Our first hike of the season as the trails have just finally
re-opened providing us a much-needed change of scenery. It seems like many an unexpected delay has
kept us from the trails over the years – broken bones, personal and family
illness, and simply good old conflicting schedules, but never in our imaginations
did we consider a pandemic. To quote a much-used
word – unprecedented!
We set off, as we usually do, bright and early. Especially
this time since we had a long drive and no ability to stay anywhere due to
social distancing. Arriving at our start point the day was already warm and just
a beautiful day for a hike. Maybe a tad warm - but no bugs!
We missed taking our normal group picture at the start of
the trail (my arms are not long enough for a social distanced selfie), so Nancy’s
husband took a picture before we set off on our drive.
Our hike would take us over a diverse landscape of hardwood
forest which had a beautiful carpet of trilliums at their peak; through coniferous
forests with a soft cushion of needles; through the Bognor Marsh (great place for bird watching), and a long stretch along the road. Always the road seems the hardest even though
it is undoubtedly the fastest. We all
prefer the actual trail.
It is always good to find gear that makes hiking a little
more comfortable. A good backpack, a
good hydration bladder, breathable fast dry clothes and of course a wicked pair
of hiking boots. This time Valerie
brought an unusual item with her – a SHE PEE – which she tested for the first
time on the trail and is happy to report success!
