Distance: 3 miles Rating: 4/5 Difficulty: Moderate
Conditions: Very warm & muggy. Temps in low 80s. Light wind. Trails wet from recent rains. Some small limbs (blowdowns) from thunderstorms but no serious trail blockages. Encountered no other hikers today.
Thoughts/Observations:
Only one cell phone picture today -- I left the SD card out of the camera!
The forest was humid and damp from the last several afternoon/evening thunderstorms. Reminded me that this is a humid subtropical forest. The Braken ferns, Big Leaf Magnolias, and numerous mossy areas conjure up images of some primeval forest. The large boulders strewn about the landscape would provide ample protection from some prehistoric monster! Several of the boulders seem thrown together almost like a fort. My brother and I could really have made these wonderful fortresses had we grown up in this area.
Insects (mosquitoes, gnats, various flies, and ticks) thrive in this environment. Bring your DEET repellent if you plan to venture into the Southeastern summer forest.
Serenaded by birdsong throughout most of the hike. Also spent a lot of time removing spider webs from my face. It seems that spinning your web across the trail is a favorite past-time of many spiders near Lake Martin! Perhaps you did not realize that one of the functions of a hiking pole/staff is to break webs before you walk through them. :)
Lake Martin was a gorgeous aquamarine color. The lapping of waves stirred up by several ski boats, sounded a rhythmic cadence as I hiked lake-side. I noticed several trees tenaciously clinging to the shoreline, their foundations slowly and methodically undercut by the lake's wave action. They will soon join their submerged kin providing underwater habitats.
Thank YOU, LORD, for the beauty and peace of YOUR Creation. YOU are glorified in it.
Get out and Enjoy GOD's Great Outdoors.
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