Hike: Mountain Creek, Sunday, 9/9/2012, 14:30-16:30
Distance: approx. 4 miles Rating: 5/5
Difficulty: Easy
Conditions: Bright blue, clear afternoon sky. Light breeze. Moderating temperature, although it is still "very warm". Lower humidity. Trails in excellent shape. A few "blow downs" in the forest from recent storms but nothing to impede travel.
Thoughts/Observations:
Enjoyed a peaceful, although energizing, Sunday afternoon hike. Sunday afternoon hikes are a rare event for me. I usually do not have time between services, meetings, and responsibilities to enjoy such a treat, but today was different! With almost three hours of "free-time", I hastily packed and pointed CHI-J north on US31 to Mountain Creek.
The trails were dry, recently mowed, and free of blow-downs. Quite a few people were utilizing the pavilions of the park for gatherings but the trails were free of the human "hustle-bustle".
I enjoyed the company of many woodpeckers, passarines, and butterflies. I startled at least one chipmunk in the pine upland forest. The purple of the American Beauty Bush was as beautiful as always. A few Goldenrods were starting early on their annual bloom. One small tree (unfortunately I am not certain on it's ID) was in vivid Fall red (see the pic above).
The lower humidity, forest smells, red foliage, and early Goldenrods made me crave Autumn even more!
Great opportunity today to fellowship with my CREATOR in the midst of HIS forest.
