barefoot hiker's journal

crossing over

2012-01-22T07:55:00.000-08:00

My 6-mile cool afternoon winter hike is almost finished as I cross this bridge to the paved path leading to the parking area.

it's a dirty job, but somebody has to do it

2012-01-21T07:49:00.000-08:00

Walking these trails after a rain is not a clean thing. But just imagine walking these trails in boots, or trail shoes. You have lots of clean-up, caked mud, and if you let it dry you have rock-hard dirt in the tread of your boot/shoe soles. Then you have socks to be laundered. Clean-up after a barefoot hike is a cinch... let the mud dry, brush it off, and then a quick garden hose or shower eliminates the residue. Done.

the roots

2012-01-20T07:28:00.000-08:00

This is probably my favorite part of the Wolf River Trails... the Yellow Trail with its sandy path and abundance of huge trees along the river bluff. It reminds me some of the area in western North Carolina where I grew up and hiked when I was a boy. It's funny, when I was a boy of say 10 or 11, I lived at the base of a mountain and all of my summer days were spent barefooted, roaming those mountains, playing in the icy cold streams, making my own trails. And then something happened. As I grew up, barefooted became not the thing to do. And heaven forbide, as an adult, that anyone be barefooted anywhere, even in their own home. I lost the freedom of feeling the ground beneath my feet for all those years. Even in 1992, when I met a Appalachian Trail thru-hiker who was hiking 2000+ miles barefooted, I didn't shed the boots. Only in the past few years have I gone back to hiking barefooted and it just doesn't feel right anymore if I have to wear hiking boots. I love the feel of the earth beneath my feet: the sand and mud, roots and leaves, ice and rocky streambeds, hot and cold, it's all good.

winter hiking at its best

2012-01-19T11:29:00.000-08:00

I just love it when January is warm enough in this part of the country to hike in shorts, short-sleeves and barefooted. On this particular hike, I did a 6-mile loop through the South Lucius Burch Natural Area, which is just north of the Wolf River in Memphis. There are several trails in the natural area. You can hike as short as 2 miles or all long as 8.5 miles or combine several trails and hike 13.5 miles. There's also the North Lucius Burch Natural Area which connects with the south trails. In the north area you can hike about 8 miles before the trail intersects with the paved Memphis Greenline. I haven't been on the Greenline but my daughter has been biking there several times. From the eastern terminus of the south area trails one can connect with the North Bluff Trail and hike 12 or so miles east to the town of Collierville.

I tend to stay in my comfort zone and hike the Wolf River Trails of South Lucius Burch most of the time. Now when I get an opportunity to go out of town that's a whole different story. I love to explore trails native to the area I'm visiting. You can see by my list of "Trails I've Hiked" that the list keeps growing. I always carry a pair of slides or minimal shoes in my pack when I visit a trail I've never been on before or that I know has the potential of being difficult to navigate barefooted. This spring I hope to climb Pinnacle Mountain in Arkansas barefooted for the first time. I've been there probably a dozen times and I know the trail pretty well. I think if I do this one before it gets too hot, I shouldn't have a problem. It's a difficult trail, with many sections which require a bit of scrambling [using both hands and feet] and several spots that are near vertical. Anyway, I hope to have some Pinnacle pictures to post in 2 or 3 months.

walkin on fallen trees: yellow trail

2012-01-17T10:29:00.000-08:00

I just love our local trails. This image was taken along the yellow trail, which traces the bluff of the Wolf River.

walkin on fallen trees: white trail

2011-12-03T09:54:00.000-08:00

It seems like months since I've had a chance to walk on fallen trees. I found this one beside the white trail and just had to stop for a photo op.

blur

2011-12-01T09:50:00.000-08:00

Back on local ground, familiar territory, Lucius Burch Natural Area trails. This one was taken on the Access Trail leading to the blue, white and yellow trails.

Cool day... 42ºF but comfortable.

marsh trail

2011-11-30T09:41:00.000-08:00

Taken on the Marsh Trail, Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania. On this cool autumn day I hiked about 6 miles on the island trails. Marsh Trail is the only one that was a bit muddy. The others were damp, but very comfortable to hike, even though the temperature for the day started at about 40ºF and dropped to 34ºF during my afternoon of hiking. A good day for a barefoot hike.

dead pond trail

2011-11-29T09:36:00.000-08:00

I had the opporutnity to visit Presque Isle, Erie, Pennsylvania and do about 6 miles of hiking on the island. This image is from the Dead Pond Trail. The ground was damp [not muddy] with a lot of moss. Great trail for barefoot hiking. The day was a little bit cool [around 40ºF and dropping]. By the time I finished my afternoon of hiking the temperature had dropped to 34ºF and it was flurrying. About an inch of snow fell overnight in parts of Erie [mostly lake-effect snow].

mousetail landing state park: 03

2011-11-25T08:52:00.000-08:00

Views from my fall visit to Mousetail Landing State Park, along the Tennessee River in west Tennessee.

mousetail landing state park: 02

2011-11-24T08:49:00.000-08:00

Awesome day for a hike at Mousetail Landing State Park, along the Tennessee River in west Tennessee.

Mousetail Landing State Park: 01

2011-11-23T08:46:00.000-08:00

I visited Mousetail Landing State Park, along the Tennessee River in west Tennessee to check out fall colors. I had not been to Mousetail in several years and I enjoyed it just as much this visit as I did back then. The trails are nice [not rocky] and the colors were much better than those I found at Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park.

No shoes required on these trails.

nathan bedford forrest state park: 05

2011-11-22T08:36:00.000-08:00

One last look out over the rolling hills of Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park at the end of my 8-mile autumn hike.

nathan bedford forrest state park: 04

2011-11-21T08:33:00.000-08:00

Nearing the end of my 8-mile hike in Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park in west Tennessee.

nathan bedford forrest state park: 03

2011-11-20T08:29:00.000-08:00

The colors weren't that brilliant this year, but I enjoyed my 8-mile hike in Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park. I traditionally take a day off from work to visit a state or national park at the beginning of fall color season. This year I visited Nathan Bedford and Mousetail Landing State Parks.

nathan bedford forrest state park: 02

2011-11-19T08:15:00.000-08:00

Here's another image from my fall hike in Nathan Bedford Forrest State. I've had my Merrell Barefoot Trail Gloves for about seven months. I really enjoy hiking in them but it's not nearly as much fun as hiking barefooted. You can't tell from these Nathan Bedford Forrest images, but the trails in this park are just covered with fine, sharp rocks and after an 8-mile hike, constant contact with these little rocks can cause some pretty sore soles. I wear the Trail Gloves to give my feet a break.

nathan bedford forrest state park 01

2011-11-18T06:47:00.000-08:00

It's not often I post images on this blog that show me wearing shoes. I suppose many of you think I never wear shoes. Well there are occasions when I still wear shoes on hiking adventures. Those include areas that I have never hiked before, areas I know are rocky or extremely overgrown, or very long hikes. On the long hikes I sometimes carry minimalist shoes just to give my feet a break occasionally.

On this hike in Nathan Bedford Forrest State Park, I took my Merrell Barefoot Trail Gloves with me because I knew from past experience that there are areas on the trail which have extremely sharp little rocks. I don't especially like walking on sharp, little rocks.

the last warm days of fall

2011-11-14T21:20:00.001-08:00

Self-portrait, taken along the boulevard trail.

faster

2011-10-27T19:45:00.000-07:00

late afternoon shadows

2011-10-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

trail spiral

2011-10-24T18:59:00.000-07:00

footnote

2011-10-13T20:47:00.000-07:00

8.5 miles

2011-10-05T09:54:00.000-07:00

I have upped my mileage lately. I used to hike about 3.5 miles each time I hit the trails [twice a week], but for the past 2 months or so, I have been hiking 8.5 to 12 miles each time out [5-6 times a week]. I'm lovin it. I'm seeing a lot of trails I don't normally hike. I'm trimming down a little... lost 6 pounds around the waist so far. And I'm meeting people. It's funny, I always carry a camera with me, but it's usually my compact digital. On the days that I carry my DSLR and a bigger tripod, people stop me on the trail and strike up a conversation. I've met some pretty interesting people.... like the college kid who asked me about barefoot hiking. I told him how great it is and when we ended our conversation, he tied his sneakers on his belt and hiked off down the trail barefooted for the first time. Or the elegant-looking lady who was hiking the trail for the first time. She was dressed in a long dress with a wide-brimmed bonnet, carrying an umbrella and a rain jacket on a perfectly sunny day. After our conversation, she returned to her car to leave the umbrella and jacket, and replace her shoes with some more comfortable ones. Or the young barefooted seminary student. He stopped me to ask about the status of my soul... and to ask how long I had been barefoot hiking. He hikes the quarter of a mile or so along this trail to the river twice a week barefooted, but doesn't hike barefooted on a regular basis. Or the father and daughter who were running the trails and stopped to ask me about barefoot running. Both of them have been thinking about trying it lately, especially since there are so many minimalist shoes out now and all the ads are singing the praises of barefoot [or near barefoot] running. And I've actually seen barefoot prints on the trails, other than my own, this summer and fall.

I think the time may be just about right and I want to start a barefoot hikers club in the Memphis area. If you are reading this and live in west Tennessee, north Mississippi, or east Arkansas and would be interested in being part of this BFH club, please leave a comment or send me an email. I'm thinking weekday hikes in the Memphis area and/or weekend hikes in the wider Mid-South area. Your thoughts and suggestions are welcome.

down to the root of the matter

2011-09-22T09:27:00.000-07:00

The yellow trail has undergone a lot of transformation over the past two years. Two major floods in this area in as many years has left the trails eroded and diverted. Tree roots are exposed now that were never visible before. And of course I can't leave it alone. I have to walk on all the fallen trees, broken limbs, and tree roots along the trail. That's just me. No fallen tree or tree root left behind.

through the ziplock

2011-09-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Rainy days hikes are my favorites. I enjoy the mud puddles and dripping trees. The only problem I have with rainy days is taking pictures. I have a weatherproof camera, but it's an old 35mm Minolta Weathermatic and I don't take much film photography these days. I have three solutions. One: carry an umbrella to shield the camera. Two: keep my camera in my beltpack [which is a Mad Water Snorkeler's pack and it works really well] and only bring the camera out between showers. Or three: put the camera in a gallon-sized ziplock bag and just keep shooting. I chose three on this hike. I like the effect shooting through the bag provides.

in the pines

2011-07-29T11:13:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite lunchtime destinations is the outdoor classroom at the end of the red trail in the Lucius Burch Natural Area. On a hot, summer day like today, it's nice to relax here beneath the pines and enjoy nature. I know it has to be ten degrees cooler here than it is out in the broiling sun. Another great thing about this place is it is only seven minutes away from my workplace, so I can come over here any day at lunchtime or stop by on my way home in the afternoon, and I do both all the time.

yellow trail

2011-07-15T07:24:00.000-07:00

me and the bridge

2011-07-11T13:39:00.000-07:00

This bridge is on the Yellow Trail, in the Lucius Burch Natural Area. This area has changed drastically over the past two years. The trail follows the bluff of the Wolf River, which has overflowed its banks for two springs in a row. Last year the trail was eroded away in sections by the flooding and had to be rerouted. This year fallen tree and branch debris from the river was swept into the area by flood waters and had to be cleared away. Several inches of new, white sand from the river was also deposited on the trail and surrounding area, which actually improved the maneuverability of the trail for barefoot hikes. I think the bikers and trail runners are probably not very pleased with the new sand, but I like it.

on the boulevard

2011-07-11T13:23:00.000-07:00

Back home on familiar trails, hiking on The Boulevard, Lucius Burch Natural Area, Memphis, Tennessee.

canopy tree walk

2011-07-11T13:20:00.000-07:00

The Canopy Tree Walk is a boardwalk in Berheim Forest, near Louisville, Kentucky that stretches a hundred yards or so out over the trees. Iron Ore Hill Trail lies 75 feet below. I love this boardwalk. I spent over an hour just hanging out on the observation deck at the end of the walk, looking at the hills and trees below and beyond.

iron ore hill loop trail

2011-07-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Iron Ore Hill is one of many loop trails in Berheim Forest, near Louisville, Kentucky. Of the trails I hiked, this one is my favorite because it is a little longer than most of the other trails at 1.5 miles. I hiked this one twice, back to back. There are several elevation changes, although the overall elevation change is perhaps a hundred feet. I got a nice, cardiac and aerobic workout. I will definitely visit this trail again.

first visit to sawyer

2011-06-03T08:21:00.000-07:00

I discovered a great trail in the E.P. Sawyer State Park, Louisville, Kentucky. I saw the park on the map and decided to give it a try. Two young men who work at the park gave me a trail map and pointed out the best dirt ones to hike. This is at the beginning of the Goose Creek Trail. I only did about 3.5 miles but the map showed that there are perhaps 10 miles of trails here, many of them criss-crossing Goose Creek. The water was very low, so fjording the stream was not a difficult task at all. I totally enjoyed my visit at Sawyer.

over the boardwalk

2011-05-15T21:12:00.000-07:00

after the flood

2011-05-09T13:34:00.000-07:00

the flood beyond

2011-05-02T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is the access trail to a natural area. 95% of the area is under water right now due to recent stormy weather and torrential rains. The trail on the left is the access trail. The trail that I am looking at is the blue trail and it is under water. The Wolf River is about a half mile from this point and it is continuing to rise. It is raining again... expecting another 8 inches of rain today and tomorrow. All the creeks and rivers in our area are over their banks now. I can't imagine what the area will look like on Wednesday.

the high road

2011-05-02T11:41:00.000-07:00

Most of the trails are flooded in our area right now. The Mississippi River is the highest it has been since the 1920s. All the tributaries to the Mississippi are swollen and overflowing. Between rains I try to get out and about, checking the trails, seeing which ones are hikable and which ones are under water. This image was taken along the access trail to the natural area. On a good day there are about 13.5 miles of hiking trails available for navigation. Right now I'd say there are probably about a mile and a half accessible [in several small sections]. It's raining again, and the waters continue to rise.

storm damage

2011-04-26T19:56:00.000-07:00

I'm standing on a big tree [4 or 5 feet in diameter; 12.5 to almost 16 feet in circumference] that was downed during a recent storm. We have had some really bad storms so far this year. Some of them have been pretty scary.

muddy wolf

2011-04-18T09:14:00.000-07:00

My favorite time to hike is the day after a nice, hard rain. Such was the case when this image was taken. The Tour de Wolf Trail is a mixed-use trail [hiking, biking, trail running] and it is normally a busy place, but after a rain there are few people on it. The ones I did encounter had some major shoe problems... muddy, messy, caked-on mud, heavy, slippery. This is one of those times when it is definitely an abvantage to be a barefoot hiker. Clean-up is easy. Let the mud dry. Brush it off. Done.

standing among the shadows

2011-04-13T21:09:00.000-07:00

I'm rather excited about a pair of shoes that I just ordered yesterday from Merrell. If you have been following me for a while on Flickr or Blogspot you know that I really enjoy barefoot hiking. I used to get looks of askance quite often as I hiked the local trails, but I've noticed that me hiking on the same trails with people wearing shoes doesn't seem to bother anyone anymore. I attribute this change to Merrell, Nike, Altra and other companies who have been promoting barefoot running and shoes which mimic barefoot running and hiking with their minimalist approach.

My wife got me a pair of Nike Free Run shoes for Christmas and they are soooo comfortable. They are very light and the soles are extremely flexible. I love wearing the Free Runs. I've been reading about minimalist shoes a lot lately and have discovered a couple of great ones. One is The Adam by Altra. It's not available to the general public until next month, but it is a true minimalist running shoe. I want a pair. Merrell also has a great shoe called the Barefoot Trail Glove, and that's the ones I ordered. I tried on a pair of them the other day and they are the most comfortable shoes I have ever worn. They only weigh 6.2 ounces, are so flexible that you can fold them into a ball, fit like a glove and have zero drop on the sole. That means the sole is the same thickness at the toe as it is at the heel. It's like hiking or running barefooted, except with a Vibram sole.

So you might not see as many barefoot hiking pictures once the Trail Gloves arrive. Heck, I might even start trail running again. I gave that up a few years ago when I started barefoot hiking, but this could be the beginning of a whole new chapter! Wish me luck.

1509

fallen tree

2011-04-11T19:50:00.000-07:00

on the banks of a north georgia stream

2011-04-11T19:47:00.000-07:00

north georgia adventure

2011-04-11T19:38:00.000-07:00

walking on a fallen tree in the appalachian foothills of north georgia.

the grotto

2011-04-01T18:20:00.000-07:00

this is like my favorite part of the riverwoods natural area. the trail descends into an area filled with grape vines, privet and a variety of trees: elm, sugar maple, oak, sycamore, loblolly pine, sweetgum, river birch and others. the descent is by way of a stairway with steps carved from fallen trees. i can spend an inordinate amount of time in this section, reading, listening to the sounds of nature, and it always seems to be a few degrees cooler here than in other parts of the forest. the horseshoe shaped
trail eventually ascends back to the main trail by way of another hand-carved staircase. on my last visit to the grotto i was saddened to discover that plans are underway to cut a new road through the riverwoods natural area. clearing has begun. it's days are numbered as may be the days of the entire natural area. i'm not happy about this development at all.

05468

boardwalk blur

2011-04-01T05:52:00.000-07:00

this was taken along the boardwalk of the william b clark nature preserve in rossville, tennessee. the trick is to zoom and shake the camera while holding down the shutter button.

over the hill

2011-04-01T05:46:00.000-07:00

north bluff trail

2011-04-01T05:43:00.000-07:00

i recently discovered a new trail. well not a new trail, but new to me. it's the north bluff trail which traces the bluff of the wolf river from memphis to collierville. about 12 miles. it's a nice trail. well maintained. well traveled. but it is shared with atvs. i haven't encountered any yet, but the potential is great. hopefully i can jump out of the way quick enough to avoid getting tire tracks across my back.

rainy days are the best days

2011-04-01T05:38:00.000-07:00

on the bridge

2011-02-13T22:31:00.000-08:00

crossing one of the many tributaries along the herb parsons lake trail.

walkin on fallen trees: herb parsons lake trail

2011-02-13T22:28:00.000-08:00

there were hundreds of fallen trees in the forest surrounding the herb parsons lake trail today. wish i could have walked on all of them.

hiking herb parsons lake trail

2011-02-13T22:25:00.000-08:00

8 miles hike on the herb parsons lake trail. 62ºF, sunny and mild

hiking the north bluff trail

2011-02-05T21:39:00.000-08:00

today was my first time on this trail. it's a 12-mile linear trail. today i did about 6 miles. 31ºF, sunny and bright.

at the end of the hike

2011-02-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

overcast, chilly, winter day. great time for a hike through the bottomlands.

and think right

2011-02-04T09:01:00.000-08:00

Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the things you can think up if only you try!
-- Dr. Seuss

think left

2011-02-04T08:59:00.000-08:00

crossing the raven

2011-02-04T08:56:00.000-08:00

on the blue trail

2011-02-04T08:53:00.000-08:00

long shadow

2011-01-26T22:00:00.000-08:00

carpet of needles

2011-01-26T21:57:00.000-08:00

39ºF, after the rain

2011-01-26T21:53:00.000-08:00

riverwoods trail

2011-01-23T19:01:00.000-08:00

trail blur two

2011-01-23T18:58:00.000-08:00

trail blur one

2011-01-23T18:55:00.000-08:00

walkin on fallen trees: cold day

2011-01-23T18:52:00.000-08:00

Found some great fallen trees to walk on this morning... brisk 24ºF hike started around 7:00.

at the top of the stairs

2011-01-23T18:45:00.000-08:00

It's not often that I have to work on Sundays, but today was one of those days, so I went in very early. On the way to work I stopped by the Riverwoods Natural Area for a little bit of hiking. 24ºF and clear sky. Great day for a hike.

barefoot in the snow

2011-01-21T11:33:00.000-08:00

i kept watching the weather yesterday. i watched as the winter storm pushed its way across oklahoma and missouri and arkansas and finally it crossed the mississippi river into tennessee. the precipitation started as sleet and freezing rain but by mid-afternoon it had turned to snow [wet, compact snowflakes]. i could hardly wait until it was time to leave work and get out in it. i stopped by the nature preserve on the way home and walked the boardwalk out into the wetlands.... and if you have followed me on flickr for very long you know that i could not resist walking barefooted in the snow [only a hundred yards or so because the snow was very wet and cold and the air temperature was right at 27ºF with a wind chill factor of 17ºF]. because the wind was blowing and therefore snow was falling rapidly and at an angle, i covered my camera with a ziplock bag. i really like the resulting image. fun times.

i'm like a kid in the snow. i love it. love it. love it. my gloves for picture-taking in the cold are fingerless, so my only regret about my adventure into the wetlands yesterday is that my gloves were fingerless. my little fingers got so cold [especially the thumb and pointer on the shutter button hand] they cracked and almost froze. bummer. but they're fine... not blue or numb or anything like that.

uphill climb

2010-12-26T09:58:00.000-08:00

I love the way this trail traces the bluff of the Wolf River, with all its rises and falls, twists and turns. If I want a nice lunchtime hike, this is it. I can navigate this 3.5 mile roundtrip out and back trail in about 45 minutes. The best part is its only about 7 minutes from where I work.

takin a break along the way

2010-12-23T21:25:00.000-08:00

Some of the best weather for hiking around here is in December. On this particular day, the temperature was in the mid-fifties with overcasts sky and no wind. Great day for a nice hike. This trail terminates at Chic-Fil-A, so I hiked there for lunch and hiked back to my truck. A total of about 2 miles round trip. Good lunchtime adventure.

autumn hiking

2010-10-14T13:15:00.000-07:00

emerge:

2010-10-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

[01] to come forth into view or notice, as from concealment or obscurity: a ghost emerging from the grave; a ship emerging from the fog.
[02] to rise or come forth from or as if from water or other liquid.
[03] to come up or arise, as a question or difficulty.
[04] to come into existence; develop.
[05] to rise, as from an inferior or unfortunate state or condition.

" The light, the turf, and all that grows now urge
The uncertain dweller blinking to emerge...."
-- Phillip Larkin

7983

trail shadows

2010-10-04T13:08:00.000-07:00

Over the weekend the temperatures changed around here. I watched the cold front move in on Saturday and I have really been enjoying the cooler-than-last-week weather. It's still sunny. No rain. But at least it is comfortable hiking weather. Today when I hit the trail it was sunny, a slight breeze, and 57º. Really, really nice. I'm looking forward to fall. Some of my favorite hikes are coming up... Herb Parsons Lake Trail... Big Hill Pond Trail... Montgomery Bell State Park... Land Between the Lakes. All these are great fall hikes. The colors are usually great and the trails are well-traveled, so there are usually no surprises along the way, like massive fallen trees totally blocking the path, or sections of unhikable ground. They're all barefoot hiker friendly. I'll post pictures along the way.

walkin through

2010-09-27T22:08:00.000-07:00

In May of this year the Lucius Burch Natural Area experienced an incredible flood. The entire area was under water. In the weeks just after the flood I thought the trails were ruined. Debris from the river littered this beautiful area. The trails were almost impassible. Trees and branches were scattered everywhere. But something incredible has happened. This area is even better now than it was before the flood, especially the yellow trail. The yellow trail traced the bluff of the river. Before the flood some parts of the yellow trail were sandy and some parts were gray clay. Now, the entire yellow trail is sand. It is the most incredible trail to hike. I think I could walk it every day. Fine white and brown sands from the river cover the area.

contemplation:

2010-09-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

01--the act of contemplating.
02--thoughtful observation.
03--full or deep consideration.
04--reflection.
05--purpose or intention.
06--prospect or expectation.

"Soon silence will have passed into legend. Man has turned his back on silence. Day after day he invents machines and devices that increase noise and distract humanity from the essence of life, contemplation, meditation.... Tooting, howling, screeching, booming, crashing, whistling, grinding, and trilling bolster his ego. His anxiety subsides. His inhuman void spreads monstrously like a gray vegetation." -- Jean Arp

7015

reclining

2010-08-19T21:05:00.000-07:00

The outdoor classroom at the end of the red trail is a respite from the harsh heat of summer. I've developed a habit this summer of packing a lunch and hiking to the classroom around noon almost every day. This is so much better than fighting the crowds at all the restaurants around where I work. Many times I take a book with me and read for a while. After work I take a nice, 3 to 6 mile hike almost every day.

outer banks

2010-07-25T14:45:00.000-07:00

Beach-walking is one of my favorite pastimes. We just got back from the coast of North Carolina. The weather was great... no rain... a little bit hot though. Temps in the low 90s restricted our beach times to mornings and late afternoons, but that left us with plenty of time to explore the surrounding coastal area.

along the red trail

2010-07-16T08:49:00.000-07:00

Another visit to my favorite hiking destination [at the moment]. I totally enjoy hiking into the outdoor classroom [along the red trail], enjoying a peaceful time of reading, watching the hawks and squirrels, listening to the breeze rustling the pine trees, and chilling out. This sanctuary is typically about 10 degrees cooler than the temperature on the open trail... and the carpet of southern pine needles makes this the perfect place for a barefoot hike.

armadillo crossing

2010-07-12T11:59:00.000-07:00

Sooooo..... I stopped along the trail to look out over a field and I heard this little scrambling noise to my right, and when I turned to see what it was, this little armadillo came scampering out of the grass. He and his armadillo family [3 altogether] were rooting around and nibbling.

Armadillos used be to found only on the western side of the Mississippi River, but now i see them on this side all the time. My wife's parents have armadillos living in their backyard. They're interesting creatures [the armadillos, not my in-laws... although they are interesting people, not creatures]. Armadillos have these soccerball-looking hexagonal designs on their heads and medieval armor-looking designs on their body shell. I had never looked at an armadillo up close until now.

yo!

2010-07-09T07:35:00.000-07:00

William B Clark Nature Preserve
Nature Conservancy
Rossville, Tennessee

5836

who's there!?!

2010-07-08T05:50:00.000-07:00

footnote*

2010-06-29T12:50:00.000-07:00

*Taken during a barefoot hike on the Tour de Wolf Trail, Shelby Farms, Memphis, Tennessee.

gooday!

2010-06-28T20:07:00.000-07:00

2010-06-25T18:24:00.000-07:00

outdoor classroom at the end of the trail

2010-06-23T06:21:00.000-07:00

This open-air classroom is just the neatest place. It always seems to be a few degrees cooler than other parts of this natural area and it is always quiet and serene. It is my favorite lunchtime destination right now. I can get to the trailhead from work in about five minutes and in just few more minutes I am chilling in the pines.

foothills of the rockies

2010-06-13T17:36:00.000-07:00

I have not been to the Rockies in 10 years, until this past week. I spent a week in Denver and while I was there I did a bit of barefoot hiking in the foothills of the Rockies, near Indian Hills, southwest of Denver. What a great time, and even though the temperature was around 90 during the day, it didn't feel that hot. There was very little humidity. When it's around 90 in Memphis, like it is right now, it feels 10 degrees hotter because of the humidity.

Anyway, I'm back in Memphis now and Denver is just a memory... a great memory!

hawk watching

2010-06-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

ground level

2010-05-27T13:49:00.000-07:00

wetlands solitude

2010-05-26T06:48:00.000-07:00

The wetlands are very inviting during the warm days of spring. Incredibly, there are no mosquitoes in the William B Clark Nature Preserve.... and the temperature under the canopy of Cypress and Tupelo trees is about 10 degrees cooler than the world outside the wetlands. I just love it here. It's my sanctuary. I sit for an hour or two, just listening to the sounds of the birds and frogs, and watching the egrets, squirrels and other woodland creatures. This is a great place to visit... a great place for a barefoot hike.

always time to walk on fallen trees

2010-05-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

tsalagi

2010-05-19T06:22:00.000-07:00

My Native American ancestors [East Band Cherokee of North Carolina] lived off the land. They hunted the mountains of Western North Carolina, fished the streams of the Great Smokies, farmed the hillsides of the Appalachian Mountains. They built houses, developed the first Native American written language, educated their young, lived simple, productive lives.

For thousands of years the Cherokee [Tsalagi] lived and thrived in the southeastern United States, before intiial contact with European settlers in the 1500's. In the 1830's gold was discovered in north Georgia. Settlers rushed into the area, wanting the land that the Tsalagi inhabited. In 1838, thousands of Cherokee men, women and children were rounded up and forced to walk a thousand miles to Indian Territory, today known as the state of Oklahoma. Thousands died on the trail, and many more died after their arrival in Indian Territory. This relocation of the Cherokee is known as The Trail of Tears.

Today there are more than 200,000 Cherokee people in the United States. Over 70,000 of them still live in Oklahoma. My ancestors still reside in Western North Carolina.

at rest

2010-05-14T05:27:00.000-07:00

hang ten

2010-05-11T20:44:00.000-07:00

The rains have gone. The waters have receded. The trails are visible again. The bridges are no longer under water. Time to get back on the trails.

flooding in the neighborhood

2010-05-07T13:01:00.000-07:00

Due to the rains of this past weekend, the trails in my area have been closed all week. I took this image from the boulevard trail [one of only two access trails not under water]. This bridge crosses a [normally] small tributary stream of the Wolf River. The Wolf overflowed its banks and is just now beginning to recede. The trails should be open next week, but they are definitely going to be a mess [mud and debris and perhaps some unwanted water mocassins].

shadow

2010-04-22T05:15:00.000-07:00

turtle bayou

2010-04-18T19:02:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite spots in bottomlands glen is turtle bayou. The water is always so blue and there's always a breeze blowing... and turtles abound.

cast shadows

2010-04-16T07:43:00.001-07:00

below ground

2010-04-14T18:53:00.000-07:00

visit to zoar valley

2010-04-11T12:31:00.000-07:00

Just got home after a quick three-day trip to Erie, PA for a press check. I had very little time between the time the press check ended and dark, so I quickly headed out to Zoar Valley, about an hour from Erie. This was my second visit to the valley. I came here two years ago while on another press check in Erie. So on this visit, I hiked from Valentine Flats down to Cattaraugus Creek for one hike, then along the bluff overlooking Cattaraugus Creek for the second hike. I found this huge fallen tree along the trail and couldn't resist walkin on it.

after the rain

2010-04-07T19:32:00.000-07:00

makin tracks

2010-04-06T05:52:00.000-07:00

i apologize for the long break between posts. this has been a very busy time. i'll try to stay more current. i have been out on the trails a lot though. that's my refuge. i totally enjoy frequent [if not daily] hikes on the trails near my home. spring is here and i am out a bit more. we had a harsh winter [but enjoyable]! as the grounds thawed i shed the shoes and headed out. this was taken on the trails along the banks of the wolf river. i'm looking forward to journaling the images of spring and summer.

have a nice hike!

icy boardwalk

2010-02-02T08:46:00.000-08:00

I look forward to wintertime in the Mid-South. While those of you in the northern United States and Canada enjoy long, cold winters, we normally have very moderate winters here. The weather forecasters predicted that we would have an inch of ice and 4 to 8 inches of snow this past weekend. The snow missed us but we got the ice [only a half inch of it though]. There's a ridge just west of the Mississippi River called Crowley's Ridge. When weather coming from the west hits Crowley's Ridge it usually splits. That's just what it did this past weekend. There was bad weather to the south of us, and really bad weather to the north of us, but we fared rather well.

A half inch of ice in this part of the country is still enough to cause a lot of damage. Trees popped and limbs cracked all night long on Friday. Yards and streets were littered with limbs on Saturday morning. Our power was out for 10 hours. My in-laws lost power for more than 48 hours. The trees in the south are just not conditioned for harsh weather, especially long-needle pines. They break at the least hint of ice.

I'm glad the storm is over, but I really did enjoy the ice [and a little bit of snow in some areas near home]. Looking forward to the next installment of ice and snow [whenever that might be].

on deck

2010-01-27T20:32:00.000-08:00

I took a walk on the Wolf River Trail [paved walking/biking path] at noontime today. This observation deck overlooks Turtle Bayou [a small lake adjacent to Wolf River]. Mine was a very enjoyable walk... taking pictures of the trees and reflections in the lakes and ponds.