A Walk in the Woods

I slept in a bit to rest my weary bones. After breakfast, hubby suggested a new trail. This one was a bit longer than yesterday and it was mostly in the forest - mushroom territory. I was ready in a jiffy. And it did not disappoint. Besides mushrooms of different varieties, I also saw a sycamore tussock moth caterpillar and a spongy oak apple gall wasp nest. Part of the hike was to find the remnants of an old cabin’s fireplace. There were two red headed woodpeckers enjoying their search for food in nearby trees. Of course, these were very tall trees. I was lucky to capture a silhouette. But we sat on a bench and enjoyed their antics. It was my first red headed woodpecker sighting. Wahoo! And I had to grab a pic of hubby by a monster root ball. Look at that red Virginia soil. The sky was gorgeous today. It was a successful but brutal hike. Medium sized rocks on part of the path were hard on my knee. Hubby had to actually help me up one rugged hill. The exit of the trail was a ways from where we parked; hubby went to get the truck and let me rest a bit. We came back to the camp having walked over 10,000 steps, ~4.3 miles. Hubby finished heating our meatball “boats” while I showered. I think I got too close to a poison oak plant and wanted to scrub off any that may have gotten on me. Our meal was a very late lunch; we won’t need dinner. Nap time. Hope you are ready for another great weekend. Stay safe. Thanks for your visit. “Walks in nature lead to unexpected discoveries and joy, always” – Unknown