Monday, we head out to West Mountain State Forest for a trek among the trees to a quiet pond. We have a little trail finding difficulty but all ends well with a 6.13-mile walk. No bear but we do see bear tracks in the mud. The pond is lovely and as it is a weekday the trail very lightly used. Nice walk.
Tuesday it is off to Cat Rocks and on to Nuclear Lake along another section of the Appalachian Trail. This time we start at Dover Oak, the largest blazed tree on the AT. It Is a bit more challenging than other sections we have been on. There is a net elevation change of just 750 feet but we hike it as an out and back that crosses many ridges and valleys making the cumulative change closer to 1500 feet. I don’t think there was a level section! We catch a glimpse of a red fox shortly after we leave the trailhead. Along the way an out-cropping, Cat Rocks, provides a nice view of the valley and the rugged, rocky, and treed shoreline reflects beautifully in the still waters of Nuclear Lake. Rain is closing in and we are pretty tired so we save a walk around the lake for another day. Round trip totaled 6.5 miles. We are tired but content