forest this time as I was carrying Wally and urging Winky forward. So when we got near the campsite, I stood in one place with Wally and the other dogs ran and played. Even Winky got a bit adventurous at that point:

All the dogs except Wally came trotting merrily out of the forest when I called (Winky is behind Seamus, almost blending in with the tree trunk). Wally was standing at my feet, unable to push his way through even that little snow:

I found a spot with less snow accumulation and carried Wally over to it. He too needed a bathroom break:

I gave a call and got the dogs moving back toward the car. Wally tried to come with us but in the end I had to carry him:

The big problem was Winky. He stalled and moved as slowly as possible. I think it was a matter of asserting his dignity and independence. But with much cajoling, urging and threatening, he finally made his way back to the car. Winky is a "special needs dog" with many idiosyncrasies, some of them quite frustrating. But when he's filled with joy, it's a wonder to behold:

Finally I had all six dogs back in the car and was ready to pull back on the road and begin the drive through the Adirondacks as we made our way to the farm. But I'll post more about that tomorrow: