Here are a few pictures.
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| The first part of the hike followed an old road. Here is Hans alerting to an approaching dog in the distance. The orange rope is one Hans' field training ropes. I'm not sure how it's officially used, but we used it to give him a little more leeway. He could run a little ahead of us, but we could still step on the rope to give him the signal to slow down. We brought him closer to us if there were other people around--which there weren't too many of. |
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| The trail followed a stream and deteriorated quickly in its flood plain--meaning there was lots of mud. |
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| The trail went by Froggy Hollow School House (named for all the frogs that could be heard in the valley). The school was built in 1893 and has been restored. However, it's only open for tours in the summer so we didn't get to see inside. |
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| Hoping to avoid some of the mud, we went up the hill from the stream and took a different trail back. Unfortunately, it quickly deteriorated into a lot of mud also. Did I mention that we've been having a lot of rain recently? |
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| Despite the mud, a good time was had by all--especially Hans. There is nothing more alive than a dog in the woods. :) |
What a lovely afternoon you all had! Froggy Hollow sounds like it would have been a fun place for kids to play after school.
ReplyDeleteOf course, they had to go home to do their farm chores after school, but I bet they did have fun at recess. The school originally had swings and teeter-totters.
DeleteThe walk looks like fun despite the mud and that little school house looks so lonely in the barren woods.
ReplyDeleteIt did look lonely. It was built because there were too many kids in the area that couldn't come to school because their school was so far away. (No buses at that time.) The whole area was farming, so there was not much of anything close by.
DeleteWe, too, have had a hard time getting the combination of both sunshine and warmer temps--when it's warm, it's raining ....
ReplyDeleteHow fun to have a nice hike! The dog made it extra fun. :)
I thought about you during this hike. It would have been another good one for your family with the woods and stream for your husband and a bit of history for you. They had some good signage up about the history of the area and the school.
DeleteI would have been peeking in the windows of the school! I love to hike, too, so your trip would have been fun. Out of curiosity ... have you been to Gatlinburg, TN? We are hoping to vacation there this summer and since you and I are on the same side of the Mississippi, I thought there might be a chance you would have gone there.
DeleteI have not been to Gatlinburg, but I have been to the Smokies and they are beautiful. You'll have to let me know how your trip goes and maybe I'll plan one.
DeleteWhat a great site for a school, how much fun those kids would have had running around out there. I know all about mud, I'm sure Hans needed a bath after that walk but from the photos it would have been worth it.
ReplyDeleteHans, of course, went through the middle of all of the mud and was very happy to do so. I was happy that I was not riding in the back seat with him on the way home.
DeleteGosh... these pictures make me realize how different things look in different parts of the country. I can't imagine "woods" that are all made of deciduous trees - in these parts we've got mostly pine trees with a few aspens here and there. But I'll bet that what they lack in color they make up for in allowing the sunshine to reach the ground! Looks like a wonderful walk!
ReplyDeleteAh. You've put your finger on why pictures of Colorado always look a little "foreign" to me. We have a good mix of evergreen trees, like you, but we also have lots of deciduous trees. I had never really thought of it before. June's hike looks very similar to what a hike in the woods would look like by me.
DeleteI think the higher in elevation you go, the more pine trees you get, although we have our fair share around here. I like all stages of deciduous trees, but especially enjoy the stark outline they have in the winter.
DeleteThe scenery you saw on your walks looks just beautiful. Ack! Mud! I know it was fun anyway, I just don't do mud well. It calls to me and I usually answer the call with a spill.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, there were briers just off the path where we tried to go to get out of the mud. But yes, it was fun anyway.
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