Two walks in two seasons

There's already plenty that's been said about the spectacular weather on this, the first day of spring. What seems so far away is last week's walk in the cold and rain and wind and snow.
On Saturday, March 13, Mike, Lynn, Tess, Sandra, and yours truly joined perhaps 100 folks for the 10th annual St. Patrick's Day Run/Walk to raise money for the Barton Center for Diabetes Education and, specifically, for Tess to attend the Barton camp this summer. We raised $800.

Indoor pictures only because my hands were too cold to operate the camera outside.

Did I mention that we walked in the cold and rain and wind and snow?
There were serious runners in skimpy outfits, serious walkers dressed in wet-weather gear, and the rest of us, grateful for the free ponchos that the organizers provided.
We started off with a walk to the top of a hill and back, followed by a mile or so of sloping decline that meant just one thing - we'd be coming back uphill at the end. We talked and dodged puddles, keeping a good pace because others were doing the same. Folks in warm trucks traveled with us to see if anyone needed help.
The shoulder along the highway was narrow, requiring that we walk single-file much of the way.
The hill that brought us back to the Center isn't much when you're in a car, but after an hour in the cold and rain and wind and snow, well, it is much. If I was walking for myself, I would have stopped and found a ride, but I wasn't so, so I kept going.
We were rewarded with a nice buffet lunch and a chance to talk some more with the people who'd befriended us along the way. Tess saw some folks she knew from last summer.
As we left, we looked around, we were warmed by the thoughts of the girls swimming and singing and laughing in the summer time.
Jumping ahead to this week, the temperature has nearly doubled and the sun is bright. Sandra, Marley, and yours truly took a walk through some local woods.

As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'

But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!
http://www.arlo.net/resources/lyrics/this-land.shtml

There are just a few clumps of snow hidden in the shade. The river is still running strong, but the mud on the shore shows how much the level has dropped. The pussy willows are budding.
Marley was slow today, good-natured as always, but walking where he'd normally run. We chose trails that had fewer hills, but we still had to contend with a couple of inclines. A stream crosses the path at one point. Marley went to the edge and waded in for a drink. He misjudged the depth and went in chest-deep. I was getting ready to lift him out when he muscled his way back to the firmament.
Tired and wet, but seemingly happy, he kept pace with us the rest of the way, stopping only briefly to chat with Misty, the two-year-old Lab who'd come down from the neighbors' house to visit.
Whatever keeps us going, I guess, keeps us going.