The beauty of living on the mountain is having acres of wilderness in our backyard, including the Appalachian Trail. On the days when I work from home I try my best to carve out a half hour or so to stretch my legs. There are a variety of paths I can take, some of which have small streams that I have to cross. Peppermint loves these walks the best because of her affinity for water and getting as muddy as possible. The leaves crunched beneath our feet today as we traversed the trail, and they made for a beautiful orange and brown pathway that led us through the woods. It won’t be long before winter will arrive and we’ll take fewer hikes, so it was a nice day to take advantage of an energetic dog and a balmy mid-November afternoon.