Another Hike, More Pics

I had today off, and after yesterday's experience I needed some time away from home to clear my head and regain focus. So I took another hike... this time I went up over Mt. Arrowhead and took a series of odd side paths and pseudo-dead-ends ("pseudo" because I've found that all the "dead-ends" on the trails around here actually lead somewhere, often somewhere interesting). The final leg of the trail seemed to have been an old carriage road and it looked more exciting than the other trails because it was the least worn. The road less traveled is usually far more engaging than a well-worn path, so I decided to take this route. It reduced to nothing in several areas, but ran parallel to a brook, so it wasn't too hard to pick the path back up again. The scenery was beautiful. It is springtime and all the young hardwoods are starting to bud and there are young green sprouts coming up through the leaves in many places. I covered about 14-16 miles total and ended up in West Unity, where I saw some beautiful backwoods homes and farmlands. I got a lot of exercise and a few nice pictures along the way. Check out these 2...


A macro pic of a wood frog that I spotted beside the trail.


A couple of male wild turkeys who were competing for the attentions of a female (hidden from view in the pic). I regret that I didn't have the camera in hand when I first saw them and I wasn't able to get a shot of them in their full display when I first rounded the bend in the trail. What a sight... a mix of rich brown and brightly colored feathers all spread out and flashing! The picture is a little blurry because it was taken at maximum zoom and I don't have a very steady hand.