It is getting harder out here to find places to park along our planned hiking routes, so today we decided to ask permission from two home owners who seemed to have potentially available space to share. April, being the least shy, volunteered for the job. Turns out this was not a problem, one home owner actually knew of the BT, and both were very friendly! Wish these folks could appreciate how much this simple act of generosity gives us peace of mind knowing our cars will be there at the end of a long hike. Thank you! We started off our hike, as usual, with Wendy slowly gathering here gear, so April and I decided to begin the hike ahead of Robin and Wendy since we are slower anyway. Turns out we got 1.7 miles down the road before they caught up to us- surprising everyone! To be fair, April and I are always late arriving at the start, so we really hold back each other, just in different ways. Even though it was a grey day, we had snow flurries all day and the roads were again mostly back roads, so it was quite enjoyable. The BT did use a cool path through Spencer Lake Wildlife area that seemed to split the lake in half and was frozen on both sides. This seemed to be another good place to kayak in warmer weather as it had a nice put-in area. Interesting sights- one guy used rocks to keep his mail from falling out the back of his mailbox, saw a motorcycle hanging from a tree, and a bird’s nest by the lake was filled with seeds and nuts, not sure who filled it up? We also remarked as we passed a barn with two ponies how whatever they are doing, farm animals always stop and look us over as we pass by- often coming over if we call out to them. Nice to know we can brighten up their routine for a moment. At the end of our hike our spirits were lifted by two little girls coming out of the house where we parked and eagerly cheered us- such a heartwarming surprise.
