Out and about--a walk in the woods

Yesterday we had a warm day with no rain--a hard combination to get these days. So Ward and I decided to take a hike with Miss Landers and her dog, Hans. The woods were still monotone brown, and we didn't see many critters (I think they were hiding from Hans), but it was refreshing to be out all the same.

Here are a few pictures.

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.

The trail followed a stream and deteriorated quickly in its flood plain--meaning there was lots of mud.

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.

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?

Despite the mud, a good time was had by all--especially Hans. There is nothing more alive than a dog in the woods. :)