We anticipated a nice off-road section of trail, but they must have had some wind there as well as the ice, because there were piles of trees matchsticked in long lines that you couldn't even walk around. If you look into the distance, you can see that some of the tree tops are broken off farther ahead. It would have taken us hours just to get through those two miles. It reminded me of when the derecho winds came through Nordhouse Dunes and piled trees willy-nilly. Then never cleared some of those places- just moved the trails.
So, we did what hikers sometimes have to do- make adjustments based on trail conditions. We walked around this section on the road.
There was another short off-road piece, but then the best part of the day was actually a road walk on Wildcat Hollow Road. Lots of cliffs and rocks!
This hanging shelf cave is just beside the road.
I'm not 100% certain, but from looking at geology maps of the area, I think the valley this road runs in was an outwash valley of drainage from the Illinoisan glacier. This rock, at some past time, fell from the heights and rolled down to the valley floor!
We also did another very pretty section on private property. Denali liked the totem pole near the end of it. One of the highlights of that section for me was three bridges over creeks or wetlands. Trail improvements are always welcome!
We ended the day by cooking dinner for our hosts Jeff and Kathy and inviting them to eat in the trailer. We are enjoying their company SO much!
Miles today: 14.5. Total miles so far: 954.5
See Tar & Fungus |
4 comments:
Lulu: "That's a lot of miles! And I sure am glad I wasn't there when that giant rock was rolling around!"
That stretch of road looks really pretty. That would make for some pleasant walking
Lulu-it would smush us all!
Ann- that's one roadwalk I hope they never change
I saw a pig nose in the first photo of the cut tree! April
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