Chapter 2 - Discovering Floodwood Mountain

We were hiking up Floodwood Mountain and I was discovering what an old codger I've become. This was billed as one of the easiest hikes available yet I was feeling tired as I slogged ever upward. But of course the best cure for weakness is exercise and the surroundings were so lovely that I was enchanted by my surroundings. And the dogs were happy, running ahead and then back to check on me:

With all their excess energy, Clover, Fergus and Daphne made many side trips up onto the ferny hills and rocks to explore. Seamus mostly stayed on the trail with me:

And then we climbed a final rock and emerged out onto a ledge with a stunning view of the surrounding Adirondack forests:

The dogs looked out also, apparently enjoying the views as much as I did:

There were trees already turning red and that enhanced the visual splendor:

I could see numerous mountains and ponds in the distance though I  couldn't tell you their names. I just enjoyed the beauty:

Fergus and Clover continued their rock climbing:

For all it's loveliness, I confess that I had a momentary feeling of "Is that all there is?" But then I saw this sign directing me to a second summit. Someone had scratched on the sign the words, "Much Better" so I followed the trail to go look for myself:

And indeed it was much better, even breathtaking:

Clover walked out on a ledge overlooking what I believed was Tupper Lake:

And then Daphne and Fergus joined her:

There were other trails around the summit so we explored them a bit. But I was looking forward to a bit of rest and relaxation in that beautiful spot. I'll post about that tomorrow: