My new boots were put to the test today on the trails at O’Bannon State Park.
Since we had our new park pass and Bill wanted to explore a new leg of the Adventure Trail, we started inside the park and at a different spot.
We parked near the campgrounds and then had to make our way to the horse camp which we had found previously from the trail itself. Things were going pretty well. Then we found a fork in the trail and Bill curiously suggested we follow it.
The path was clear for easy hiking but it was not well marked. The first sign we found baffled us. We were looking for the green over white markers, not letters!
It turns out that O’Bannon has bike trails, horse trails, and hiking trails and they were not all on the same map, or at least not on the map we had. We walked about a mile or so and popped out where we started in the campground. In the grand scheme of things, the extra mileage was negligible.
Back on the Adventure Hiking Trail, we stumbled upon this gem, the Iron Bridge. I can’t believe it, but my husband, who is not fond of heights, scooted his way across the bridge.
Things were going pretty well on the trail but the rain had had quite the effect on the growth. The trail was so overgrown. At first it was just that the plants were taller but then it got worse. The short version is that the trail got more and more narrow so we jumped to a parallel trail. It was a horse trail and it was really, really, really muddy. Bill started hoofing it as fast as he could to get us through it but the mud just got worse and worse. Eventually we got back on the Adventure Trail and were dumped out at the Fire Tower and the road.
Our last 1.5 miles were on asphalt but that was welcome terrain after all the mud. My boots were officially christened. They have definitely proven to be worth their value. My feet were clean and dry.
Our final distance today was 8 miles. Though it was not the walk we intended it was a true adventure.
love the bridge, love the adventure