The trailhead was hidden and I drove by it two times. The directions were vague and I don't use my phone's GPS so I missed the road. One of those places that you discover and when you do it makes the added effort of trying to find it all worthwhile. I drove down a series of back roads, past some kind of government outpost, or whatever it was. There were tons of 360 view cameras facing the road and gates everywhere. Once I passed that, the trailhead was tucked back into the woods with very little signage.
There were very few people there, either because some sporting event was on TV, or this place was just incredibly well concealed. I studied the trail map for a few minutes and decided to try the five mile trail even though it was late in the day. I had come prepared with a pack full of some snacks and a couple of water bottles so I expected at least a few hours of hiking.
About a few minutes in, I looked up and saw a long procession of tall trees leading me into the wilderness. I was thinking about how many trails I have been on in this area and how this is the first time i've been on this one. I appreciated how out of nowhere life gives you these little treasures, a new thing to appreciate and discover.
I stopped hiking and listened; no noises, no people, no noisy engines or sounds of the city, just peace and silence. It was perfect.
The wildflowers are in bloom along the trail. All different colors. There is life everywhere. It was a nice sunny day for a hike. I took a break nearby a pond and took a couple of photos. There were a few minnows snapping up bugs and a cool breeze blew.
I still made good time and was hiking at a pretty good pace, but then I realized I wasn't the only one on the trail. I noticed a large millipede crawling across the trail. I saw these guys a few times in other areas, but now that I noticed this one, I started noticing them everywhere! Apparently even though they are not poisonous, they can cause quite a nasty rash if they start crawling on you.
I stopped to sit down on a nearby log after an hour or so to eat an apple and some granola. I was pretty sure I was about half done, but wasn't sure. I was only going off of a trail map and landmarks as well as my stopwatch.
Some fungus was on a rotted tree that looked like it fell several years ago. I am not really sure, but it most resembles a fungus called turkey tail.Thanks forest cops for providing me with this handy field guide with stolen funds!
“We need the tonic of wildness...At the same time that we are earnest to explore and learn all things, we require that all things be mysterious and unexplorable, that land and sea be indefinitely wild, unsurveyed and unfathomed by us because unfathomable. We can never have enough of nature.”― Henry David Thoreau, Walden: Or, Life in the Woods
The trail had some turns that, if you weren't careful, you could wind up walking the trail twice (10 miles). On long hikes my mind sometimes wanders off into deep thought and I miss a trailhead sign. Luckily, I noticed the arrows. It was long enough for me to start questioning whether I passed up the exit, but after about a half a mile, the trail spit me out at the small gravel parking lot where I started.
I hope you enjoyed walking the trail with me. All of us could use some time away from all the noise once in a while.
