….or perhaps I should call it “The Thursday Hikers Go Outside to Play”. We are still unused to these amazing Spring conditions as we were so recently needing to decide if we should wear spikes or snowshoes. So we headed to the wettest and muddiest place of all and lallygagged among the skunk cabbages and false hellebores, poked around in small streams, found blue Hepatica in bloom, found ramps(but didn’t eat them), and stopped for a long time listening to a Water Thrush singing. It’s actually in the photo that just looks like a lot of trees. We had remembered binoculars, so it was , well, a uniquely wonderful experience. Coming upon a rather long bridge across a pretty wide stream we decided to test its tensile strength, i.e. “How Many Hikers Can This Bridge Hold?” It did get a bit bouncy, but we all made it over without it collapsing….even with the fooling around that happened on it! A spooky old sugar maple encased in bittersweet vines, and an owl pellet at the base of a tree, were sights near the end of the hike. Then on to lunch at funky Cushman’s Market where I had the “El Nino” – a grilled cheese and tomato sandwich on slabs of toasted wheat bread. Hiker Deb, who has been in Florida all winter, surprised and delighted us by joining us for lunch. Happy Happy Springtime to you all, Love, Penny 
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