Stopping At Hays Brook On Our Way Home

It had been a busy and somewhat stressful weekend up at the farm and it was soon time to travel home. We drove as far as Hays Brook Horse Trail and, to my surprise, someone had plowed the access road. Well, it wasn't completely plowed, but enough so that I could get in to the parking area:

The happy dogs ran around the parking area:

Madeline went almost into the forest while Wally just trotted around:

The plow had left deep snow banks surrounding much of the parking area which discouraged us from exploring further:

Both Wally and Winky began picking up their feet painfully and refusing to walk anywhere. It became clear to me that the snow was too cold for their feet. This surprised me, because they are not usually bothered by the cold. But I picked them up, one at a time, and put them back into the warm car. Wally was quite appreciative but Winky snarled and snapped when I set him down - as he always does. That's why Winky was deemed unadoptable at the shelter. He's come a long way and can be quite charming and sweet at times - but he'll also always be crabby and unpredictable:

Once the two geriatric dogs were safely back in the car, I decided to follow what appeared to be a deer trail into the forest. I called the dogs, who then preceded me with great joy, running full speed into the woods:

The three Papillons, AKA "The Silly Sisters," explored together for a while:

Seamus caught up with the smaller dogs and joined in the fun:

Fergus kept an eye on me. I think that girdled tree behind him probably was a deer rub, where a buck had scraped its antlers:

It was very, very cold and we didn't stay long:

I gave a call for the dogs to head back to the car:

Once they were all loaded back up into the car and I'd satisfied my mind that no dog had been left behind, we headed back out the access road for the highway: