up and down and all around

Even with our seasonal lazies, and coming off of a busy weekend, Ed and I could not, would not waste this remarkable day of sunshine and warmth. 66F (19C) is a November meteorological anomaly to be sure. Can't hope to see another day of its kind until spring.  Knowing it was coming, Ed and I actually discussed the possibilities all weekend long: where to go, given our dislike of long drives,  on a most beautiful November day?

Part of the problem is that November brings with it the hunting season. You're not likely to be shot, but you do have to dress in Halloween orange and, too, you're likely to come across people with dead animals and/or rifles. It just takes the thrill out of a forest walk. 

So I set (more like cajoled and begged) Ed to search out a no-hunting-nearby-and-not-too-well-known-to-us hiking destination. I thought it would be an empty set, but lo! He found one! 

It's fairly new -- acquired by Dane County Park System only in 2016. No wonder we'd never heard of it. It's called the Morton Forest and it's located in the Driftless Area -- to the south and west, so with lots of hills and vales. 

This was our day then: a quick morning walk for me...

Breakfast, with Ed still finishing up his research...

And soon after, a 38 minute drive to the Forest.

Even in this late season, where most of the trees are in their final stage of leaf shedding, it is stunningly beautiful. There are three peaks, and each one has a nifty bench for you to plop down on so that you can take in your setting. We'd read that the climb is stiff -- not one for seniors or young children. Meh. It was not a big deal.

Want to walk with us? Three summits and lovely forested paths to connect them all. There are prairie fields as well, but these, of course, don't show off as well now. Still, the entirety gets high marks from us!

On the final peak, as we sat back and looked out on the view rolling lazily before us, with the sun coming at us to the left, and the utter silence surrounding us from all sides, I murmured that the few minutes sitting absolutely still up there was truly bliss. Total relaxation. No spa treatment could feel this good!

We walked all the trails -- every loop, every up and down. It wasn't that long -- maybe a couple of hours. A wonderful new place to consider when you just want to be in the quiet of a forest, alone, at peace with the world.

It is true that you can shatter that peace by picking up the newspaper upon your return. For who knows what reason I read the very well written article in the Wash Po on human cruelty to animals. Specifically -- to dogs. Heartbreaking. I almost told Ed that we should adopt one of those sad neglected animals. Almost but not quite. I thought about the cats. There are many forms of animal torture in this world, one of them would be to sic our six wild cats on an unsuspecting hapless pooch. Sense prevailed. A donation to the Humane Society or PETA for their work on rescue interventions is a much better idea.

Evening. Thinking now of animals, and forests and of all the good people in this world (there are many)...

With love.