Six of us met up to carpool (Beth, Kelly, Kimber, Nina, Deirdre, and me), while two (Chris and Mara) met us at the park. We drove down to Landsford Canal State Park to catch a glimpse of the infamous spider lilies that only seem to bloom this time of year. It was a quick 30 minute drive and a $2 entrance fee each, but we all agreed, it was worth the price of admission.
As we climb out of our cars, we exchange hellos and catch up with each other. I notice
Chris' new day hiking pack and her weight loss. I am so proud of her. She looks great and her new pack makes her legit day hiker! haha! Seriously, her pack was so cute. Kelly and I helped her fill it with water, showed her how it worked, and explained where the hose goes.
We saw a lot of kayakers getting ready to enjoy the spider lilies up close and personal. You see, these little hardy flowers only grow on rocky shoals of a river and the Catawba River is one of the largest growing sites. The flowers are
literally growing on boulders in the middle of
the river!
After gawking at the kayakers, we found a nice park ranger that was willing to take our photos in exchange for our beautiful smiles. So we took our "beginning of the hike" picture, then we took a silly Dame photo before finally hopping on the trail. Chatting away, it amazes me how easily we all fall into conversations with one another. We have an awesome group of ladies and I got a chance to talk to each and every one of them.
The trail itself was a nice and easy, well maintained path that was very well marked. We started along the river then turn right into the forest and walked along the canal path. We learned that the early settlers made these man made canals through the forest to keep themselves out of sight and safe. We stopped to read all the historical signs and after a mile we reached the viewing platform for the spider lilies.
After taking lots of photos, and a water break, we continued on a nice easy trail for another 1/2 mile up to the stone bridge and official historical Indian trade post sight. I snapped a couple of photos of the Dames on the bridge, then we hiked back to the lily platform one last time.It started to sprinkle so I mentioned that maybe Kelly's trail name should be Rainmaker. Cause it seems that each time I've hiked with her, it seems to rain. haha! We finally get back to the cars and that's when Nina surprises us. She pulls out a tupperware full of fresh strawberries to share! They tasted so yummy after our hike. Thank you Nina! That was so thoughtful. We say goodbye to Chris and Mara and then the rest of us hop back into my car and head back home. As soon as we pull out of the state park, it starts to rain and we all look at Kelly and laugh. haha! At least it didn't rain on our hike! This was a great hike with a great group. Looking forward to our next adventure Trail Dames.
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