Fort Custer Rec Area

July 11, 2022

Augusta, MI

It’s 11am when we roll into the park. I take us straight to the lakeshore because I promised Gob a morning swim and we are running out of morning hours. Unfortunately for him, the beach is dotted with signs that read “No Dogs Allowed”. He tries to play the “I can’t read” card, but I remind him that I’m in charge, and I’m a stickler for the rules. We follow the sidewalk, thinking that it will eventually lead us to a spot for Gob to jump in. We are wrong. So we turn around. Backtracking past the beach, Gob gazes longingly at the water. The sidewalk ends at the boat dock. We continue in the grass for a bit. And finally Gob follows the sound of ducks through a clearing and into the water. Happy at last.

But I am never one to loligag. We have miles of trail ahead of us to hike. And the summer sun is beating down on us. I load Gob back into the car and we head to our trailhead.

We haven’t been on the trail for long before I notice a scuttle by my feet. I ask Gob to assist me in finding the culprite, but he is no use. Eventually I discover the tiniest little toad, barely the size of my fingernail. We croak a quick hello, then hop our separate ways. An old silo marks our quarter-way point. Followed by Gob’s favorite distance marker, a body of water. He, of course, takes a nice long dip before reluctantly joining me for the second half of our hike.

Little did he know, this lucky dog would have ample opportunity to splash. Because the second half of our hike snaked us between two lakes. The thick wildflowers and weeds did little to deter him from getting in the water.