Finding Duck Pond - Part 3

The dogs and I were walking atop the esker which framed one side of Duck Pond and enjoying the beauty on Easter Sunday morning:

The slope descending to the water's edge was quite steep and I would ordinarily have trotted right down there for a closer look. But my legs were still feeling weak and I decided to just enjoy the view from above:

I sat down and relaxed, watching the dogs explore. That's when I snapped this photo of Clover, intrepid adventurer and noble explorer of the north woods:

The two Papillons began going down to the pond but then stopped when they realized I was staying right were I was:

In fact, I was so happy there that I lay down and looked up through the still bare tree branches to the marbled sky:

Seamus and Fergus sat together watching me, thinking Poodle thoughts:

But it was soon time to go and we all began walking up to the ridge line on the esker to make our way back to the car. Azure Mountain was clearly visible from there:

I could see down into the St. Regis River flood plain and, at one point, could even see a bit of my bright red car parked at the trail head:

We made our way back down to the trail and through another area of dead trees. Again I wondered what had killed them:

I saw some of these signs telling me that I was on New York State land, not private land. I always welcome these signs as I know I am not trespassing. Sometimes it's not clear whose land I'm on. Some private land is OK to hike and some is not:

We made it back to the car in good shape. So far that morning we'd hiked the St. Regis River Canoe Carry, the Trail toward Madawaska Pond and the trail to Duck Pond without seeing another human or vehicle. This was blessedly wild country: