Blazing New Trails

 

Sam and I found a new place to go on our walks - thank goodness. 

We keep a list of possible locations for our walks and we refer to it mostly when we get bored with the places we've been and need ideas for a change of scenery. But the list is pretty limited and, with all our walking, we rotate through it pretty quickly. So finding a new place that's halfway interesting is a big deal. Finding a new place that's halfway interesting - and is close by - is an even bigger deal. 

This, it turns out, was both.

At the north end of town, there's a large conservation area. How this place never turned up in my previous searches, I don't know. But yesterday it did, so we headed over for a quick afternoon walk - to explore and see if it was worthy of our list of where-to-walk possibilities. 

When we got there, I wasn't sure we had the right place. There was a sign at the small dirt parking lot but there were no other cars in sight. Getting out of the car and looking around, it was hard to see anything more than tall trees and thick, overgrown brush. 

Not wanting to have made the eight minute drive for nothing, I got out to look for signs of a possible path while Sam waited in the car for my verdict.

After a few minutes of exploring, I waved him over. Slightly deeper in the woods, past a hedge of overgrown brush, were a couple of paths which led in distinctly opposite directions. We picked one of them (the one on the left) and started walking.

It turned out to be a lovely setting. Root-covered paths strewn with leaves and pine needles, winding through tall trees and fern-covered fields. It was a setting made even more enjoyable by the fact that, in the entire time we were there, we only came across one other person - plus his dog. (Both were friendly.)

The walk was definitely list-worthy and I'm sure we'll be heading back again. But it'll have to wait for the weekend. With autumn fast approaching, there isn't enough light at the end of the day for a walk like this. Oh, the forest was bright enough - at least in spots - but we'll need the extra daylight for when we inevitably get lost  - as we almost did yesterday. (Though Sam doesn't know it... yet.)