We spent a good six hours on the trail today. The skies threatened rain but didn't deliver. The presence of the clouds made temperatures a bit chillier than they were this time last week, making the kids shiver and gripe. We did at one point pass a couple coming down the trail with their cute little four month old baby, all wide-eyed and bundled up against the cold. I love it when I see parents exposing their babies to the world beyond the suburbs.

I finally managed to get to this Redwood grove that I'd been meaning to visit for a couple of months now. It's a mere five minute walk beyond my usual turn around place, but well worth a visit. We ran into one of the other groups there, just as they were leaving. The other field instructor managed to twist his ankle just after his group passed us, and had to walk all the way back down the mountain afterwards. I guess I'm not the only one to have bad luck on thursdays. I hope it heals quickly.

There seemed to be newts every ten steps or so, and Banana slugs every fifteen. The rain brings them out of their holes by the hundreds. There were a couple of close calls between campers' feet and crawling newts. This is where camouflage works against them. I'm not sure why they're camouflaged anyway. They're too poisonous to eat, unless you're a Garter snake.

At home, The Dickens peed in the heater vent. What next?