Yesterday I wanted to go for a moderate hike, something different. There's an easy 3.5-mile loop at Stones River National Battlefield that's not too far away, just in Murfreesboro, so I decided to drive down there. I get close and find a traffic jam to get in the parking lot. There are Boy Scouts everywhere (plus a few girl Scouts) and police directing cars. I actually drove around the lot twice and didn't find parking. Apparently they were placing flags at the cemetery. It hadn't occurred to me to think of it being Memorial Day weekend, especially not on the day itself. And while I was all in favor of the endeavor, I was surprised to see people actually recognizing the holiday for its significance rather than as just a three-day weekend.
So I went to another nearby hike, the 2.5-mile Barfield Wilderness Loop. Having done it once, that was sufficient. The trail starts off as a greenway, which is pleasant enough but hardly worth going to Murfreesboro for. Then the "wild" trail takes off. It's not much used and very overgrown; I was glad to be wearing pants. It was also incredibly muggy, perhaps from the previous day's rain. People tell me it wasn't humid in general yesterday morning, but there it was. The trail follows a sluggish river for a little while before weaving in and out of some cedar glades. The description in the book I was using didn't seem to match experience my (or even its own map) very well.
Near the end of the trail, I came upon a group of Boy Scouts. For an Eagle project, they were rerouting the trail in one spot where it was steep and eroding. It looked like nice work.
Afterwards, I went to a barbecue and then saw the new Indiana Jones flick. Reviewers have been very divided on it, and a friend whose opinion I would have trusted thought it made "Stargate" look like "Citizen Kane." But everyone in my group enjoyed it very much.
No comments:
Post a Comment