Today’s adventure took the canine explorers Violet and Rowan to Cadwell Memorial Forest in the hills of beautiful Pelham. The forest has an extensive trail system – which begs for many more future adventures. The trails are well-marked, some wide as a narrow road, some well worn paths. For today, we stuck to one of the roadway trails having a slight incline.
After remaining on leash for about a tenth of a mile – so as to be far enough in from the road, the explorers were let loose and happily tore off ahead of Diane and me. Both Violet and Rowan are terrific about turning around every few minutes to check back in with us – get a treat for being such good dogs – then, head back out. Once in a while, they’d head a few yards into the woods, check out a fallen stump or pile of leaves, then pop back on the trail. 
It was a magnificent day for a hike… about 75 degrees, little to no humidity, clear blue sky and sparkling sunshine. The trail provided a welcome bit of shade from the direct sun. And, there were no bugs! Perfect conditions making for an extremely pleasant hike for both canines and humans.
Every now and then, the two would break from their jog into hilarious, playful tumbling, jumping, and running around in circles chasing one another. These antics would go on straight for about 5 minutes until the two silly child-like pups collapsed in exhaustion and thirst. Diane and I presented them each with bowls of water from our backpacks. Revived by this refreshment, the two would pop up and head off again down the trail.
We ended at an old burial ground that was surrounded by a picturesque stonewall. We stopped here to rest a bit and look at the old grave markers. Then headed back. Rowan, now 10 weeks, and Violet – 8 months, sustained themselves for a 90 minute round-tripper. It was a very quiet drive home! Stay tune for next week’s adventure…
Leave a Reply