That wintry feel

Cold weather adds some challenges to the daily dog management routine. There's more rotating of dogs in and out so that everyone gets enough outdoor time but isn't outside beyond their comfort zone, especially the puppies. The mild fall weather we had been enjoying made it easy for me to leave the pups outdoors all day. Moving them in and out as I did today means a lot more clean up because they aren't just sleeping when they come back inside. At least the sun was shining today and that helped. 

I got away for a hike with Bailey early this afternoon and we ended up going six miles. This is great hiking weather. The chill keeps me motivated to move faster. Bailey doesn't need much motivation for that, she kept quite a bit of tension on the leash for our entire walk. We saw a few other people out on the trails who were similarly motivated, but had only one direct encounter with another human, which allowed me to maintain my fantasy of walking in the wilderness. 

We had a few deer spottings, which Bailey particularly enjoys, including two bucks, which was unusual because mostly we seem to just see does. 

Tomorrow, Sunday, we have the reversal of Friday's influx. The visiting Danes will go home, Thor will go back to his new home, and Marvel will go to her new home. Puppy Wakanda goes to his new home on Wednesday. Bette will be arriving sometime soon for a two week stay. Change is the only constant around here.

The river is visible from this point now that the leaves have fallen.

We practiced "ups" at several benches and log piles along the trail.

Here's the big buck and there's a smaller one behind him. 

The smaller guy is clearly visible here.

The millstone table is a great posing spot.

6.00 miles