I’m sure you are all having naughty thoughts after reading the title of this post. Shame on you! This is a family blog!
However, we were quite excited when we saw the following sign on our most recent hike:
We waited expectantly for the advertised Lovers to appear! Hoping for Mr. Darcy, we were disappointed to learn that our Lovers would be plants!
In the spirit of “love the one you’re with,” we began to appreciate the stunning mature hardwoods along this stretch of trail. This soon led to amorous feelings (on the part of the Limeys – we’re not sure how the trees felt):
Who could resist such a handsome tree?
Deb and Dianne got close and personal with this giant oak.
Lynn and Mary know that a big guy needs someone to lean on!
Julie likes her trees tall and strong.
Louise found a set of identical twins!
Sarah enjoyed a threesome!
Having walked the trail in autumn, winter and spring, we appreciated the lush summer greenery of this section. We were surrounded by cool dappled shade and sweetly rustling leaves throughout the hike.
A footbridge in a verdant valley.
There had been a violent storm in the area two days prior to our hike and the damage was evident along the trail. It’s a tough life being a tree.
Not even a magical trio of white blazes could save this tree from the wind.
Also featured in the day’s hike were several gorgeous waterfalls.
The Limeys in front of Sherman Falls.
Sherman Falls
Hiking past Canterbury Falls.
One of the highlights of the day was a pot-luck picnic lunch. We were the envy of other hikers with our toothsome spread of delectable goodies.
The eyes eat first!
Happiness is a picnic lunch.
Our idyllic lunch spot was actually right beside the railroad tracks. We got a friendly toot from the engineer.
Now, there were several ladies amongst us who were not satisfied with the delicious picnic and went looking for more food:
Irene thought this fungus was a gourmet treat.
Dianne went foraging for raspberries.
Once again we were impressed by the quality of workmanship in the structures along the trail. This bridge had solidly-built stone pillars.
Sheila and Mary admiring the lovely bridge.
This was a lovely, easy hike with no hardships. It’s hard to believe that we once had days of clinging to icy toeholds and slipping on slushy mud. There were smiles all around at the end of this hike.
Irene, Trish, Julie
Ruth and Sydney
- Thanks everyone for a great hike. See you all again soon!
Once again, a wonderful day with a lovely group of “ladies”.
While we LOVED the trees, we couldn’t help but adore the low hanging fruit. raspberries and blackberries were abundant on the trail. Don’t forget the “not so low” cherries that we needed to use our walking sticks to pull down to grab. They were the sweetest tart cherries I have ever tasted — delectable.
Yes, the cherries were an unexpected treat. There was lots of urban foraging on this hike!
If we’re going to dedicate this hike to LOVERS, we can’t forget the geocache “Goin’ to the Chapel” GCH02G. This geocache was created as an engagement by “Team Ironman” to his true love. He wrote in the lid of the geocache “I love you. Will you marry me?” Thanks to the LLLs that helped me find it.
While I couldn’t say anything at the time, this was an emotional event for me because I knew that my oldest son was going to propose to his partner only 6 days later. Thanks for sharing this with me.