And this no longer looks like a trail. I was looking forward to hiking Cedar Gap as it was a second time for me. We tried this last summer. I recall slipping on some rocks on a downward slope. It scared me for a second and I regained footing with a few scratches of the variety that instantly put me back into childhood hurt and embarrassment. It was enough for me to give in and accept a walking stick that my boyfriend had wanted me to use, but I had resisted earlier thinking it made me seem weak. It worked. No more slips and I got over that feeling.
That first hike was in July and nothing like the cool air back at our campsite by the springs. The views were gorgeous, but I did not enjoy my clothes sticking to me in the humidity. Our walk back to the car was quiet, more from heat than fatigue, even though it was a decent trek.
Fast forward eight months later and we are back. I had no problem using the walking stick that I use on most of our walks, grabbing it in the parking lot before we hit the trail head. The views are still incredible, only different as it is early April. I am awed by Dogwood trees and wildflowers in bloom in bold yellows, purples and reds.
The temperature is much better and we walk until the trail stops, which isn’t too far from the parking lot. We turn and head back up, revisit the wildflowers on the summit and see a path winding around a curve and take it. We read a plaque that explained how 200 nearby residents worked together to purchase and preserve the land. The path carries us down to the start of Bryant Creek. With no other visible paths, but back, we follow the creek. We weave our way along, enjoying a terrain similar to our land, but on a grander scale. The conservation area measures 431 acres, so we were only seeing a tiny bit.
While we knew we were getting off trail, it wasn’t anything crazy to navigate and Google Maps showed us where the parking lot was and we were making our way around to that direction. After a while we were starting to desire any kind of path. We headed straight up the hill toward the road along the railroad track, so up through trees and dried leaves we went. Close to the top we came across a sign that said it was no longer the conservation area beyond that point. We’d have to walk down and up the other side or beyond the sign. Just past the sign a fence appeared. We edged along the rim until we could access a road and walked back.
A few days later, my hairdresser and I were chatting and I mentioned where we had hiked. She looked slightly impressed and shared that a friend of hers went hiking there a while back, alone. She got lost and was so far off road that when she called for help, she needed to be airlifted out; big park.
Back at home, I read about the location on the conservation department’s website ( a bit late). There were great reviews of the views, a few comments about trails in need of clearing and people mentioned the cool cabin that was along the trail. Third times a charm.