County Multi-Use Trail at Hopkinton - Part 2

I'd mistaken a trail sign and headed off into the woods, thinking I was following the trail (see yesterday's post), but quickly figured out that I should have stayed on the edge of the field. The dogs, however, were delighted by a big, old, hollow maple. We rejoined the real trail at the deer stand I'd previously photographed and which you can just up ahead:

Clover bounced through the trees, climbing up onto a boulder before she joined us on the real trail:

But I could see the ATV tracks continuing on for a very long distance, staying at the edge of the field. We'd already come quite a way and the frozen tracks were difficult walking, so we turned back toward where we'd parked. The dogs were as overjoyed to be going that direction as they were at the beginning. They're so easy to please:

They ran ahead, then came back, never going too far. Well, Jack went too far once, but he came back when I sounded sufficiently angry:

But mostly it was a pleasant walk in spring sunshine:

There was little green, of course, but the melting snow had exposed some green grass and Mullein leaves:

And mosses and lichens on rocks:

The dogs were so well behaved that I was able to relax and save my voice:

Although they did find some small patches of ice and venture out onto them:

Almost back to our car, we returned to the shelter of the trees:

The car was parked along a busy highway, so I called the dogs to heel. Jack, however, ran ahead (you can see him at the top of this photo) and when I got him back, snapped a leash on him. This was a short and pleasant excursion but not one I'll try again. Several State Forests are within a couple of miles, so I'll take the dogs there instead: