Lost and found ...

The boggy wood at the end of my street is like a big magnet for me.  I love exploring the forest.  Today I thought I'd blaze some entirely new trails.  I brought along my BIG clippers that will cut one inch diameter branches.  I also had four dogs in tow.

About three inches of snow blanketed the ground and a light snow was falling.

The going got tough pretty quickly.  Often my way was blocked by trees that had been knocked over in the fall's heavy windstorms forcing me to find new routes and climb over deadfalls.

While I tried to find the path of least resistance the dogs did the opposite, romping through the undergrowth, noses to the ground.

Eventually my wandering stopped being fun .   I didn't want to follow my own tracks back the difficult way I'd come.  There was no easy path back.  Heck, I wasn't even sure which way WAS back.  For a mere moment I felt a slight panic.  Why had I waited till so late in the day for my walk ?

Though it was overcast, I could see the watery sunlight was brighter in one direction.  I knew that was the general direction of my house. I headed that way but was constantly forced to change direction.  Proceeding in a straight line was impossible.

As I walked I kept my eye out for ribbons as my earlier blazed trails are marked with them.  The main path with blue and side paths with silver.

And then I saw it.   Such a small little thing.  A sliver of silver tied to a tree.  And farther along another one.  And another.  I'd always set the ribbons up so that each ribon was visible from the previous one.

Yipeeee !   Now the hike was fun again. 

I could just enjoy the walk.  I even stopped to take pictures of some neat gooey orange fungus on a tree.   

This is one of the reasons I love exploring.  So many amazing things to see.

But in future I'll be staying on my marked trails.