It was a beautiful day in the fifties and the sun was shining. I got out for a fine nine mile hike with my friend David Simpson. He had always wanted to hike in the Dismal Swamp, but until today, had never been out there. We hit the Washington Ditch Trail at noon and made Lake Drummond before two o'clock. The trail is a dirt road that follows a canal straight into the swamp. It's flat and straight, so not very exciting terrain. The best you can hope for is a chance wildlife encounter and today we hit the jackpot with an all too brief glimpse (gone before I could get the camera out) of a pair of young black bears climbing down a tree and disappearing into the brush.
I was glad to point out the bears to David before they were gone. It's the second time I've seen black bear in the Dismal Swamp. Considering the healthy traffic on the trail today, we were especially luckily for our sighting.
Dave's not a regular hiker (not yet!), but he was gung-ho for going the four and a half miles out to Lake Drummond, for a nine mile roundtrip. We stopped there for a lunch break and to enjoy the afternoon winter light playing across the glassy water. It was a good day.
OK HW
That top pic is very odd. Looks like a spider web.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a great hike. I also really like the textures in the first photo.
ReplyDeleteWonderful, Hal! Explain more about the top picture - I can't really tell what it is, but it looks amazing in that shot!
ReplyDeleteThe first photo is of some foam on the surface of the water in the canal that runs along the hiking path. This was a detail from a big oval patch of this scum, whatever it is, slowly spinning counter clockwise. It's a fun hike.
ReplyDeleteIt reminds me of MC Escher's Puddle image.
ReplyDeleteI am fascinated, In our past lives twenty years ago, you were not a hiker, but I was a communitarian but not yet a mountain woman. I am glad you love hiking so much, I'll still always identify you with that fabulous garage apartment and the stockley gardens art show! Have a blast, I wish your walking actually counted as exercise for me-I'm having trouble trying to like it. xo
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