Now that the weather is cooling down, I am back to focusing more on hiking and less on biking. My leg muscles are still making the adjustment however.
This week took me to Fort Yargo State Park in Winder. It is build around a reservoir lake on the site of a fort constructed in 1792 to provide protection against Indians.
This particular park has trails for use by both mountain bikers and hikers. There are two trail loops circling the lake; an inner loop and an outer loop. I began counter clockwise on the inner loop, which keeps the lake in site most of the time.
The trail is fairly flat, but still makes for an interesting hike, except when one has to dodge the mountain bikes. I made it around the a portion of the lake, passed through the wilderness camping area, and crossed over a fishing bridge to the other side of the lake. This is where the
map provided by the park failed me. A portion of the lake is omitted from their map, so I found myself in a different spot that I thought. When I came to a sign announcing "thrill hill", I figured out I was on a section used mostly by bikers. I retraced my steps, and got back on track.
A mile after getting my bearings again, I crossed the long earthen dam that forms the lake out of a small creek. The lake itself did not appear to be low on water (I wish we could borrow some for Lanier). Following the dam, I came to a portion of the RV campground, where the map once again became nebulous. I managed to find my way through, and continued on the inner trail picking up from the edge of the campground.
Shortly after rejoining the trail, I came to a fork, and was not sure which way to go. One direction followed the lake closely, and had a foot bridge, leading me to believe it must the the proper way. I crossed the bridge, and hiked along looking well ahead for clues about whether I was on the right path. I suddenly stopped short, having come close to stepping on a 6 foot snake.
I backed off, and threw a couple of items in his direction to encourage him to move. He seemed to think he had more right to the trail than I did, and I was not in the mood to argue the point, so I turned around and took the other path, which turned out to the the right one after all. Remind me to thank the snake!
The trail eventually intersected with a paved nature walk, which took me back the to trail head. Not my favorite hike to be sure, but a good way to spend a beautiful day.
This week took me to Fort Yargo State Park in Winder. It is build around a reservoir lake on the site of a fort constructed in 1792 to provide protection against Indians.
This particular park has trails for use by both mountain bikers and hikers. There are two trail loops circling the lake; an inner loop and an outer loop. I began counter clockwise on the inner loop, which keeps the lake in site most of the time.
The trail is fairly flat, but still makes for an interesting hike, except when one has to dodge the mountain bikes. I made it around the a portion of the lake, passed through the wilderness camping area, and crossed over a fishing bridge to the other side of the lake. This is where the
map provided by the park failed me. A portion of the lake is omitted from their map, so I found myself in a different spot that I thought. When I came to a sign announcing "thrill hill", I figured out I was on a section used mostly by bikers. I retraced my steps, and got back on track.A mile after getting my bearings again, I crossed the long earthen dam that forms the lake out of a small creek. The lake itself did not appear to be low on water (I wish we could borrow some for Lanier). Following the dam, I came to a portion of the RV campground, where the map once again became nebulous. I managed to find my way through, and continued on the inner trail picking up from the edge of the campground.
Shortly after rejoining the trail, I came to a fork, and was not sure which way to go. One direction followed the lake closely, and had a foot bridge, leading me to believe it must the the proper way. I crossed the bridge, and hiked along looking well ahead for clues about whether I was on the right path. I suddenly stopped short, having come close to stepping on a 6 foot snake.
I backed off, and threw a couple of items in his direction to encourage him to move. He seemed to think he had more right to the trail than I did, and I was not in the mood to argue the point, so I turned around and took the other path, which turned out to the the right one after all. Remind me to thank the snake!The trail eventually intersected with a paved nature walk, which took me back the to trail head. Not my favorite hike to be sure, but a good way to spend a beautiful day.
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