Part 2 - Dyken Pond Nature Preserve On New Years Day

I was hiking in the Dyken Pond Nature Preserve with my four younger dogs on a surprisingly warm New Years day. We were on the Spring Trail but decided to follow a connector trail down into a wooded valley. This, of course, was occasion for more ecstatic running and great joy for the dogs. As I've said before, I think that our dogs' ability to find such joy in nearly everything is their greatest asset and benefit to our lives. Just look at those ears flopping!

After much running up and down the hill trying to get me to speed up, we all arrived at a tiny creek flowing through the snowy landscape:

Skiers had helped pack the snow a bit along the trail as we headed down through the valley:

And up ahead I saw that the dogs had located a small bridge crossing the stream:

This tiny bridge provided yet more joy in the puppies, and Seamus plopped himself down in the snow, apparently to get a drink of cold water. He never did drink, though, so I guess he was just being playful (or tired):

Fergus, Daphne and Clover were anxious for me to catch up so we could continue our exploration of the forest:

But like a child, Seamus was dipping and splashing his toes in the brook:

All along the route were glorious examples of Yellow Birch and I determined to get a photo of one which would convey the lovely golden hue of their bark. This picture gives only a hint of their beauty, but you can see the yellowness of it:

And a very brief video of my four pooches as we hiked through the woods. The trees are quite small, an indication that this area had been deforested not too many years ago. I'm glad that it is now being protected by law and returning to its natural splendor: