Hike Coordinator – Richard O’Neill
The rain was coming down faster than a wingless duck, so my camera stayed dry inside the car. Sorry, but no pictures! It didn’t really let up either and the sound of the rain hissing in the forest and tapping on hat brims was a constant. However, the 5 of us that dared to hike in the wet conditions didn’t mind and we headed uphill underneath all the elegant oaks that make this park such a prime hiking destination.
I had sort of envisioned a 10 mile’ish route but after closing the Fern Forest loop and the Mildred’s Trail loop, we were delivered into the bottom lands that were under a couple of inches of water. Bachelor Creek was flowing rather robustly, effectively cutting us off from the remainder of the intended route. So, we splashed and splooshed our way back to the car, settling for a 6 miler which wasn’t bad at all, considering the conditions. The next day the Snowpocalypse of 2019 started and THAT would have been an interesting hike!