What You Missed
Fall 2024
Fall 2024
On Sunday, September 22nd I planned to get out for a hike on Round Top with my new dog Sheena for the "First Day of Fall Hike". My son Kurt and his two children Ariana amd Kaden had come to see us and our new dog. They stayed overnight and went to church Sunday morning. We returned from church at 12:30 PM and decided to get started as soon as possible. After losing my hiking buddy, Sheila, on July 12th, I had been looking to get another dog. I was reluctant because I was so close to Sheila and she was such a great hiker. I also knew I needed to have another dog as we have not been with out one for 20 years! On Wednesday our Daughter-in-law Kathleen, sent us the name of someone who might have puppies.I called the woman and she said she had one female available and we decided to go check her out IMMEDIATELY! I think when we saw her Cindy and I both fell in love with her. She is a Feist-Cur cross which are actual types of dogs used on farms and for hunting in the south. She probably won't get to be more than 30 pounds which makes Cindy happy although I would have preferred a larger dog. She was born the day after Sheila died. We took her home and she slept with me on the couch all night. The dog slept but I did not sleep as much. Sheena is just starting to be aware of my changing cloths to hike and has started to watch me! I started to get ready to hike at 12:45 PM with the temperature at 72 degrees on the back porch. I got dressed in my White Sierra light crew top with no baselayer. I wore my Railriders hiking pants which are expensive but last along time and have features like deep pockets and a generous cut which I really like. The pants have Velcro closures at the ankles. I decided to put on my Keen Durand hiking boots which I ordered a half size larger than the previous pair. These shoes fit well out of the box but get much tighter when I add a decent insole. Without the third party insole, by feet hurt from the lack of support. I added a new pair of Xstance insoles in an effort to find the best support and cushioning for my feet. These insoles have shock absorbing gel pads, TPU arch support, and memory foam cushioning all wrapped in a breathable fabric. The insoles have been hyped by their manufacturer and they really do seem to deliver. I decided not to take any poles as the walk would be short and I would be holding Sheena's leash. At 1:10 PM I put Sheena on her leash and we all walked out the door to start the hike. We headed down the driveway and to the street. Sheena has gotten used to walking on her leash to the end of the drive but gets nervous as we get near the road. This time she let me look for cars and then led us across the road to the field by the church. We walked to the back of the church and began the ascent of the steepest hill behind the church. Sheena had no problem walking up the hill except for the fact that she likes to stop on sniff very frequently. The hill is short but gets the circulation pumping and is the steepest and longest climb on the "trail." Not having poles made it more of a challenge. We did not stop not on the way to the top of the hill but set a fast pace. I could feel that I had not been hiking in a while. At the top we paused for a minute so I could look around at the hills that surround the hamlet of Livingston Manor. The skies were blue with a few white clouds and bright sunshine. Sheena was eager to enter the woods on the trail and hopped right up the steps. The trail was dry and the temperature under the trees seemed cooler than in the sun.
At the first trail junction, we continued straight up the hill with Ariana leading the way and Sheena pulling me on her leash. When we came to the path on the left to the lookout, we took OT. Sheena had no problem avoiding the gap in the path. The view from the lookout has grown in and the leaves on the trees limit the view. We were still able to get some views of the town and school. Kurt took a few pictures before we continued our hike. We walked up the small ledges to the upper lookout and picked up the yellow trail. We walked uphill through the field of ferns that was rapidly turning brown. The trail was covered in leaves which were all a nondescript yellow color. When we reached the "sitting rock", Ariana climbed to the top of the large boulder while Kaden was content to remain on the lower rock. Kurt took a few more shots and helped Ariana down from the higher rock. We continued on the yellow trail up a small hill to the junction with the blue trail to the summit. I decided we would do a big loop so we continued straight ahead with Ariana in the lead again. Sheena does best if she can chase somebody so this worked well. Ariana passed by the switchback and continued straight up the hill but this did not seem to bother Sheena. Kaden was beginning to tire but we told him that after we reached the top it was all downhill. We skipped the white crossover trail and continued on the blue trail over the summit. Ariana increased the pace on the downhill and Sheena wanted to stay with her. I was having trouble going downhill at their speed and keeping my balance. We came to the junction with the yellow trail and continued straight ahead heading downhill on the yellow trail. Sheena was beginning to tire and was reluctant to continue walking without a rest here and there. When we came to the woods road, we turned slightly right and continued along the yellow trail. We were almost back to the first trail junction when we met a group of six young men and women coming up the trail. I walked off the trail to the right with Sheena and let them pass. We continued to the first trail junction where we turned left and headed out to the trailhead. At the trailhead we turned right and walked down the paved road toward the church. Sheena was now being really obstinate and was sitting without moving. I gave her some encouragement and she followed along. When we got to the church, we walked across the parking lot to the street. We crossed the street to our driveway and walked to the house. It was 2:50 PM and it had taken us 40 minutes to hike a little more than a mile. Sheena seemed absolutely beat. She drank a lot of water and then laid down on the couch for a long nap.