7:00 am Monday morning we arrived at the trailhead. There we met our friend Joe and after driving to the other end and back, leaving a car for the return trip, took this selfie before starting out (I need to work on my selfie technique). Our original plan called for this leg of the trek, at 9.4 miles to be the shortest leg.
It was a perfect morning to begin our adventure, cool and sunny.
The trail was well marked, especially at the start, with pink blazes. It would be well marked and well maintained throughout.
And off we went.
Right off the bat we encountered things that would be our daily companions. Like these antlions.
And Indian Pipe.
Deer, and evidence thereof, was ubiquitous.
Mushrooms were along ...
... and in the trail. Look closely to see all the mushrooms in this image.
Arachnophobes would not enjoy the hike, as webs, and web makers, were everywhere.
We tried not to walk through to many webs, but it was impossible not to.
We saw no other traffic of any kind. The only other people we saw were at Pakim Pond, but that was a ways off yet.
And there were other ponds to see along the way.
While there was not the stunning scenery that we had in Iceland, the trail had its own subtle beauty.
Large and small.
We wandered through a variety of habitats. Wet and dry.
Pine, Oak, Pine-Oak, and Cedar.
The aforementioned Pakim Pond.
Nearing the end ... Joe's car in the distance.
A great start. A perfect day for a hike. Good company and and good trail.
Tomorrow we hike through the Franklin Parker Preserve, in a relatively new section of the trail.
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