A Walk in the Woods of Augusta

It's early morning and we're going on a walk behind our house in Augusta. Care to join us?

It's very important for you to dress properly if you walk in the Maine woods in July.

The gear, modeled here by DP (with Cooper), begins with a mosquito net for your head.

A long sleeved shirt (this one is a special mosquito proof shirt), long pants, water proof boots (DP wears Muck Boots) and light weight gloves to cover your hands. Dogs and leashes are optional.

For additional ammo against the 30 odd deer flies and innumerable mosquitoes which will surround you during this adventure, a dabble of Buzz-off ecofriendly insect repellent is a must (okay for dogs, too)!

We'll steer clear of the bogs and swamp areas as much as possible today.

The area was recently logged by the owner (our land lord).

This is my favorite shot from the outing and is now my wallpaper. I love the mix of rich textures and lush greens against the starkness of the fallen tree with a misty background.

That's Buzz in the lower left.

This is where some turkeys slept the night before. 

We didn't see them, but the dogs enjoyed a bit of turkey scat (yuk)!

All sorts or wildflowers sprinkle color here and there (this is where most bloggers will name the flowers in the picture...um, I think there are some clover, hens and chicks, no, butter and eggs...yeah, well never mind that).

 Hey, I know these are daisies and little yellow things!

Anyway, this is our destination, a boardwalk courtesy of Central Maine Power.

They are replacing the power lines and poles. 

The boardwalk makes a temporary road with a lot less destruction to the environment.

Cooper, still on leash, Stanze to the right and Buzz and Rex on point.

 Okay, here is a picture of me...It's okay, I laughed when I saw it too :). This boardwalk is the reason why I'm able to make this trek, as it makes it easy on the ankles. 

See the turkey feather sticking out of my breast pocket?

It's a souvenir for the kitties.

The boardwalk is very simply constructed.

This is a fledgling osprey in his nest, watching us carefully.

...and here is his mommy.

A smidgen of red breaks through the greens.

Oh, look! These are cat-o-nine-tails!

Although not the best looking ones I've ever seen.

Here is the end of the road! 

DP usually keeps going and takes a left into a clearing through the woods and loops around. She makes this trek almost every day.

Today, we'll just turn around and walk back.

Thanks for joining us!

~Lisa