The Rutland Trail With The Dogs - Part 2

The dogs and I were hiking on the Rutland Trail (see also Part 1, posted yesterday) and had reached beautiful Allen Brook. The dogs were ecstatic:

But this was to be only a short hike, so I soon began leading the pooches back along the trail the way we'd come:

It's a beautiful trail any time of year, but autumn is my favorite:

The leaves were mostly fallen, but alongside the trail were Beech saplings with colors so bright that it seemed they might glow in the dark. If I were to name this color, I'd call it Neon Butterscotch:

And Red Maple seedlings with rich red colored leaves:

I was getting sand and tiny stones inside my leg braces, but we were close to our car so I kept walking:

I did, however, stop for a quick photo of a large turkey feather. There were several of them, and I wondered if a predator or human hunter had gotten a bird here:

The dogs were by this time somewhat settled down, their excess enthusiasm mostly spent. That made it more relaxing for me:

They'd walk together for awhile and then split off individually as they each smelled some fascinating scent:

Fergus and Clover were running and wrestling at the same time, having great fun. Up ahead, Jack was barreling down the trail toward us while Seamus wondered what all the excitement was about. Daphne was running ahead, the opposite direction as Jack:

Great excitement, much fun and silliness. I enjoy seeing them happy and playful as long as they don't run too far ahead:

As we neared the trail head, I told all the dogs to heel, which they did, except for Jack. He doesn't yet know what that means, so I put him on a leash to help him learn: