Hope Haven Farm, Part 2

 I continued down the tractor trail in the woods until it petered out, and started looking for an easy way forward.  The staff needed a wide trail to allow for both a horse and rider, and people walking on each side for safety.  But they also wanted to minimize tree cutting, so I was looking for a route that could be wide with minimal clearing. 

From my point of view, the woods was fascinating.  I've always loved how young Beech saplings hold on to their leaves.

This old log was a tapestry of beautiful mosses.

This is a tinder fungus, also known as the Iceman fungus.  When dried it can be used as tinder to start fires.  Pieces of this fungus were found in a fire-lighting kit carried by Otzi the Iceman, a 5000 year old mummy found frozen in ice in the Austrian Alps in 1991.  That's a fascinating story in its own right.  I always think of the Iceman when I see this fungus; it's fairly common along the Bruce Trail.

As I worked my way out to the edge of the woodlot I came on a few stretches of old fences, both cedar-rail fences, and a well built but overgrown old stone fence.

I left hoping that the managers at Hope Haven would find the trail I had flagged useful, though I knew that any work on it would wait until spring.  Then I entered the hospital, had surgery, became paralyzed and never got back to see the results.