Jenkins Mountain Trail, Part 4

I'd decided that my weakening legs would not carry me to the top of Jenkins Mountain and had turned back toward the trail head. The views were still lovely and I was noticing things I hadn't seen before such as this vernal pond. This was April 30 and their were still no leaves on the deciduous trees in spite of our mild winter and early spring:

The dogs, of course, didn't care one whit about having to turn back early. It was all a wonderful, happy excursion for them in a beautiful setting:

We continued back past the supplemental dam which the beavers had built:

And Seamus waded in for a bit of cooling refreshment:

We again passed that rocky topped peak which I'd formerly thought was Jenkins Mountain and past the largest of the beaver ponds:

Sadly, my legs were feeling weaker by the moment and I no longer regretted having turned back. In fact, I began to wish I'd done so earlier. Daphne and Fergus kept their eyes on me as I began to slow down:

The trail broadened noticeably as we neared the intersection with the Black Pond/Long Pond trail:

Huh? I could only assume that some jokester had made a funny. Probably a Paul Smith's College student:

We were almost to the trail intersection and I was beginning to worry about my legs seeing me all the way back to the car. But the trail was broad, smooth and level so it was a simple matter to keep putting one foot in front of the other as I followed the dogs:

And it was a pleasant woodland, just beginning its spring burst of growth. I'll post more tomorrow:

Jenkins Mountain Trail, Part 3

The dogs and I had hiked the trail alongside Black Pond and Long Pond, then continued on when we intersected the Jenkins Mountain Trail. My formerly weak legs had been feeling fine until the trail turned steeper and then they began to tire rapidly. I was well past that rocky crag I'd thought was Jenkins Mountain and decided that new mountain just visible through the trees must be our destination:

My legs continued weakening noticeably, and I lay down in the leaves to rest while I enjoyed the views. I immediately noticed that my reclining was presenting me with a new, wonderful look at the local flora like these Trout Lilies:

And my own dogs were thrilled to have me down at their level. Daphne came leaping over a small log, headed directly for my head:

I was resting on a rather steep incline and the dogs kept a watch nearby:

Fergus and Seamus were happy to relax with me:

But Clover and Daphne, AKA "The Silly Sisters," continued their high energy woodland exploration:

I stood up to continue hiking but immediately realized my legs would not go any farther. I reluctantly began returning toward the trail head. The consolation for my disappointment was seeing so many beautiful things I'd missed the first time along the trail. These Spring Beauties, for example:

The dogs stopped at the base of an uprooted tree to sniff:

And that, I presumed, was Jenkins Mountain. I felt sad that I wouldn't get to see the view from its peak, but will surely have other opportunities in years to come:

And we began traversing the trail back the way we'd come, along the tops of the eskers. I'll post more tomorrow: