The Town Of Duane Nature Walk - Part 2

The dogs and I were walking the Duane Nature Walk in Duane, New York. I hadn't expected to find snow and was wearing only sneakers, but it was lovely and the dogs were overjoyed (see also Part 1, posted yesterday). After walking for some distance, however, I realized that I didn't know where we were:

We kept trying new directions and trails, and eventually we found this:

I walked up the ramp and found that the structure overlooked a beautiful Adirondack pond:


This sign explained the wonders of nature to be found there:


But it was too cold and snowy to explore a pond and peat bog. Besides, we were lost, so we went right back to walking the trails:

I realized that I should be looking for my own tracks, made on the way into the forest. That should have been easy, but five dogs running on ahead made it difficult. Despite my enjoyment in seeing them having so much fun, I finally made them heel to avoid them messing up my tracks:

And it wasn't long before I saw my tracks and began following them back the way we'd come. I let the dogs have some fun again:

I love this photo because I can see Seamus' excitement as he picks up his pace, realizing that we were almost back to the car. The picture also shows the loveliness of the forest:

To me, the snow was a beautiful hindrance. To the dogs, it was a great joy and a great toy, adding to their fun:

 Knowing our hike was almost over, I began to wish it could have lasted longer. Just look at the beautiful forest through which we walked:

This was the last photo I took of our hike, for the trail head and our parked car were just at the end of the snowy trail ahead of us:

Once in the car, I began driving home, but stopped at the little church we'd seen from the trail. The sign said that it was the Duane Methodist Episcopal Church and on the National Register Of Historic Places. I Googled it when I got home and learned that the church was completed in 1885.
In 1982 the church was closed due to declining membership and was purchased by the town. Since then it has been used for meetings, weddings, and other events: