When Hiking Have a Plan B

Today may have been a lesson in having a "Plan B"...  I had planned to hike the 4 or 7 mile trail at Swayback.  Upon arrival at the trail head I found about 200 people ready to start on the trails!  Today must have been "Attack on Swayback".  Needless to say, I was not keen on sharing the trail with that many other people.  One of the reasons I "get outdoors" is to seek peace and focus -- to be able to get away from the "noise" of the day and focus on what is important.  It is a time for me to worship and fellowship with GOD.  So I turned CHI-J around and headed back toward Wetumpka and Ft. Toulouse.

Hike: Ft. Toulouse State Historic Park, Wetumpka, AL  10/08/2011, 09:00-11:00
Distance: approx 4 miles  Rating: 4/5
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Bright blue sky.  Clear.  Light to moderate breeze.  Mild temps (70s).  Trails dry.  Some of vegetation showing signs of needing rain.  Rivers a little below normal level.  Tallapoosa River was a light brown rather than its normal aquamarine.
Thoughts/Observations:
Squirrels and passerines busy with Fall work.  Spooked two whitetail deer in the lowland area.  Encountered more people than usual on the trails here.  Guess they were enjoying the beautiful Fall weather.

Particularly enjoyed the open areas beyond the Indian Mounds and toward the confluence of the Coosa and Tallapoosa Rivers.  Golden Rod and a tall purple wild flowers were in vivid display, accompanied in spots by sprays of small white daisy-type flowers.  The air smelled and "felt" like Autumn - my time of year.

Spent a little time after hiking exploring Fort Toulouse and the re-created Indian homes.  I try to imagine what it would have been like to live here in the 1700s.  Challenging, pristine, and wild come to mind.