Molly Hugger Hill - Rocks, Leaves, Bees and Shirtless

Molly Hugger Hill Trail is located on Pine Mountain.  This is the third time for me hiking on Pine Mountain which has 22 miles of trails.  On the Molly Hugger Hill trail there are a lot of tree stumps and rocks.  The rocks are covered by 7 inches of leaves and there are rocks around all the tree roots.  A portion of the trail is currently home to a band of bees, a couple of them tried to chase me down.  Even though, it was early spring the weather was 73F and it became very hot with no shade from the trees.  New leaves had not started growing so a person could see the slopes of the hills through the bare trees.  I became so hot that in order to cool down, I had to take off my sweat shirt and hike part of the way shirtless.  Thankfully, no other hikers were in sight to witness my partial stripe tease.

Mountain Creek Lake

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Trail located in the Meadowlark Garden area is the .6-mile Wildflower Trail, where native plants of Georgia are featured, including many rare, threatened and endangered species. The trail offers a gazebo, waterfall and picturesque bridge overlooking Mountain Creek Lake.

Meadowlark Gardens

We visited Callaway Gardens at Pine Mountain and hiked the Holly Trail and Thornhill Hydrangea Garden Trail in Meadowlark Gardens.

Wild Wisterial Flowers

 

The old southern farms that once farmed the land in Lumpkin County had many vines of wisteria flowers and the remnants of the vines are growing wild in the underbrush, old fence posts, and throughout the southern part of Providence Canyon.

In the Mouth of the Canyon

This is the first time I had the opportunity to hike within the floor of the canyon.  It was wet, muddy with a stream of water flowing or trickling down the trail.  It was easy going down the trail to the canyon floor but not so easy climbing back up the canyon. I definitely need to get in better shape if I ever hike the 7 mile wilderness trail at Providence.  Being at the bottom and looking up at the high cliffs and peaks made me feel like a dwarf.

Providence Canyon Hiking Fever

 

I got spring hiking fever on the way to visit my mother in Columbus, Georgia.  Providence Canyon is an hour's drive from Columbus so we put on our sneakers and went searching for wild dogwood trees and flowers.

Capo Tower Overlook

The Capo Tower has a stunning view of the Tolomato River, Capo Creek and salt marshes.  Capo Loop is 2.3 miles and it connects to the Savannah Loop which is 2.8 miles. We were the only hikers on the two trails and saw a lot of wildlife in the salt marshes and creeks. Capo Creek has clear beautiful blue waters.

Hiking Trails at Tolomato River

We hiked the South Point Loop 2.7 miles and the Timucucan Trail 2.7 miles along the Tolomato River at the National Estuarine Reserve.  There are two rivers that the trails followed:   Guana River and Tolomato River. It was cloudy which help with heat and a pygmy rattlesnake slithered across our path.

Sugar Mill at Bulow Plantation Ruins

The Sugar Mill ruins has a scenic walking trail a short distance from Bulow Creek.  Bulow's sugar mill, constructed of local "coquina" rock, was the largest mill in East Florida. At the boat slips, flatboats were loaded with barrels of raw sugar and molasses and floated down Bulow Creek to be shipped north. This frontier industry came to an abrupt end at the outbreak of the Second Seminole War. It is surrounded by old oak trees and native habitation of plants and animals.

"Water, Water, Everywhere"

 

In Flagler County I hiked the Betty Steflik Memorial Preserve trails. It consisted of boardwalks and rustic decks throughout the marshland and Intra Coastal canals.  The land is not dry enough to walk  so long wooden decks were constructed over the marsh and canals.

“Water, water, everywhere
And all the boards did shrink
Water, water everywhere
Nor any drop to drink.”
― Samuel Taylor Coleridge, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner

A Crooked Little Bird in a Crooked Tree

Hiking the nature trail at Faver Dykes, this bird kept his wings spread as if he was going to launch into flight.  The tall pine tree was lending and its branches had grown crooked in a very unusual way. It remind me of a Mother Goose poem. 

 

 "There was a crooked man,"

By Mother Goose

There was a crooked man,

and walked a crooked mile,

He found a crooked sixpence against a crooked stile;

He bought a crooked cat, which caught a crooked mouse,

And they all lived together in a little crooked house.

 

"There was a crooked Bird"

By PL Fallin

 

There was a crooked bird,

Who flew a crooked mile,

He found a crooked branch against a crooked sky,

He caught a crooked fish, which caught a crooked bug,

And they all lived together in a tall crooked Pine.

 

Georgia's Little Grand Canyon

Georgia’s “Little Grand Canyon” is a result of massive gullies as deep as 150 feet caused simply by poor farming practices during the 1800s, yet today they make some of the prettiest photographs within the state. The canyon soil’s pink, orange, red and purple hues make a beautiful natural painting at this quiet park.

White Trail at Providence Canyon

 

During Thanksgiving Holidays, I took a hike at Providence Canyon.  White trail was 2 1/2 miles and circle around the canyon.  Leaves had started to fall and left a brillant trail of red and orange colors. 

A Hill Walker's Soulful Spirit

 

Hillwalking is the outdoor activity I prefer.  Unfortunately, I live in Florida where there are no mountains and I have to travel 7-8 hour drive to get to the nearest one.  It is deep in  my soul to be a hill walker since I am of Cherokee Indian descendants.  My ancestors lived in the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina.  When I walk the trails, I can feel 10,000 years of ancestral spirits stirring within my soul.  It is where I belong.