2/4/13 Snowmobile Trails

A cold sunny day. There is little snow left and lots of ice. Original idea was to drive up Ohio St. to the spot we had left off on another hike and go from there to the trails in Hermon. We found the spot but there was no place to park so we came back home and set off on the trail behind our house. Kelley was excited to finally be on a trail- any trail.
In most places we could walk beside the trail to get around it but there was a marshy  spot where water runs under the trail and the ice was unavoidable. Kelley doesn't like to walk on ice either so she followed me as I tried to step from patch to patch of water plants. At times the ice gave way but to more ice beneath. We then continued on in search of the connection to the Glenburn trails. We did not find it and turned back. At a road that I thought just led to the highway we found the sign to Glenburn buried in the grass- next time.
When we came back to the marshy area I decided maybe the other side of the trail would be easier and ended up with one foot in water above my boot. When I got to solid ground Kelley was still on the other side. I had to coax her to come and she , very tentatively, took the direct route. I was worried that my wet foot might be a problem but the insulation in my boot proved good enough so that my foot warmed up to just uncomfortably wet. Time for lunch- Kelley gets very excited when I sit and remove my pack because she knows what's coming.
The rest of the way back was without problems. Kelley continued to be happy to be out exploring and even got used to the crunchy ice in marshy areas. I had not really wanted to be out there today but seeing how happy it makes her makes me happy too. In spite of the fact that we had been hiking for three hours she wanted to take a side trail near home. I vetoed that- ready to get home to dry feet.