Hike: Portions of the Red & Black Trails, Swayback Bridge Trail, near Wetumpka, AL, Saturday, 07/06/2013, 09:45-12:15CDT
Distance: 5 miles Rating: 5/5
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Mild temps. Steady, light rain through most of hike. Has been raining like this for the last couple of days! I am so thankful for the rain!!! Needless to say, trails are wet and muddy. A few blow-downs but none impassable.
Thoughts/Observations:
Shared the trails with a mountain biker at the start of my hike (and 4 additional cars were in the parking lot when I completed my hike) - otherwise no one else braved the rain to enjoy GOD's forest refreshed by a summer shower..
Chipmunks and gray squirrels were busy despite the rain. There must have been a thousand spider webs across the trails -- and I busted through each one.
As you might expect, mushrooms were in abundance because of the rains. Shrooms of all sizes and colors dotted the forest floor. The splatter of rain on the forest canopy was a beautiful symphony to my ears. The forest even smells better after a good rain.
I started to wear Frogg Toggs for the hike but opted instead to hike the trail without any rain gear. Yes, I got a little wet but the forest canopy shielded me from most of the heavier cascades. I thoroughly enjoyed my summer-time rain hike. It was a special, prayerful time of worship, communion, and thought.
Gear List:
- KaBar Eskabar
- JAZZ digital camera
- 1qt Canteen/cup/holder
- ESK Lite
- RedHead Goretex Hikers (Yes... rain gear for my feet!)
- Polyester tshirt
- Cotton hiking shorts
- Cotton Do-Rag
- EDC
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