Hike 1 in the Dolly Sods

We had an early morning start today so that we could hit the trails while it was still cool. Clearly, we're new here. It was never not cool today. How glorious to have cold fingers in June. We were both doing a bit of a function check on ailing knees and ankles, so we set out for a 7 mile hike on a mild trail. It was never terribly steep or technical. The most significant terrain feature we had to navigate was mud and general swampiness due to the recent rains.

Seth on Rohrbaugh Trail

One of my favorite features on hikes like this one are the beds of mossy ground cover. After the first mile Seth gently reminded me that, if I keep stopping to touch it, this 7 mile hike would take us longer than we had food or water to sustain us. Onward!

Grow little guys! Grow!

Another thing I am a sucker for are the tiny little evergreen trees that are just taking root on the side of the trail. We saw loads of these during our honeymoon in Glacier National Park. I always feel the urge to pat them on their tops, like a little pup.

After miles of gorgeous wooded trails in the cold, damp morning air we popped out of this scenic viewpoint overlooking the valley and river below. I wish the camera could have captured the view I had during this hike. As Seth walked along in front of me, the densely wooded trail was occasionally punctuated with patches of bright morning sun that would illuminate his breath before he stepped into the next shadow. That was one of my favorite sights today. I kept taking big gulps of the cold, moist air and letting out long sighs. Taking it all in.