Trail Update: Eau Claire River Trail

Picnic Dreams

I attended the Dog Owners Seminar at Ace Hardware in Weston this morning. Charlie's favorite dog-sitter, Heide's Pet Care, was one of the presenters there to talk about training tips and dog behavior. She even mentioned Kanine Kitchen treats in her presentation! I didn't stay long enough to listen to the other presenters since I had Charlie waiting for me in the Jeep... we were heading to the Eau Claire River Trail nearby to go hiking!

The trail is still covered in snow, but it's nicely packed down and not slippery. The terrain is uneven and a bit rough, but not difficult. Most of the water is still ice-covered so you can't hear the trickle of the stream yet. As I walked along, my boots crunching in the snow, all I could hear were the hollow thudding of woodpeckers in the trees and the caw of the crows. Newly-hatched insects were crawling in the snow and clumsily flying through the air.

Charlie ice-walking along the shore.

We've got a long way to go before all the snow is melted and it finally feels more like spring, but the days are getting longer, birds are singing, bugs are hatching, and slowly the temperatures are warming. In the meantime, Charlie is still enjoying the snow.

Here's a cute video of her trying to "stomp" the mice and moles out from their sub-snow tunnels.