Chapter Two, Panther Mountain (The Summit!)

We had reached the summit of Panther Mountain and it was glorious!

The trees were beginning to turn red but there was still plenty of green leaves and white birch trunks to add variety and depth, enlivening the landscape. And then there was the scenic overlook:

I thought there might be another summit and tried following what looked to be another trail. But it quickly ended in the forest and we returned to the summit:

My four dogs sniffed everything and were very happy. On the trail up the mountain I'd met a man and his dog coming down who'd said my dogs would find a treat when they got there. I guessed that to mean he'd left behind some dog treats but as far as I could tell, there were none. Or did my dogs find them and gobble them up so fast I didn't even notice? Perhaps he meant the wonderful scenery would be a treat. If so, he was right:

I lay back in the grass to enjoy some peace and serenity but was immediately besieged by dogs:

I was given the full kissy-face treatment by all four of them:

Help! Help! I'm being licked to death!:

With that bit of silliness over, I returned to the edge to again enjoy the view:

We walked around the perimeter of the summit and did a bit of exploring:

Little Daphne, Mountain Dog Extraordinaire:

Clover and Fergus, Faithful Companions:

But it was soon time to go and I had another hike or two in mind for that day. I'd forgotten where exactly the trail was and had to walk along the edge of the forest to find it. But first I wanted to return to the overlook. I'll post more tomorrow: