Crunchy Snow, Brasher State Forest - Part 1

We had a sunny day with temperatures in the 20s (F), just perfect for taking the dogs out on an adventure. So I put the dogs in the car and drove about 8 miles to Brasher State Forest. The access road had not been plowed, so I was cautious. But I found what I hoped was a safe place to park and let the dogs out to try a marked trail through a White Pine forest:

They were so excited that they kept running too far ahead, requiring me to keep yelling at them. But they began to slow down as we advanced along the trail:

Clover and Daphne climbed up onto a pile of brush to smell what I guessed to be where some wild critter had slept:

And Seamus began to romp like the little, younger dogs:

I'd hoped the sunny day would fetch me high quality photos of snow clad pine boughs, but all the snow had fallen off, the limbs were too high to show in the photos and the forest's shade made photography difficult:

There was about 6" of crusty, icy snow underfoot and my feet sank through it with each step. The dogs, being lighter and with twice as many feet to spread their weight, had no problem:

And they had a wonderful time:

Seamus took the lead for awhile:

And I got silly and took my own picture:

It was all a nice walk except for my difficult walking. Tune in tomorrow for Part 2: