A Winter Walk On The Rutland Trail, Westbound

It was a dull, cloudy day but not too cold, so I took the dogs back to the Rutland Nature Trail. Our last foray on the trail was from Hallahan Road headed east and through the wetlands, but this time we headed west and through the forest. There were a few traffic signs because this trail is used by snowmobiles:

The dogs were so excited that I had to yell at them repeatedly to keep them close. They don't seem to mind, though, and have a grand time running, sniffing and peeing:

There was just enough snow to look wintry without making walking difficult:

The dogs heard something and went on alert - well, three of them did. Fergus was behind me and Jack was oblivious to everything except playing:

Fergus mostly stayed at my heels but sometimes I encouraged him to run ahead with the other dogs:

We turned downhill toward Allen Brook:

Clover and Jack arrived first and set about searching for sea monsters:

As for me, I relaxed and appreciated the gloriously wild scenery:

But this was a short hike, and soon we were headed back toward our parked car. I was amazed that the dogs seemed suddenly to want to walk close to me and not run ahead:

Except for Jack, who runs full speed ahead, then runs full speed back. This pattern, like his joyous energy, seems never to end:

The dogs (except Jack) seemed to have spent their excess energy and we walked comfortably and calmly back toward the road:

It was a short hike, but just right for a snowy day: