Weekly Walk 9

The eleventh week since the autumnal equinox broke the trend of “chilliest hike yet” but won the title of “rainiest hike yet.”

We had planned to hike yesterday before the rain arrived, but my son spent the day exhausted and feverish, alternating between listening to audiobooks in his bed and falling asleep on the sofa while his sister and I did math.

When everyone woke up this morning energetic and normal body temperature, we agreed that it was a perfect morning to don our rain gear and go into the woods.

Between the weather and my son’s continued recovery, we took a shorter hike than usual and so didn’t get to see the creek. We did stop by the edge of the river, though, and confirmed that there was no ice this week.

Along the path we met eleven dogs and three humans, all friendly, but I was too busy helping my son not freak out when the big dogs tried to kiss his face to get any photos of the canines or their companions.

We did get a photo of this strange plant:

Based on the mud covering it, we suspect it’s a sort of root, pulled up by a raccoon or dug up by one of those dogs.

If the weather report turns out to be accurate, next week’s hike might be even warmer and perhaps less damp.