There was no question that this continuing heat mitigated against our continuing our normal habit of going out in the afternoon for our daily ramble in the woods with Jackie and Jillie. We headed right out to the ravine this morning soon after getting out of bed. We took the time to have our pups outdoors in the backyard for a short while to relieve themselves after their long night's sleep, and I set the table for breakfast and did a few pre-breakfast preparations, then we set off.

No breeze to lighten the heat settling in. There were some nice white clouds to obscure the heat of the sun from time to time, but no overall cloud cover. That occurred at some point during the night before, when it had rained as we could see from the accumulation of rainwater on our backyard deck and with the pathways in the back just beginning to dry.

Our decision to 'seize the day' puzzled Jackie and Jillie at first since the routine they're accustomed to has been somewhat upset, but they soon got the picture and were eager to get out into the woods. Once there the morning heat seemed a little less oppressive under the forest canopy. But still no breeze to move the air about.

Even though it was still early in the morning, almost nine because we like to sleep in, some of the forest vegetation was already in visible wilt. And we could certainly sympathize. A heat buildup when the temperature soars to 32C is not exactly comfortable. Our pups have become a little more civilized with age; they're now almost four years old. So they no longer rampage down the trails barking furiously any time they hear something ahead, which is a relief.

We came across a few other hikers with their companion dogs during the hour-and-a-half we were out, only one of whom we're familiar with. Perhaps the others regularly make their trek through the forest during morning hours. Some of the large dogs, perhaps three of the five we saw this morning, head straight for the creek to give their over-heated paws some relief in its cool waters.

Two hound mixes that were really pretty mellow in temperament wanted to be petted and they were absolutely drenched. When one tried to pass through my legs for a short-cut I could feel my leg pants getting pretty wet in the peculiar passage that took me by surprise; some dogs like to do that kind of thing for some odd reason. A momentary coolness prevails and then discomfort.

For the most part, however, we had the trails to ourselves. And as usual we saw quite a few little landscapes easy to miss if attention is not given them. From seeing one of the red baneberry bushes already in the process of its berry cluster turning its characteristic bright red, to buttercups, and daisies. In one part of the forest partridgeberry has clustered on the forest floor, and this was the first time I'd ever seen the colony in bloom.

Elsewhere we discovered the presence of ground raspberries already ripe. We had earlier mistaken them for wild strawberries. The fruit of the raspberry shrubs is only now beginning to evidence itself; it will take to the end of the month before they become ripe. But the ground raspberry is ripe red, juicy and ready to eat, so we picked some and Jackie and Jillie enjoyed them, minuscule as they are.

Hazelnut shrubs this year as a ubiquitous part of the forest understory have outdone themselves in the production of hazelnuts. We've never seen so many before in previous years. Evidently a function of the greater amount of moisture in the melting winter snowpack and ongoing rain events encouraging a bumper crop of hazelnuts. Which the forest squirrels will doubtless make quick work of as usual once they ripen.

Really, it's fascinating strolling through the forest trails where so many things take our interest. One hiker went by while we were picking the raspberries, wondering what we were doing. When we mentioned the ripe berries, he shrugged disinterestedly and carried on....