New Friends

Today's hike near Canton started out with a nice, foggy atmosphere.

These folks are not deterred by a little fog and a few hills.

There's a lot of beauty to be seen on a foggy, spring morning.

Even monochromatic, dormant apple orchards look interesting with fog in the distance.

Our club has welcomed a lot of new hikers since the pandemic. The majority of today's hikers have joined in the past year or two. New friends are being made on each outing.

When we pre-hiked this route 5 days ago, there was a serious ice ledge along the side of the Ganaraska River. Just a hint of its former iciness this morning.

Can you see the lingering snowbank at the top of this hill?

With 27 hikers, we tended to stop quite often to stay together. No one is ever left behind.

There they are! Do you see them in the distance?

I should have told them that that was their last hill.

We headed back towards the cars via Kellogg Road. How can you not want to stop and see these beautiful horses?

And, it looks like they were happy to see us too. Looks like they want to be friends.

Living horses and painted horses, this hike has it all.

One last view of the muddy Ganny.....

.... and a tiny waterfall that will some day make its way into the river.

You never know what you will see on a hike in these hills.

A couple of hikers mentioned that they want to do this hike again on their own. Below is a map of where we went.

And, for the new friendships formed on these hikes, here's a thought:

“Friendship is unnecessary,

like philosophy,

like art....

It has no survival value;

rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.”

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves