The Pecoy Notch Trail - Part 2

I was hiking the Pecoy Notch Trail in the Catskill Mountains with four of my dogs and had been gradually climbing uphill since we'd left the trail head. We encountered no other hikers except one young couple who fell absolutely in love with the Papillon puppies. The woman picked Clover up and I could tell she wanted one of these for her own. But once they'd hiked on ahead, the dogs and I were again alone in the forest:

The trail eventually brought us to a sharp drop-off. This indeed seemed interesting, so I walked over to take a closer look:

The cliff was steep and the terrain heavily forested, but it allowed a spectacular view out over the Catskill Mountains which were beginning to take on their autumn colors:

The most distant mountain ranges barely show in these photos, but they were there and I could see out over the Catskill Mountains for many miles:

This scenic overlook wasn't even listed on the trail map, so apparently the vantage points on ahead would be even more beautiful. But I was enjoying the moment - the lovely views, the autumn colors, the aromas of the wilderness. And I was keeping an eye on the puppies to keep them away from the edge of the cliff:

If the Catskills were already this colorful, I imagine the Adirondacks will be even more spectacular the next time I drive up to the farm:

On the ledge below the drop-off were piles of flat stones. These stones had been littered along the forest floor and trail since we left the trail head. But in this spot, someone had spent a lot of time building what appeared to be a foundation and square pillars:

But it was time for me to get back to hiking. So after a bit of silly play with Fergus, I resumed my journey:

I passed a spot where some predator had killed and eaten a bird, leaving only gray feathers on the flat stones of the trail. I didn't take a picture but wondered what the predator might be and what the gray bird might be. We continued onward through the Catskill forest:

Blue Cohosh was abundant and full of berries:

Seamus stopped for a breather:

But Fergus and the puppies never ran out of energy. I mostly insisted that Fergus walk at heel, but every so often I'd allow him to run ahead and play:

And at one point, I took a video of the silly puppy play which was occurring in the forest: