Finding Duck Pond - Part 2

There was no easy route down the hill to Duck Pond so the dogs and I explored around the edges of the trail:

And then, thinking the trail might lead around the pond to an access point, we continued on until it became apparent that we were moving farther from Duck Pond into the forest. I turned back toward the pond:

And, since there seemed to be no trail down to the pond, we found our own route. Clover, ever the little adventurer, led the way:

When we arrived at the water's edge all the dogs had themselves a cool drink and Seamus got his feet wet:

The pond itself was wild and lovely, with the esker on its west side clearly discernible:

This was a peaceful and serene location with no other humans for many miles in any direction. This was wild country and I liked it very much:

The forest floor was home to many Princess Pines, AKA Ground Pines, a species of Club Moss:

And then we began hiking back toward the car. That's Azure Mountain directly ahead of us. It's easy to identify because it's the only peak in the area which is, of course, why they built a fire tower on its summit. You can see in all directions from up there:

But instead of hoofing it back to the car I decided to climb up onto the western esker and see Duck Pond from above:

This provided a magnificent view of Duck Pond on one side and the St. Regis River flood plain on the other:

The dogs were having a grand time and Fergus posed for a picture. We were exploring a place of great beauty. I'll post more about it tomorrow: