It was a wonderful day to walk through the Buckeye Wetlands. I had been in the park area before, but never followed this trail. I was pleasantly surprised when the pathway led me to a 1-2 mile section of wetlands, a haven for life including beaver dams, ducks and other waterfowl, wooly bears, squirrels gathering food for winter, and various insects.
It was about 50 degrees out, but I was fighting with darkness due to the fact that it now gets dark around 5:30, which means dusk is around 4. I slowly hiked along the paved pathways and veered off trail to get some interesting shots including one of an old stone bridge which had probably been there for years.
The trail looped around the marsh area and I also came along a large barn, which looked like something out of a movie. Several signs posted telling me not to go in made me want to go in an investigate anyway.
It took a good two hours to slowly walk around the preserve, but I was moving slower since I wanted to see if I could find any wildlife. It looked like aside from some ducks, the beavers, frogs, and other birds had already hunkered down for winter. the beavers already chewed down several large trees to make their huts.
They (beavers) have already fattened up during the fall and will spend most of their time in the huts, coming out only to gather food. The huts are placed away from the shore of the lake in order to keep away from predators (coyotes, humans, etc.).
Well anyway, it was getting pretty dark so I finished up the last leg of the loop faster. I have a new camel pack which is good for longer hikes and drank most of it before returning. The loop heads off onto another trail where I'm able to exit to the park area. It's a nice spot that is sort of hidden and you could easily miss, as I have the last three or four times i've been here.
It was really peaceful out there, not a lot of people out on the trail which made it easier to think and meditate. It's about the hike, it's about nature, but also about getting away from so much noise out there, pollution of the mind and the ongoing hustle of society. People so busy and worked up about buying things for the holidays and what the next big thing on the news is to be upset about. My advice is it's a never ending cycle. Sometimes you create a prison for yourself without the State's help. Now is a good time to think about freeing yourself mentally and letting go. Take care.
