A Gully Washer

I'm not the type to go hiking with my dogs often because, frankly, I'm not really the type to hike in general. I prefer reading and solving crossword puzzles. But, you can't burn too many calories solving puzzles, so once in a while I force myself to get out and take the dogs on a nice walk in the woods. It's good for them to see different scenery and smell different smells. And once there, I always enjoy the woods, the  beautiful views, the fresh air, and even the invigorating exercise.

Yesterday was maybe not the wisest day to go on a hike, since it was 96 degrees and so humid it felt like the air was sitting on my shoulders. But my husband and I got the dogs together and met our son and Zeke out at Bennett Hill Preserve in Clarksville, NY. Where's Clarksville, you ask? Well, I've lived in this area for nearly 30 years and had never heard of it either. It's a little rural village south of Albany NY near the Helderberg Mountains.

As we started out, we heard loud thunder rumbling. Even though I expressed my opinion that maybe a crossword puzzle was the safer option for the day, the others weren't concerned and so we continued on our adventure.

We hiked well-maintained trails up a decent incline for about 40 minutes. Kelly, Ike and Zeke were loving it! Tails wagging, ears flapping, and of course tongues hanging out a mile.

When the thunder grew louder and I could see light rain starting in the cow pasture below (I couldn't yet feel any rain under the dense canopy of trees) I convinced the guys that we should head back. We did, and got to the car just as the skies opened up.

What ensued was a flash flood and hard rain that, back home in Vermont, we called a gully washer. Visibility driving home was not great, and the car tires kicked up huge waves as we went along.

The dogs were exhausted and happy with the outing. And that's what it's all about!