Oak Openings - Day 26

  Today was a real treat, walking through Oak Openings Metropark. It has that name because the early settlers found the trees were widely enough spaced that they could drive their wagons through without clearing. The ecosystem is Oak Savannah, which is scattered oak trees with an understory of grasses.

The day began frosty.

I was hiking with Bill and his daughter Lizbeth. Marianne met us at this location so we could get a picture of this sign, on the final approach to Oak Openings on the Wabash Cannonball Trail. This mile is dedicated to her husband, Tom, who was the Manager at Oak Openings for 30 years. He died just a couple of years ago.

Next, we were joined by two other human hikers and two dogs. Here is one set. This is Lorie and Tigger. Lorie's story is wonderfully inspiring! She has serious health issues, but she has lost over 100 pounds and completed Hike 100 this year. She has even helped with some trail work. She hiked a short way, and then needed to stop.

Here is a section of the Oak Openings that is being restored. This is what the area should look like. It has to be maintained by fire, so it will be a while before they can manage to get a lot of the second-growth forest replaced by what was historically present.

Frosty goldenrod and oak leaves. The evergreens in the background will eventually all be gone.

This is a section of restored prairie with the other set of hikers who joined us. This is Deb and Willow. It's so neat that the NCT catches bits of many special ecosystems.

And here are Deb, Willow and me. OK, maybe I'm a little taller than Deb, but I must have been on higher ground. This picture makes me look huge!

Bill, Lizbeth, and me at the bridge at the end of a section Deb helped build.

Most interesting find of the afternoon was a Hen of the Woods mushroom. This one was past its prime, but if you find one fresh, it's really good eating.

Miles today: 15.5. Total miles so far: 371.5.

See Christmas with Marianne