Still Snowy In Jackson State Forest - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking in the nearby Fort Jackson State Forest and had veered off into a stand of Red Pines (see also Part 1, posted yesterday):

It was a happy occasion, the dogs were well behaved and I was in a good mood:

The dogs ran less and spent more time sniffing interesting smells than they did when on the trail:

We moved into a section of slightly bigger trees:

Fergus, who had kept a low profile thus far, seemed to come alive among the pines. He became bolder and more playful:

And all the dogs were alert to the possibility of wildlife or Bigfoots or burglars or whatever it is dogs watch for:

But eventually we turned back to the trail and began making our way toward our parked car:

I'd learned to avoid the deep puddles by this time, but one of my shoes was already soaked and cold:

And we made a happy procession through the trees:

The dogs stayed together better than usual and, in general, behaved well:

I was happy:

And before too long we found our little red car, parked in the snow about a half mile inside the State Forest. I was a little worried about getting back out through the snow, slush, ice and mud, but we made it without any (big) problems. The snowstorm, predicted for that day, never arrived although it did rain: