I love being back in our woods for any reason. I grew up on the southern edge of the Texas Panhandle between Lubbock and Amarillo. I think I have more trees on our 12 acres than in all of Hale County, Texas. My 3.5 or so acre wood lot is so dense that you can barely see into it in the winter when the leaves are gone- and virtually impossible to see more than a few feet when the trees are leafed out.
I have cut several winding walking trails back there and there is a good path along the property easements on three sides. All the paths are big enough to handle my little Husqvrna lawn tractor with a little wagon attached. Much of it, when you get off the path, is almost inaccessible due to thorny vines everywhere, as well as yaupon and other scrub. There is one area, almost dead center, that has a bunch of super size trees, including a giant cedar that I only discovered a few days ago. (pic and details in another thread.) I'd like to clear out that central area and build a little deck to make a hideaway retreat. It would be a good place to build a tree house for the grandkids, too. That's another thing I love about the woods. My city living granddaughters love it out there and like to explore the trails and be pulled in the wagon by the little tractor.
Our woods has provided us quite a bit of firewood over the past three years since I started cutting for myself. I won't cut a living tree but there have been, and still are, a few standing deads out there. Some are standing but rotted and you can see all the woodpecker holes in them. Rotted down trees remain as they are. I'm all for keeping a habitat for the birds and critters. Other firewood comes from storm damaged trees.
Kinda fun, and spooky, hearing the coyotes howling back there just a couple of minutes walk from the house. I leave them alone unless I see one come out of the tree line, then I fire off a .22 or a 16 gauge to scare them away. Don't want them near the house. Coyote vs Beagles wouldn't be pretty.
It's a wondrous thing to look out the back windows and see half a dozen, or more, deer creeping out of the trees into the back yard to eat acorns under an ancient oak.
Yep, I do love my woods. Hmmm. I think it's time to take a walk.