Cooper the dog walks the snowmobile trail connecting Pinnacle Road and Holmes Lake Road in the Shaker Mountain Wild Forest.

It was a sunny spring day and my bike was ready. With an early start, I could ride all the way to …

Cooper the dog lay by the door with expectant eyes. Marcy, our 13-year-old pit bull, also ambled over and I tried to distribute petting equally. Marcy would be happy to nap and follow the patch of sunlight around the living room all day, but the youthful Cooper had energy to burn.

I swapped bike shorts for hiking pants and Cooper and I headed north to explore Holmes and Bellows lakes in the Shaker Mountain Wild Forest.

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A parked logging truck blocked the dirt road leading to the trailhead parking area on Holmes Road. I either needed to wait for the driver to return or find another way. A quick map survey revealed a snowmobile trail on Pinnacle Road, two miles farther east, that connected with the Holmes Lake........

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