Part 4 - Dyken Pond Nature Preserve On New Years Day

I was hiking the Spring Trail with my four youngest dogs on an unusually warm New Years day. We'd begun by following ski tracks which helped us make our way through the snow. But then we took a turn back toward the road and walked alongside a small brook where no one had broken through the snow before us. That was more difficult. We came eventually to a lovely forest of Spruce, Pine and Fir:

Fergus waded through the snow for a short distance, but then changed his mind and returned to join the rest of us where he could walk in the tracks I'd made:

A short video of our progress along a small brook. You can see little Clover in the lead, effortlessly walking on top of the snow. Seamus and I, being heavyweights, had a bit more trouble:


As noted in the above video, the two Papillon puppies, Daphne and Clover, were so light on their feet that they were able to walk on top the crusted snow. That, of course, made it much easier for them. As if those two needed any more energy!

Another brief, quiet video of our passing beneath the coniferous forest canopy:


We came to a place in the woods were we could see the plowed road just ahead of us:

And just beyond the road was Dustin Swamp:

We had a bit of a walk along the road to get to our car. There was, needless to say, very little traffic. Nevertheless, I put Daphne and Clover on leashes and gave them another lesson on how to heel. Fergus and Seamus already know how to heel, so I left them unleashed but gave them a chance to practice:

And before long, we arrived back at the parking area. Our New Years day hike was over. It was a wonderful scenic and contemplative experience in addition to good exercise. It was a great way to begin a new year: