Savage Groundcovers of Hanging Rock State Park

Today was a beautiful day for a hike, and Hanging Rock State Park was only a 45-minute drive away. Or it would have been if we hadn't missed a turn, so it also became a beautiful day for a 75-minute drive in the country.

Sam is the only one of our children who enjoys hiking, so, with the girls otherwise occupied, Laurette, Sam, the dogs and I had a fine afternoon.

We followed the Indian Creek trail, which approximately follows the creek as it meanders toward the Dan River.

When we started breaking through big spiderwebs after the first mile, we realized that nobody else had walked the trail today, and decided to let the dogs off their leashes. They turned out to be natural hikers, staying on the trail, waiting for us to catch up before going around any blind curves, and constantly checking on us to make sure we were all staying together. I attribute their good behavior to their herding pedigree.

On the trail there were no breathtaking vistas, but quite a lot of subtle pleasures. I really do like groundcovers.

Sam enjoyed taking pictures with his new camera.

And Laurette enjoyed seeing the dogs enjoy themselves. They're on the leash here lest they jump off the rock outcrop. They really loved splashing in Indian Creek.

Then home. A good day.

Update: more (and better) pictures of our hike from Sam.