For me, this was a lowland hike in the wet to check off another section of my Pass-to-Home route. This length of trail would link the portion where I left off in 2020 to a frequently accessed area I'd visited many times before. I like completing things so this would be good.
For Tinkham, it was a hike so it would be good. (I so envy her simple approach to life: Do things that you like.) (I don't envy her sniffing butts, though.)
We climbed hard and fast to get to the lake where we'd turn to the east and put feet to new trail. We found yet another bee hive/wasp nest, but this time sprinted past fast enough to avoid being attacked. We got to the lake as people who'd been there overnight were just waking up.
Beyond the lake, I watched the map to make sure we kept going in the right direction. I needn't have bothered; there were few opportunities to make wrong turns.
Since it was Tinkham's birthday, she got the chance to swim in every lake, pond, stream, and swamp we passed. She always loves swimming (and would have been allowed even if it wasn't her birthday) so it was hard to imagine her too much happier. We even went semi-off-trail to an infrequently visited lake that turned out to be really nice.
As usual, we had to return home at some point so after we linked up this track with the one from last year, we turned around and swam in all the lakes again. Plus, we ate a TON of berries that were perfectly ripe.
If I'd been able to ask Tink if she had a good birthday, I think she'd have said yes. Strike that. She would definitely have said yes. Her smile tells me so.
