LOST for 30" in ONE of DURHAM's suburban forests!

With a relaxed start to our days on Wednesdays, I Handler, Barbara) thought we would take a 'detour' through the forest, which is sliced-in-half by railway tracks and bubbling brook running "beside it"; a new subdivision to teh north of the tracks and the Hospital to the south. One couldn't possibly get LOST!!!
Well! Little did I realized the southward BEND the rail-line took! Crossing the brook , then tracks (going north)and I then took the oft-travelled path to the west -I had not noticed exactly WHEN the tracks stopped following along-side us! I was impressed how Obee wandered ahead on, nose down, obviously recognizing scent ... or SO I THOUGHT!!!
Indeed, I was following Obee, not realizing the path ahead was 'disappearing'! I lifted my head so as to see from under a well-pulled-down Stetson brim and realized we had wandered into a dried-up swamp!
Looking ahead towards a clearing, I tried to maitain a SOUTHWARD direction but I had to coax Obee to follow behind me in the 4 feet high bull-rushes! He too realized we were "lost"!
Thank goodness for my knee high red, rubber HUNTERS, as I walked, toe-turned-out, so as to break a path on which Obee could follow.
... but the TRACKS were not in the clearing! This venturing through increasingly dense underbrush and swamp grass happened THREE times - I was beginning to think I was going in circles! ... and poor Obee ! Twice he just stopped and would go not further! Each time I had to whre i could see him and encourage him to follow!
No doubt he was doubting my Alpha-Dog leadership!
"Could he not SMELL me from down amongst the weeds?, I wondered!
FINALLY ... the tracks ... heading in what I thought was a straight path due east!!!
With the odd command, "STAY PATH, Obee", I stepped, rather slowly now!
I lost Obee twice, he veering off to recognized paths into the woods.
"I'm, STAYING PATH, Obee! No more explorations this morning!"
I had not been this far WEST on the tracks before and after about 5 minutes of walking, the tracks took a rather sharp turn south
(It's no wonder I got lost ... I am lost in telling the story!
What was supposed to be a 20" Widdle Wander turned out to be a 50 minute leg-scratching (of course I was in Basketball-length shorts!) bothersome seed-in-boots walk!

I I have YET to settle-down for my pm NAP!!
So much for writing about it ... you really had to be there
Espresso + chocolate and THEN NAP!!!