52 Hike Challenge: Hike #3 - San Felasco Hammock Preserve

It's been awhile since the last update, but we're still doing our 52 Hike Challenge! This weekend Ellison and I went to one of our favorite local spots - San Felasco Hammock Preserve - and spent an afternoon hiking and collecting materials so Ellison could make a beautiful little bird's nest for our courtyard trees.

We go to San Felasco on a fairly regular basis, but for most of our hikes we take the Spring Grove or the Old Hammock trails. These are both across the street (north) from the parking area and offer longer hikes than the side with the parking (south). However, Sunday we decided to stick to a shorter option and take the Moonshine and Creek Sink trails. There were far fewer people and we didn't have to worry about Waylon jumping up on or sniffing people as they passed by nearly as much. If it weren't for the little bit of gray on his muzzle, he'd be mistaken for a puppy every time with his crazy energy. 

Ellison was interested in collecting various sticks, leaves and vines for a bird's nest project she was working on so, needless to say, there were frequent stops along the way. Her attention to detail was quite impressive - each branch or leaf had to be just right. I loved witnessing this selection process; it offered such insight into her personality. That child's love for organization and classification runs deep, it truly does. 

Along the Creek Sink trail things got a little swampy and there were a few times where we had to walk right through the deep mud, which makes sense because this is where the creek is absorbed by the underground aquifer. We were hoping to see some wildlife, maybe snakes or a baby alligator, but no such luck. We did see wild hog tracks and Waylon was desperate to follow the scent. The rooting was fresh and Ellison and Waylon were both certain that a hog sighting was imminent, though not one ever did make an appearance.

The Creek Sink trail takes you through beautiful lowland areas and the bare winter trees allow for a much broader view than you would have in the summer. This is definitely a trail to take in the colder months - the mosquitoes would be terrible in this marshy swamp in the heat. When taken along with the Moonshine trail the route ends up being around 3 miles, but Ellison and I decided to extend it a little further.

As you are nearing the end of the Moonshine trail, there is a service road that leads to a pretty little cattle ranch. While it clearly says that hikers are not permitted, I have taken this trail many times with no problems (though I am in no way encouraging you to break park rules, of course). For the first 1/4-mile it isn't particularly interesting, but as you keep walking the road curves and on the right side it opens to wide views of open meadows punctuated by old oaks covered in Spanish moss. This is one of my favorite spots, mainly because I like the way the trees are situated along the hillside. Ellison loved it, too, and tried hard to convince me to jump the fence and run all wild and free with her through the grass. While it was tempting, I figured we had broken enough rules for one day so we just enjoyed the view from the trail. However, fields like these are just begging to be raced through by children and dogs. 

We stayed and collected twigs and leaves for Ellison's project until the sun started to set and then made our way back to the parking lot. It had been at least two weeks since we had been hiking, and about that long since we had done anything together, just the two of us. It felt good to get outside and reconnect. It reminded me of a quote from 'Pilgrim at Tinker Creek' by Annie Dillard, a book I have read and reread countless times and which, in part, inspired my love of the natural world. 

'I center down - I retreat, not inside myself, but outside myself. ... Self-forgetfulness is tremendously invigorating. I wonder if we don't waste most of our energy just by spending every waking minute saying hello to ourselves.'

In all honesty, this quote has stuck with me since I first was required to read 'Pilgrim at Tinker Creek' my junior year of high school. I remember writing it on the inside of my folder as we read the book in class. Something about it really resonated with my self-absorbed teenage mind and when I feel as though I am getting too caught up my own life, I remind myself to 'center down' and practice self-forgetfulness. As Ellison can tell anyone who asks, I repeat these wise words of Annie Dillard's to her often. Probably too often. But taking a walk in the woods goes a long way in reminding us both to breathe deep and appreciate our small, but significant, place in a much wider world.

See you back here soon!