Finishing Our Hike On The Taconic Crest Trail

We were on our way back to the trail head and my parked car. It had certainly not been a difficult hike, perhaps only 5.5 miles and mostly level, but my legs felt like rubber. I knew this muscle weakness was a bad side effect of a drug my doctor'd had me try. I would certainly stop taking it, but for now I just needed to make it back to the car:

Though I was feeling increasingly weak and tired, the four pooches were having themselves a merry old time, When they'd run too far ahead, I'd just call them back to me and they'd come running with enormous enthusiasm. A little petting and praise works wonders:

Being late December, the sun set very early and we were mostly walking right towards it. The setting sun and slanting sunshine gave everything a magical appearance:

I knew that just before the trail head was a scenic overlook not too far from the path. I gave a call for the dogs and walked over there, tired legs and all:

This view looked out over the Taconic Valley and the towns of Petersburgh and Berlin. Of course I couldn't see that far, but Albany also lay off in that direction:

Route 2 runs up the valley between where we stood and that next mountain. My car was parked at the foot of that mountain. I heard no more laughter so assumed the sledding children had all gone home:

Farm fields cut out of the forest down in the valley:

But the lengthening shadows and my very weak legs gave me good reason to continue on toward the car:

I put the dogs all on leashes in order to cross the highway. I then loaded them up into the car and snapped one last photo of Massachusetts' Mount Greylock not too far away:

The dogs were not at all tired. They'd have loved to hike some more but I wanted to go home:

One last glance across the road to the start of the trail we'd just hiked and I began driving home:

And on the way stopped for a quick photo of the house I used to own, in which I lived when I adopted my two boys. The hayloft of that barn is where I lived for three years before that. It brought back lots of memories, some good and some bad. But it was time to drive home and take a rest: