Harper's Ferry Winter Hike

This weekend we had a big snow on Saturday, so big that we couldn't really go anywhere in the car. So it was an afternoon to suit up in the jackets and go for a walk in the neighborhood. Fozzie feels about sledders and skiers about the same way he feels about skateboarders, so I decided to put his head halter on to manage him a bit better. 

Which meant that he got the implacable urge to rub his head against something to scratch the head halter itch, which meant that he became a snowplow. 

The good thing was, he couldn't get too demonstrative even when Florian himself took off on the sled, 



which I think upset him even more than watching a stranger move in such an unusual way.









Sunday dawned clear and warmer, a perfect day to go enjoy the snow on some trail a bit farther from home. We ended up at Harper's Ferry, one of my favorite places. 

A very scenic, historic town with beautiful architecture, nestled in the crook at the confluence of the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers. 

A bunch of trails converge on Harper's Ferry, 

including the Appalachian Trail, the Maryland Heights Trail--where we went years ago with Fozzie, Lamar, and Sandy--and the C&O Canal Towpath, which you can follow all the way down to Georgetown, DC or up all the way to Pittsburgh.

We crossed a bridge to C & O Canal Trail, for a nice flat hike that would be easier in the snow. 

It was so bright and sunny, and such a relief after the ghastly weather we've been having to enjoy the relative warmth.

The dogs were in high spirits, especially Fozzie who loves the snow and who despite his short pittie fur does not seem very sensitive to the cold. 

There was still a fair amount of snow on the ground and even though it was flat and we weren't out that long, the pups got nice and tired.

I am so grateful to live in a place where dramatic natural beauty is so accessible! And to have canine and human family members who enjoy being out in it as much as I do.