The East Shore Of Black Pond, Headed South - Part 5

If you've been following these posts you know that my legs had become weak and I'd cut short our hike to Jenkins Mountain. We were returning to the trail head via the trail on the eastern shore of Black Pond which, I'd discovered to my chagrin, was considerably longer and hillier than that on the western shore. But that doesn't mean that I was not appreciating the gorgeous Adirondack scenery:

We were cresting a hill when off to the right I saw a huge rock jutting out into a hidden bay. The dogs ran down to investigate and I followed, though admittedly slowly:

This hidden bay or cove of Black Pond was absolutely pristine, an experience to make the heart sing even if one's legs are giving out:

The dogs, of course, trotted right down to the water's edge:

But soon we were back on the trail:

I passed by a hillside covered with Trailing Arbutus, a plant I recognized from others' nature blogs but had never seen before in real life:

I was limping painfully and slowly back toward the parking area. I passed a young woman, probably a Paul Smiths student and the only other hiker I'd seen all day. She was heading into the woods to enjoy a sandwich amid the natural beauty. I managed to straighten up and walk almost normally until we'd passed by her, and then limped the rest of the way back to the sign out book:

I loaded the happy dogs back into the car and then got in myself. Sitting down on a padded car seat never felt so good!:

Directly across from the parking are was this sign for the St. Regis Presbyterian Church:

I drove off the road to find the church and saw this magical building, looking like something in a fairy tale. But I couldn't imagine where their membership came from unless, perhaps, from Paul Smiths College. But my legs were far too sore and weak to get out and take a closer look. I photographed it from my car and then began the journey home. Winky and Wally were waiting for us back at the farm apartment: