I started out early this morning. No rain! Plus it was pleasantly in the 50's and still is at 8:30 this morning. Reminding me of a camping morning out west, where you long for a campfire to sit by and drink coffee, and think about hash with a fried egg on top. Doesn't sound good unless you're camped in the Rockies. I've done it, and it's a good way to get ready for a hike in the mountains.
But today I'm at home. I live on a wetlands/prairie preserve called Afton Forest Preserve in DeKalb County.
Well, I never know exactly which way I might go, once I start out, but I knew I did not want to go north. For one thing, my husband told me that the woman who "trains" her Rottweilers was in the north parking lot area. Plus, if the wind is anywhere out of the north, you don't want to be near the pig farm that butts up with that end of the park. Believe me on this.
So, south it was. I began out behind our barn, and trekked east down through very wet grass. Okay, my feet would be getting wet on this venture. Oh well, I tell myself. It's better than driving the bus.
Birdsong accompany me, and I see that various flower heads are coming out, like the abundant red cone flowers, Black-eyed Susans, butterfly weed, and many others are in flower. The mulberries and raspberries are in season as well. I eat both, prefer the raspberries, myself. I don't like spitting out the short green stem of the mulberries. But mulberries are sweeter, when absolutely ripe.
I decided to hike through the wooded trail, which opens out to where you can cross the (middle) bridge. I note that the pond lillies and arrow root are lush. The water is high because of the rain, but a good two feet from flood or crest. So, we're good.
I continue over the foot bridge that angles toward the mature stand of white pines, I continue through the short trail that goes through them, follow this trail along the fence line and head south. I take this trail that hikes up the "big hill", as I call it. This takes you high enough to look down on the south end of the main wetland/prairie. The hike up is rewarded by a nice bench at the top, to rest. You can see for miles up here, look down on Crego Road, and watch the corn grow and the wind farm's blades lined up in a row spin into the wind. It was northwest today, and a good 5-10 miles an hour was my guess. The sky was not a perfect blue, it's marred with cirrus--mare's tails--telling me it will get warmer today, and probably gradually all week long. So, today was the perfect day for me to get off my duff and enjoy a good stretch of the legs.
Mulberries grow along the fenceline here, too, so if you want a little sweet, get them while they're ripening!
It's amazing how far one can go in just ten or fifteen minutes! I haul people around on a bus all day long, and I'm just appalled how these people get on the bus, sit there for 10 min. and they want off somewhere they would have been already across campus. Never seen such lazy butts in my life. A person can walk aprox. 2 miles in an hour. But, of course, it depends upon your stride and how quickly you go. I go a steady walk, and I think I do two steps per second. I've seen people walk one step per ten seconds around campus (roll my eyes).
Back to the hill. I'd often walk up this hill in the early days and there was no bench to sit on, and today I'm very glad there is. I can swing my legs while I sit, relax, drink some water and watch a few cars go down the road. Crego Road is crossed by McGurr Road. Used to be that's where the park ended, but now we have "South Afton" which extends into the land across the street. This is where a majority of dog walkers go. Many like to run them loose there, and that is one of the off-leash arieas.
I decide I want to go down to the bridge near McGrr Rd. to check the waterflow there. Because of the amount of water, I knew I would find it all rushing over the boulders they've put there, and it has a wonderful sound, reminding me of Colorado or other places where water rushes over rocks.
I see a couple of people pull into the South Afton parking lot and let their dogs out. I've decided I want to take the trail that edges along the road back to the house. But I want to wait for one more person with a dog. He gets pooch on a leash (so glad to see that), and he starts out jogging. Well good for him!
I continue on my way, hoping that the trail isn't hampered by mud, or worse--water. It isn't. Along the way I find a shed snake skin. I pick up a portion of it and determin it's from a garder snake--non-poisonous. Someone once said they'd seen poisonous snakes here. Well, I'll tell you this, I've been here for 18 years and have never seen any such snakes here. There have been people spooked by lots of things, including the sound of the hogs to the north. One woman emailed our superintendant claiming she thought she heard the "chuffing" sound that a cougar would make (she'd visited a zoo), and worried about that. I had been in the north area, near the pig farm. Those pigs make some crazy sounds. And I know for a fact I've never spotted a large cat's tracks at all, during that time. I spotted the hooves of a horse (riding horses in the park is not allowed), and, of course, deer, but that was all as far as large animal tracks out here. That isn't to say we don't get a "visitor" of something as large coyotes, and bobcats, once in a while.
I made my way back home, my feet absolutely sopped, my shoes, socks and pants needed to dry out and I put them all outside to dry in the breeze and sun.
IF YOU COME OUT...
Be sure to wear a hat. Any kind is advisable, the deer flies are horrible once the sun gets up and warms things up. I like a nice sraw cowboy hat. I give it a little spray of bug repelant and I'm good to go.
July is a bad month to picnic because of the black (picnic) bugs. If you have never been outside during the hot month of July, it only takes one experience and you'll know. June is good, August is hot, but the black bugs are gone by then.
Orient yourself and be sure to obey the park rules. No waiding/swimming. The currents in the creek are really deadly. Dennis, my husband, had to shoo some young ladies (who had driven their car down to the bridge--a big no-no), and told them waiding in the water was not allowed. Some people CAN NOT READ!!
I hope to have a few more beautiful mornings to do a good hike out here at the park this summer. Looks like the weather the rest of the week should be good to come out and enjoy the park.
