It is a nice crisp morning as we load our quads and head out for the day. It is hunting season so we have our orange vests and caps on. What a glorious morning with the sun rays peaking through the trees. The leaves are starting to change color and as the sun hits the leaves the drops of dew sparkle along with the occasional spider web .Looking ahead the leaves are dancing their way to the ground where they form a carpet of reds, browns and yellows. We stop at one of my all time favorites. You Guessed IT! For those who know me well know I never get tired of Benton dam. The sun is sparkling on the water. The water is high after the rains we received and you can hear the water gushing over the rocks. Bumbling along the dead waters the water is crystal clear. The occasional partridge flees across in front of us but does not hang around. There are bunches and bunches of cranberries hanging from the bushes. You can almost smell them cooking for jelly. We leave the managed trail and the fun begins with lots of water and mud. We have an avid bird watcher with us so our destination is Pocowogamis Lake located near Hartin Settlement. Gary was so thrilled with what he saw-a perfect place to kayak. This lake one time was used by Ducks Unlimited. The old dam is still there. I remember when my children were very young we would stop here and have our lunch when we were out hunting. A great place to have lunch. Some had sandwiches and some had stoves set up cooking hotdogs and hamburgers. Lots of laughter. It is amazing what getting out on the trails enjoying nature can do for one’s soul and health. Returning we pass through the Slater Road and the Monument towards the Green Road area which takes us back to the trail at Debec. I love looking for birds but never have much luck when bumbling but on this day spotted a Hermit Thrush. Needless to say I was excited about this. It was hard to believe the abundance of mushrooms and toadstools we saw along the way. They were everywhere. I suspect the wet weather has something to do with that. I have noticed this season of bumbling the scarcity of birds. Hopefully next year will be better. After nine hours on the trail we arrived backed to our vehicles and had a few laughs over the events of the day. Smiles on everyone’s face told it all. HAPPY TRAILS till next month and stay safe!
