Going out after work

 went for a short hike after work today. I’ve been wanting to do that kind of thing more often, but by the time I drive home, and change out of my uniform, I somehow have no energy left. The most I’ve done is just walking over to the beach by my house, which is only three minutes’ walk! I had decided to bring clothes to change into and just do something right after work.

The Miner’s Falls trail is just over half a mile long, one way, and I had been wanting to walk it again – I hadn’t been in that part of the woods since the first day of training! Also, it was on my way out, so it didn’t take much extra time to drive there. And it is a really nice trail, a wide path of packed gravel that has gradual ups and downs but nothing extreme. Just a nice brisk walk.

It had to be brisk, because the mosquitoes were out! Not quite as bad as when I hiked along the North Country Trail at Miner’s Castle, but bad enough that I had to keep moving. It had been very cool all day, so I was wearing a sweatshirt and windbreaker, and that helped quite a bit. I actually had bought a bug net at the hardware store in town the other day – something like a beekeeper would wear, with a mesh net hanging down from a wire ring all around my face. I tried it out in the parking lot, where the bloodsuckers were mobbing me as I tied my shoes, and it definitely did the job – and it’s surprisingly see-through, being very fine mesh in a neutral light tan color.

There's my shadow... I look like I'm wearing a spacesuit!

I did take the net off once I started walking, because I could see that they weren’t going to be a problem as long as I was moving. I only stopped a couple of times to look at flowers, because mostly I was seeing the same things that were blooming right near Miner’s Castle – white and yellow violets, nodding trilliums, and a blue haze of forget-me-nots.

The woods were surprisingly dark – surprising to me, since I had been picturing the hills fully lit, from before the leaves came out. It was now green in every direction – above, to the sides, and the light filtering through the leaves was green. It was beautiful.

I really like these nodding trilliums - they're hiding underneath, so it's a surprise to spot them!

There is a short trail guide, a printed sheet with descriptions that match numbered signposts along the way. Mostly they were interesting notes about what was unique in this landscape, and this ecosystem. There were a couple that no longer matched what was visible at the sign, but the information still worked in the general scene.

I got to the waterfall pretty quickly and walked down to the lower overlook. There were two hikers already there, and they offered to get a photo of me in front of the falls! I don’t really do selfies, so it was nice to get that opportunity.

The walk back out was even quicker, even at the end, where the final section of the trail is one long, gradual climb. I was working to keep up the same steady pace even as I was climbing – up until the last twenty feet or so, which I decided was going to be my cool-down period! Still, I felt pretty good about it. I did 1.2 miles in about 40 minutes, including a couple of brief photo breaks.

When I got back to the parking lot I wanted to do a few stretches, since I haven’t really done anything active in a while. I put the bug net back on my head to do this. I felt rather silly standing in a parking lot with a net on my head doing calf stretches, but I didn’t have any mosquitoes whining in my ears!

I am glad I decided to try hiking right from work. It’s definitely something I want to do again – maybe on some of the other short trails, or the marsh boardwalk loop again. It’s a good way to see some of the nearby areas and save longer hikes for my days off.