Hiking with Friends!

Sunday, we went to the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area for another long wear the dog out hike.  This time we went with a friend who has a Weimaraner, named Otto.  Last summer, Shadow got to meet Otto on his first playdate.  That really wore Shadow out so we were hopeful this time would be also!
The leaves at this elevation are at peak or very nearly.  This time I focused less on the digital macro and more on the canopy above.  At times I felt like I was looking at stained glass.  With some of the trees, I did have a feel of a cathedral.In general, hikes in SC are all about the destination.  There can be prettiest along the way, but there’s a set of falls or a breathtaking view at the end that one is going for.  This hike was different in that it followed the Middle Tyger River which meant there were many falls to see and hear. While this is all beautiful, the main objective is wearing out the dogs.  So does this face look worn out???So we resorted to throwing sticks into the water. The river generally washed away sticks we threw in, so then it became just find any old stick.  Otto won first prize in fishing out a tree and bringing it back to us to “throw in” again!  Can you imagine the jaws and the neck he must have???Otto and Shadow were still chasing each other at the end of the 5 hours, but we weren’t in the car more than 10 minutes before Shadow snuggles in… Score two big ones for the humans!

Conestee Nature Park

Day two of wearing out the Shadow dog consisted of a two hour hike at Conestee Nature Park. We had not been there before, but it is convenient to home and we like adventures. This was once a lake and it slowly has been filled with dirt/trash/etc and a restoration project began years ago. It's now marshland, which is unusual to see in the upstate of SC.

The Reedy River still runs through here

and a number of creeks could be found.

And of course with a great deal of water, there comes lots of birds and flowers. We didn't see any of the birds promised at the entrance - nor the copperhead snakes thank God - but the flowers were out to meet us. Unlike other bloggers, I have no idea what these are, but I was playing with my digital macro and thought I would share - If you have names for them go for it and share!

Wait I do know this one - Rose of Sharon!

Shadow did have a good time and favored us with laying around quietly for the rest of the afternoon! Enough so that I did get some weaving done this weekend and I'll share later.