Jack's First Hike In Fort Jackson State Forest

Our snow had almost melted and the temperature exceeded 50 degrees for the first time, so I took the dogs to the Fort Jackson State Forest. The shade from all the trees there, however, meant that there was still a lot of snow on the ground:

I kept Jack on a leash at first, while the other dogs ran and played:

And they sniffed everything which could be sniffed:

Jack seemed to be behaving himself, so I tried letting him off the leash. Alas, he ran amok and I had to lure him back and put him on the leash again:

After a little while, I tried Jack off the leash again. He was good at first, but then began running down the road at full speed. He did finally come back, but I was afraid to trust him anymore and put his leash back on:

Jack walked by my side while Fergus, Clover, Daphne and Seamus enjoyed their freedom:

And they surely did enjoy themselves:

We stayed on the dirt road as the snow in the forest was still too deep. And even the road was difficult at times, like when my feet broke through the ice and down into a water filled rut a foot deep:

But Jack was being so good that I gave him a third trial off the leash. He behaved himself perfectly after that. Perhaps all he needed was to use up some of his excess energy:

But our hikes these days are never very long. We turned around and began making our way back to the car:

All the dogs had by then used up their excess energy and walked nicely all the way back to the car:

Jack jumped up into the car along with the other dogs and then ran to the window to give me a big smile. All five of them were happy pooches. Dogs sure do love to go outdoors and run!: