Big, Beautiful Bloomingdale Bog Trail - Part 2

With no one else on the trail, the dogs were allowed off leash. But I insisted they stay close to me and not run too far ahead. They were beginning to get the idea and everyone was having fun:

We stopped every so often to explore one of the brooks which gurgled and burbled their way along the path:

The scenery was magnificent, the air scented with balsam:

And I was happy, though that coat had to come off very early in the hike:

The trail took us through forests and wetlands:

The dogs were fascinated by the water, but so far had kept their feet dry:

We continued along, stopping every so often for a closer examination of the northern scenery:

And then, right near an old beaver dam, both Daphne and Seamus went into the water. Clover and Fergus were tempted, but resisted. Madeline refused to even get near the water:

And then we continued onward:

Now that her feet were wet and muddy, Daphne had become bolder and frolicked in the muddy waters, leaping and smiling, like a colt in a pasture:

The day was lovely:

My ankles were becoming quite sore and I wondered if perhaps a flat trail was harder on them than a winding, hilly, rocky trail. Or was it that, being so flat and straight, we'd traveled farther than I'd realized? At any rate, I decided we'd better not go too much farther. But I'll post Part 3 tomorrow: