Thursday, November 3, 2011

We Return to Jordan Lake ... and to Happy Trails!


This past weekend marked a momentous occasion. I finally recovered from knee surgery enough to resume our love of hiking the Trails in the Triangle. To make the occasion truly special, we returned to the place where we did our very first trail together about a year ago – Jordan Lake.
We are situated in the New Hope River Valley, home to prehistoric and Native American sites. Modern settlement began in the 1740s by Scottish Highlanders. The disastrous hurricane of 1945 (they didn’t have names in those days – probably no spaghetti models either) damaged the Cape Fear River Basin. Congress commissioned the Army Corp of Engineers to study the water resource needs in the area. The result was the B. Everett Jordan Dam and Lake, named for the former senator from North Carolina.

This lovely area includes over 46,000 acres. There are nine recreation areas in this State Park which offer camping, boating, hiking, and other similar adventures. We began this trail in the Seaforth Recreation Area.

That’s 1 – point – 4 miles. Not Fourteen. I know, the first time I saw it, I also thought it was 14 and thought, maybe not.  But at just under a mile and a half, this is a friendly and easy walk in the woods.
The trail winds through densely packed woods to one area of shoreline by the lake. This time of year is particularly colorful. You still see a lot of green along with the occasional wildflower, but the deciduous trees have already begun their showy splendor. Red, orange, yellow, gold. Every hue that describes “fall colors.”



We came across some muddy spots due to recent rains, but for the most part the trail was easily traveled for anyone, including one with an unsteady knee. Boardwalks cover the marshiest sections of the trail. The elevation remains fairly level, which also makes it a good trail for easing back into activity.
We’ve walked this trail more often than any other. We’ve seen it with fall colors, bare winter limbs and spring blossoms. We look forward to trying it with snow on the ground this winter.
A good plunge back into the happy world of North Carolina trails. Come out and join us next week!