A Hiking We Will Go

After just one day back, I'm ready for my weekend. I was stuck in the office most of the morning to finish adding our resource management needs to a database. It was time consuming because I was going between several different documents to make sure that our requests were in line with our management plan and that the information was added to the database in the preferred format. Just about the time I was ready to pull my hair out, I decided to take a break for lunch. I went home, made some lunch and just as it was ready, I got a call to meet a contractor in the youth camp area of the park. The construction is just about to begin for our sewer upgrade and the contractor was looking over the area and representatives from the utility companies were there to locate buried utility lines. I was needed to unlock locks and buildings so that they could see what they needed to. While I was at the youth camp, I noticed a Sandhill Crane enjoying the porch of one of the cabins.


While they walked some of the areas that I was not needed for, I headed home to finish my lunch. The contractor was going to call me later when he needed me again. I was able to return to the office to get a little more done before I headed out again to unlock some more locks. I decided that I had made enough progress on my project to be able to finish it up tomorrow. When I was done with the contractor, I tried to fix a problem with the computer that the rangers use. I didn't get to finish because I was called to the ranger station. I had to cover the ranger station for a little while between shifts. It was just one of those days and I was glad to be home when I got there. Tomorrow, I will start fresh and it will go much better, I'm sure.
When I got home, my fiance and dog and I went for another walk. I needed it. It was really nice out. It was warm, but comfortable. We saw a lot of pretty views along the trail. The trail we walked moves through several different natural communities. There were wetter areas with lots of ferns.


There were also areas that had more trees. We surprised a hawk that flew out in front of us and landed on a nearby branch. It seemed as interested in watching us as we were in watching it. It seemed much larger than the Red-shouldered Hawks that I saw often at Troy. Without seeing its front, I can't be completely sure, but it appears to be a juvenile Red-tailed Hawk.


There were a few areas that had some pretty flowers. I found several plants with these lovely flowers on them. I had found flowers like these that were white shortly before I left Troy. I wonder if these are also in the Blueberry family.


One of the last areas that we walked through was almost completely covered in Palmettos. It felt different in that area too. The air smelled like rain and it felt a little cooler. I am really liking this trail, and there is so much more left for us to explore. You can follow the link to the park trail map.  We walked on the orange Volksmarch trail from somewhere around the 2 to the 24.  I don't think it was more than 2 miles each way, but it was very relaxing.


Thought of the Day # 63
One thing that impresses me about Wekiwa is how dedicated the regular visitors are.  The rangers hand out dog biscuits at the ranger station to anyone with a dog in their car.  I found out that there are several different visitors that supply the biscuits.  There are visitors that have come to the ranger station to report suspicious activity, and visitors that come every single day and take the time to chat with the rangers as they come in.  Wekiwa can be a busy and frustrating place, but overall, its a great place to be.