Wet Woods

So the past couple of weeks have found me hiking close to home and out in the garden prepping it for winter. I found several signs of life under the leaves, including two of the fattest earthworms I've ever seen. Only managed to get one of them, though. There were several species of beetle, grub, and caterpillar like worms hanging out, too.

On our longer hikes on the weekend, we don't cover a lot of ground, as it is rough going and wet and muddy. Yesterday we were out for almost 3 hours, slogging through muck and over rocky terrain (we generally follow a road or power line path), but we still only managed to cover 6 kilometres. It's a good workout mind you and as long as the weather is fairly mild (quite surprising for this time of year) we can continue on our treks.



I discovered a pink lichen yesterday I'd never seen before. The red tinged lichen is common, but the pink was a surprise.
We are never very far from civilization, so there's no real fear of becoming lost. We have encountered a number of deer tracks on our hikes the past couple of weeks but no actual critters. The hiking boots I have are not waterproof, so that will be my next large purchase. I don't mind getting my feet wet and mucky, but if I want to put on the boots the next day, it's quite gross. The leather needs time to dry out. And I think I should buy myself a bunch of black socks as my usual white athletic ones are now permanently splotched with mud stains and dye from the leather of my boots.
While on our hike yesterday, I was thinking about snowshoes. We don't get enough snow in Halifax to warrant wearing them for a hike around the city. But out where the Wookie lives, with all the logging and hunting trails, they might be a good purchase. We'll see. It poured last night so the woods are really soggy today and the hiking would be even rougher and wetter than yesterday. And my boots are still soaked. So it's off to Chapters instead and a movie at Mom and Dad's. Hellboy 2 it will be.

S.