The Rutland Trail With The Dogs - Part 1

I'd had a busy morning, but when everything was done I decided to take the dogs for a short, quick hike on the nearby Rutland Trail. Our last hike on this trail was from Hallahan Road east, so this time we again began at Hallahan Road, but headed west:

The dogs were excited and I had to do a bit of hollering, but they were better than usual - or perhaps I just sounded crabbier than usual. They stopped to sniff every smell and Jack rolled in the trail, just because he was so happy:

There is private land on each side of the trail so I don't stray off of it, but there is plenty for dogs to explore without forays into the woods:

And they have so much fun that it is contagious, bringing me joy also:

The dogs seem to fancy themselves intrepid hunters, sniffing here, there and everywhere. Actually, they put me in mind of Elmer Fudd, hunting for wabbits. They wouldn't know what to do if they ever found anything. I once had a dog who was taunted by red squirrels on hikes and would chase them. One day an unfortunate red squirrel tripped and tumbled mid-chase, allowing the dog to catch it. She stopped when she got to the squirrel, wondering what to do next - or perhaps wondering why the silly rodent had stopped in the middle of the game. She had no intention of harming it:

We weren't going far on this journey, so I walked even slower than usual, allowing the dogs time to explore and play:

We were nearing the old railroad bridge over Allen Brook. I thought I could see it up ahead:

Little Jack loves to run and seldom stops except to pee or to roll on the ground for joy. I think he was getting ready to lift a leg in this picture:

Yes indeed, the bridge was just up ahead:

But instead of crossing the bridge, we walked down to Allen Brook, a lovely and wild stream through the forest. Eastern White Cedars and White Pines grew all around, including one pine with a trunk which must have been five feet in diameter:

Clover and Daphne don't realize that they are supposed to be pampered foo-foo dogs. They consider themselves intrepid explorers, and ran down to the water's edge to investigate:

Then Fergus and Jack joined them, everyone having a grand time. I'll post Part 2 tomorrow: