Day Fifteen, July 19: "Treasured Friends and Campfires". Bayview Nature Reserve to Woodford, 18.2 km.

It's always sad to see Dan and the dogs drive away on Sunday mornings, and this week was no exception.  After delaying it as long as I could (hey, there's a geocache over there - better stop!), I headed into the woods once again.  

My friend Shannon was planning on joining me at the campsite later that day and I was very much looking forward to that. 

There is a minor reroute in this area due to landowners' wishes (no dogs on pasture land) not being respected.  It was done after I had designed my hike, and would have added too much mileage to tomorrow's hike, so I had incorporated some of the extra into yesterday's and today's hikes.

The terrain was great for hiking, with soft springy ground underfoot and few roots and rocks.  The leafy green forest was cool, and once again the wind served to keep the bugs down.  Sunlight filtered through the canopy and dappled the underbrush with gold. The effect was ethereal, almost magical.

Once, I stopped for a bit to admire the view at an overlook, when I heard the barely discernible sound of footsteps on soft ground.  I turned to see another solo hiker approaching.  An elderly man with a daypack was slowly ambling along the path. After we exchanged pleasantries, I lingered at the overlook a bit longer to allow him sufficient time to get ahead of me.

I passed by two couples towards the end of the hike.  One was the couple I had run into yesterday at the meadow, and I was happy to see that they were now wearing pants and bug jackets.  

Then I was on the path down to the camp, and Shannon came out to pick me up.  A lovely afternoon and evening ensued, ending with a campfire and a great sleep.