Daphne Hikes Beebe Hill, Part 4

Our Easter Sunday hike up Beebe Hill, Daphne's first experience in the great outdoors, was now past the half-way mark. We'd made it all the way to the fire tower, lounged in the sun near the caretaker's cabin and explored some frog ponds. I took a different route back down the mountain, a foot trail through the woods. As we began our downward journey, our first stop was Opal Pond, which you can see in this photo just ahead of us through the trees:

There were still no Wood Frogs out, but Wally felt overheated and decided to cool off his lower half:

Just beyond Opal Pond is a lean-to for campers. I've never seen it used, but clearly it has been, for there's always signs of campfires and such. Seamus was all excited to smell people. After all, it might mean more attention for him:

Sorry Seamus, the people have all gone elsewhere:

We continued hiking down the trail on our journey back to the trail head:

The Taconic Mountains are visible through the trees as we trot onward and downward:

Through a gap in an old stone fence which must surely have been the boundary for someone's farm fields back in the time of The Legend Of Sleepy Hollow:

Vegetation all around us was turning green as we hiked. It was a most amazing day as buds popped open all around us:

Little Daphne saw or heard something which gave her a start:

And off she ran for the safety of her dad and dog pack:

In this picture, we're almost back to the trail head. In fact, that bright red spot up ahead is my little car. Just a couple of foot bridges to cross and we'll be on our way home:


And speaking of foot bridges, the dogs all trotted across the first one without a second thought, but the second one required a step up which did indeed give them pause:

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