Sunday, June 25, 2017

Thankful Sunday--June 25, 2017

I am thankful for a walk in the woods.

Among the sweltering temperatures, frequent rains, and never-ending chores, it's been hard to find a good time to take a hike. However, yesterday I was able to make that happen.

In an attempt to beat the heat, Ward, Miss Landers, her dog, and I got an early start.  Besides beginning our outing in comfortable temperatures, we were also able to avoid the rain. The morning rain had just ended when we began and, in fact, I saw a rainbow. Everything worked out well during our hike and it was a great way to start the day. For this walk in the woods, I am thankful.

Here are a few pictures from our walk.

It was a good start to the day when I stepped out on my front porch and saw a rainbow in the sky before we even began the hike.


The first part of the trail was sunny and very narrow because the surrounding plants were invading it. 


However, we were soon in the woods where Ward stopped to tie his shoe.


We were on the blue trail, but we didn't really need trail markers. The path was wide and well established.


Unfortunately, we saw plenty mile-a minute vines and stilt grass (above and below the fungus), both invasive species. It brought back memories for me of fighting them at my old house.


We emerged one more time into the sun. Here we found lots of dried up grass. I think the very high, recent temperatures were more than it could handle. This grass also brought back memories of trying to get rid of it at my old house.


Although we left most of the poison ivy behind on the sunny part of the trail, we still found it in a few spots in the woods. This reminds me of poison ivy fights I'm having at my new house.


Miss Landers' dog had a great time investigating so many new things. There's nothing like the enthusiasm of a dog in the woods.



As we got closer to the stream, there was a proliferation of ferns.


At the end of the trail was an old schoolhouse. It looked like they were trying hard to keep vandals out. Tours are given once a month at the school and we're going to try to make the next one. 


In front of the school was a stream and we wondered about flooding. That's one of the questions we're going to ask when we take the tour.


We decided to turn around at the school because the morning was starting to warm up. The walk back was also pleasant except this time we were going up hill. Along the trail, we saw many small walnuts that had fallen prematurely from the trees probably during some recent storms. 


As we emerged back into the sunny part of the trail, we found milkweed blooming and black raspberries ripening. Then it was time to go home and start our day there.

I mentioned a few things we saw that reminded me of our old yard. What I didn't mention was so did the walnuts, poison ivy, day lilies, milkweed, and black raspberries.. And while most of these were invasive things that I was continually fighting, the recollections were not negative. The familiar plants brought back the memories of all that they taught me while I was trying to control them. 


16 comments:

  1. So happy you shared your pictures of the hike, along with the memories they invoked. Were the walnuts regular walnuts or black walnuts?

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    1. The trees we saw on the hike and in my old yard are black walnuts which are native to the area. The walnuts that we get in the store are English walnuts and are mostly grown commercially. I think they are native to somewhere in the Middle East.

      While "store bought" walnuts are okay, I really don't like black walnuts. Kind of ironic that I grew up in a town that featured the Black Walnut Festival every year.

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  2. I chuckled when I saw your last paragraph because I'd been thinking that perhaps it had been quite a stressful hike for you, remembering all those battles with invasive and poisonous plants! And so THAT's what poison ivy looks like in the flesh... it's a pretty shape. Good thing the dog didn't get too close to it either!

    Thanks for sharing your hike, it was very refreshing and made me nostalgic for my recent hikes in the NC mountains.

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    1. I thought that it was kind of strange that I was nostalgic for some of the plants that had given me such a headache, but the mind is a curious thing.

      Poison ivy can look a lot of different ways, but leaves of three is one common denominator. I'll try to include more pictures of it from time to time so next time you go hiking, you can look for it.

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  3. I would enjoy hiking with you. Woods and water are favorite hiking attractions, and I am always curious about historic buildings. Glad you could enjoy such a nice time! We did some hiking on our vacation, some of it during snowfall (probably at the same time you were experiencing sweltering weather). On one expedition, we were told there was a grizzly up ahead (across the river, fortunately, and feeding on it's earlier kill). That was a new (and unnerving) experience for us!

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    1. I missed your whole vacation. Where did you go? I assume it was out west if there were grizzlies involved.

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    2. We spent a glorious 2 weeks out west--we went to the Grand Tetons, Yellowstone, and did the major South Dakota attractions. So fun and fascinating to see that part of the world (I've been to SD but not to Wyoming). Today I have come down from my "vacationer's high" as real life is intruding. Nothing bad, just the not-so-fun reality of life is back. Sigh.

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    3. A few years ago, Ward did a backpacking trip in the Tetons. After they finished their trek, I went out and joined him for a few days. I loved Yellowstone and the Tetons. Then two years ago, Ward went backing in Yellowstone. Unfortunately, this time I was not able to join him.

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  4. Thanks for sharing your hike and memories here. Someday, I'll tell you just a bit about what I remember from hikes in the tropical rain forest where I grew up. I hope the rest of your weekend has been enjoyable. It is storming and raining here, as usual.

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    1. Wow, hikes in tropical rain forests. I've seen a lot of that in the movies and on TV. I'd like to hear about it from someone whose actually done it.

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  5. Thank you for sharing the pictures of your hike and the memories it brought. Loved seeing all the ferns and the stream.

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    1. The ferns were very pretty and gave a lush feeling to the area. I enjoyed the stream, but not as much as the dog did. He had a good time playing in the water.

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  6. Very beautiful photos of the woods. I enjoy the beauty of ferns. They seem so quiet and delicate and muted.

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    1. You know, you're right. When we were walking through ferns, it seemed more peaceful.

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  7. Lovely place to have nearby to take hikes. We've been having lots of rain here too. Luckily, it's on and off which means we still get some sun and time outdoors in between the storms.

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    1. We are lucky that within a half hour or so we have a lot of good hiking spots--some easy and some strenuous.

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