"I love your dog!"

Della and I logged 4.51 miles on the trails at Pleasant Grove on a picture perfect Sunday afternoon. I spent the morning puttering around the yard with all the dogs outside. I got some things done and they all had a great time. Della mostly presided from her bed in the back of the van with the tailgate open. She was saving her energy for the hike. By the time we left on the hike, the other dogs were happy to come in for a nap.

I had a specific plan for this hike, to get out to the more remote parts of the park where I hadn't been in quite some time. We parked at the pole barn, walked down the hill, crossed the stream, and then headed uphill. The spit of land between the stream and the river has a lot of elevation gain in a pretty small space. I took the "easy" way up but it was still enough to push my legs beyond their current fitness level. Fortunately, there is a nice bench on top of the bluff overlooking the river. We stopped and sat for a while.

You could see just a tinge of green beginning in the tree tops, but the view down to the river was still pretty much unobstructed. I decided to forego the trail loop that dips down to the river's edge because I was sure it was muddy down there and it seemed like an unnecessary descent that would require me to regain all that elevation back up to the top of the bluff. I'll do that when I'm stronger and am carrying less weight.

It's a pretty stretch of trail and except for people on horseback it's not heavily used. We saw evidence of recent horse traffic but no actual horses. On the way back down as we were nearing the stream again we scared up a few deer who must have come down for an afternoon drink. Della had a good bark at them but didn't try to drag me off the trail in pursuit. 

We took the Heritage Trail in the direction opposite of the pole barns because I wanted more miles. Eventually we came out near the baseball fields, walking around the outfields to pick up a trail back in the woods. There was a girls softball game in progress and as we were passing by one of them yelled out: "I love your dog!" I waved in response, accepting the compliment on Della's behalf. What's not to love?

We passed Sparky's watering hole and Della stopped for a drink. From there I had the choice of leaving the trail and walking on the roadway back to the pole barn, or taking a trail that continues through the woods but is always really wet and muddy after rain. I opted for the muddy route in spite of the recent rain, but was pleasantly surprised to find that they had re-routed that trail to some higher ground free of mud. It also made the route back a bit longer, which suited my need for miles. We ended up with 4.51 miles for the day, bringing me to 20.31 miles logged this month towards the 50 mile goal set by The Trevor Project. I want to thank everyone who has donated. It's a great cause and your support means a lot to me personally. 

The Rivanna river is high right now.

I missed the dog entirely, but got a nice picture of Della's shadow.

There are so many uprooted pine trees from that January storm.

The pines were hardest hit because their evergreen branches collected the heavy snow.

This downed tree made a natural bridge across the stream.

We did not take it.

I've walked past this spot many times but never properly 

noticed or appreciated the serpentine shape of this tree trunk.

The fiddleheads are unfurling.

The greening is coming.

There were a lot of trees like these, bowed by the heavy snow

but not completely broken or uprooted.

Della at Sparky's watering hole.

A good 4.51 miles for today.

Almost halfway to the 50 mile goal.

p.s. The nice folks who met Artie yesterday decided they weren't ready to adopt a new dog just yet. We have another meet and greet being set up for Wednesday. Callie/Hallie has definitely turned the corner, she's eating well now and is now happy and playful.