Sunday marked my second day in a row I went on a hike with Mark. Normally I would have shut down my woods hiking at this point during the year, but he talked me into going. It was worth it. I also decided, because of this hike, to attempt a personal project.
My wife has had two different tick diseases (one she got where I was hiking today), and I think I have had one as well, but never confirmed. When the ticks come out, I go into hibernation mode for woods hiking. Mark had to go out and update a few of his geocaches, so he convinced me to go along. I sprayed my clothes with the best bug spray around, let it dry, then finished off my exposed areas (arms, neck, and under my pant legs below the knees) with regular bug spray. I was prepared as I was going to be, and might I add I didn’t have a tick or mosquito bite on me when I returned home.
I met Mark on Cold Friday Road at the Post-Oak Nature reserve parking area. He drove by my parked car, waved, then I started my Subaru up, pulled out behind his Jeep, and followed behind him on the road toward our destination. We made our way down the long twisty, partially paved road, passing the horse camp, over a few bridges, and eventually hitting the full gravel part of the road. Within moments we were then at our destination. The gates were locked and I read a sign that said no motor vehicles as I skirted around the gate and headed up the horse trail. The temperature was perfect. Low sixties with a slight breeze. That breeze came in handy later as the hills got our blood pumping and at least for me the sweat flowing. About ¼ mile down the trek we spotted a turtle on the path, and Mark slowly inched toward it and grabbed a snap before he/she retreated into its shell. We continued up and down hills until we reached the first geocache. Maintenance is done on it, we then moved on to the second. We discussed his upcoming trip to Florida, our upcoming trip to Georgia, and general discussions that we always have (photography, hiking, movies/tv, and a bit of politics).
About a mile and half in, we took the trail on the right and were soon in sight of the Indian Creek Shelter. The shelter is rated on a scale of 1-5, this one is a 4. The attachment describes the cabin as “Indian Creek Shelter – 4 (wooden floor, three walls, and a roof) This shelter, located on the bluffs above Indian Creek boasts a spectacular view.” Mark was telling me about a geocache he hid there once in a small cave he showed me, then we explored the shelter, area around it, including the overlook, then decided on the group shot as seen above. This shot was taken by Mark on his second attempt. The first attempt he tripped and the picture was not up to par. I sat there watching him set the camera, lean over to focus, hit the button, and run to his spot (both the tripping version and more stable version).
Inside the shelter Mark had me stand in the corner like at the end of the original Blair Witch movie trying to duplicate the girl in that scene for a picture. After the picture was taken, ironically to the right of me was written ‘Blair Witch” on the cabin wall with a symbol below it. Also, we discovered a headlamp, coffee can, two cans of food, a screwdriver in a sheath, and a small can used for a stove. The floor was dusty, but I imagined it would be a welcome place for hikers on a rainy, snowy, or cold windy day. There was a door but nothing to block the outside unless someone brought a tarp or blanket to cover the opening. A very nice cabin for its intended purposes.
As we started back to the vehicles I thought how much fun it might be to go take pictures of each structure along the Adventure Hiking Trail (AHT). There are five total and spread-out along the 25-mile trail. On the 3rd page of the attachment, there are seven green-house symbols listed, so it will take a bit of investigating to ensure what five are on the AHT. I know I have been to two already. I thought about it overnight and decided to ask Mark to join me on this challenge this upcoming fall or winter. He promptly said “sure”. Let the planning begin.
Sunday was a good day. I hiked about 3 miles, hung out with my buddy, enjoyed nature, the weather was almost perfect, I got a few snaps with my camera, and I got not a single tick or other bites. For me the little things in life keep me going. This is one for the memory books. A saying I heard somewhere, but cannot recall the author ran through my head as we started our adventure this day, next time I plan to vocalize it. “Thanks for the memories we are about to make.” Author unknown.
Until next time,
Tim
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