A Man and His Murse

With too much office and screen time under my belt the last several weeks, today I fled outdoors to "look far" as my mother likes to say. Given the sunny, crisp, and calm day, I could not have had better weather. I'd planned to hit the Bryant Grove Trail, but last minute, I diverted to the Long Hunter Day Loop where, at the trailhead, I had the pleasure of chatting with Ranger Tyler Blystone. He gave me some more information about the annual Long Hunter Mega Hike—twenty-six miles in a day over each of Long Hunter's trails. This coming year, I'm going to give the Mega Hike a try, which means I need to get out more often over the next several months and build some stamina.

In lieu of a backpack, I strapped on my homemade man purse, comprised of a nylon water bottle holder and some add-on, Molle-attached pouches. The rig, an essentials kit built around a core water bottle, was light and comfortable. Around the two-mile, halfway point, I stopped at an overlook with a spectacular view and used the kit to make a quick cup of coffee.

⇒ Click here for a Picasa album of pictures from the trip. ⇒ Click here for a Picasa slideshow of pictures from the trip.

Long Hunter Day Loop

Mosquito Loop at Long Hunter

This post ought to be titled Attack of the Vampire Swarm. Yesterday, I hit the Long Hunter Day Loop with tackle in tow, intending to fish some of Percy Priest's shoreline. Turned out that the mosquitoes were so bad that I just kept going. Thank goodness I remembered to spray down with some 40% DEET before I left the parking lot. I wasn't bitten, but every time I'd stop to take a picture, a mosquito swarm would envelop me. In one picture, you can even see the flash reflecting off a couple of the blood-suckers. One couple, out to walk their dogs, turned back before they'd even gotten a half-mile. Guess it's going to be a bumper mosquito crop this year with all the rain and flooding. When I got back to my truck, the flying vermin were so bad that I quickly tossed my pack in the passenger floorboard and slammed the door shut. Of course, my Camelbak tube flipped out as the door was closing, and I snapped the Hydrolink coupling. Cha-ching. There went $12. At any rate, I made good time around the loop and covered the four-miles in under an hour, fifteen minutes. Wildlife sightings included four deer and a rabbit, all high-tailing it away as I passed. The trail was grown up in spots, and next time I hike it, I'll probably wear long pants and maybe even pack a machete. I'll definitely spray with DEET.

⇒ Click here for a Picasa album of pictures from the trip. ⇒ Click here for a Picasa slideshow of pictures from the trip.

Long Hunter Loop

Long Hunter Day Loop

This afternoon, C and I loaded up gear and headed to Long Hunter State Park, home to one of my favorite trails in the area, the four-mile Day Loop Trail. A portion of the Day Loop coincides with the longer Volunteer Trail, and as the park website notes, "These trails wind along the shore of J. Percy Priest Lake, climb overlook bluffs, and wander through hardwood forest, cedar glades, and interesting rock outcroppings." Both offer great scenic hiking, no matter the time of year.

Click pictures to enlarge.



C got to try out his new hiking pole, compliments of Santa Claus, and since the temp was only in the mid-40s, we remembered the hot cocoa—our favorite cold-weather, hiking companion. Right around the two-mile mark, we took a break on one of the rocky bluffs, snacked on trail mix, and slurped down our hot chocolatey treat. At the end of our hike, as we headed up the gravely path that empties into the parking lot, we saw a deer standing almost at the trailhead. It watched us for a long time before deciding to bolt, and another deer jumped the trail right behind it.





Long Hunter Day Loop


⇒ Click here for a more detailed .pdf map of Long Hunter State Park.