On Sunday, November 4, I set off to tackle three of the seven hikes that remain. It took me about an hour and 40 minutes to travel 84 miles to Muscatatuck National Wildlife Refuge. I was hopeful after traveling that far that I would be rewarded with some awesome trails. When I entered the park there was a large sign that said "Deer Hunting Today - Check In at Visitor's Center." I got a little butterfly twinge in my stomach at that point. Then, my stubborn inner self said, "I didn't drive this far to not get to hike today." So I proceeded. Previous to arrival I decided that I would start with the longest hike on the East River Trail that was supposed to be 3.6 miles long. I followed the directions in the book, but had no luck finding the trail head. As I drove back through the gravelly park roads, I decided I would hike one of the other trails and then head to the Visitor's Center to ask about the location of the East River Trail.
I got out of my car at the Richart Trail with my ears cocked. I was listening for the sound of gunshots. I don't know what I was expecting...to hear constant rapid gunfire? The sun was shining, the day was beautiful and I was ready to go. I took a picture of myself at the the kiosk because this is what we have done on almost all of the previous hikes. I'm glad no one happened by because I'm sure I looked pretty ridiculous. Richart Trail is 0.9 miles long. The beginning of the trail is mowed grass and it's still really green. It was amazing how quiet it was. You can really appreciate the solitude when you are hiking alone. And then my thoughts started to wander: What if the hunters are using bows and arrows? I really wouldn't hear them if that is the case. I started to make as much noise as I could with my feet as I walked. Silly! Some of the trail follows along one side of Richart Lake. There is a pretty gazebo with an overlook. I stopped to take some pictures and then hiked back along the trail to my car deciding that all was clear and I was letting my imagination run away with me.
Next stop was the Visitor's Center to ask about the trail head for the East River Trail. When I walked through the door I was greeted by two older ladies. One of them was doing some computer work and the other walked over to see how she could help. I told her I was looking for the trail head for the East River Trail. She said, "Oh that trail was closed a little over a year ago. It was just too hard to maintain." I said, "Well that's a first! I have hiked over 50 hikes this year and none of the other trails have been closed." I showed the ladies my book and they both congratulated me on my efforts. They asked me how many miles I've hiked this year and I told them that I've hiked over 180 miles. The greeter then told me that she used to volunteer on the trails and that she hiked 500 to 700 miles a year. WOW! I couldn't believe it! She then showed me some alternate trails in the park that I could hike, also warning me about which ones to stay clear of because of the bow hunting for deer that was taking place in one area of the park. Then my little voice in my head said, "Next time, you WILL check the Visitor's Center first!"
All of the hikes were relatively short. I hiked the Chestnut Ridge Trail that was 0.5 miles. This trail is in the book. I replaced the closed East River Trail with hikes on the Turkey and Bird Trails (1.95 miles) and the Wood Duck Trail (0.64 mile). The trails were really flat and didn't present much of a challenge except that at times it was hard to follow the trail because almost all of the leaves are off the trees and are on the ground now.
Considering the time and distance traveled, I probably wouldn't head out to Muscatatuck Wildlife Refuge again, but the sun was shining, the solitude was rejuvenating, and the ladies at the Visitor's Center were interesting so it was a pleasant day.
56 hikes down and 4 to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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