I was pet-sitting for my daughter yesterday and decided that instead of the usual walk with the dogs down the road, that I'd take them on a real hike. There is a path nearby called the Trestle Trail, which was made from an old railroad bed. It's relatively flat, except for the "whoop-dee-do's" that the dirt bikes and ATVs have made. I think it makes the walk twice as long as the actual mileage!

Once we were past the point where I could expect to see many people, I let the dogs off their leashes. They were ecstatic! Even though their yard at home is about an acre, this was a chance to explore so many new scents. Cody, the beagle, ran off into the woods to check out every rock pile for chipmunks. Katie (aka super-mutt) concentrated on squirrels. A couple of years ago, she ran up a tree after one! Granted, it was a leaning tree, but it went 50 feet in the air!
Both dogs were delighted when we came across streams. Neither one is fond of actually swimming, but they will plunge in up to their bellies to cool off, lapping water as they wade. I envied them. The largest stream was too wide for me to jump, so I did go wading for a few minutes.
I took a couple of side trails, and now I know of a place to go back to in a month for blueberries! I also saw a couple of old cellar holes. I wonder who the people were that lived there so long ago.

Before I knew it, two hours had passed. We all went home refreshed and happily tired, and we slept like rocks all night.