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| Sun, clouds, and mostly dry trail |
Eleven Senior Trailblazers met at the Senior Center to hike the Stimpson Family Nature Reserve, our usual end-of-year short hike, but Al had other ideas. He suggested that, instead of going twice around the trails at the Stimpson Reserve, we first head over to the
Lookout Mountain Preserve, which is nearby, and explore some new trails first. So off we went to enjoy new territory. The temperature was just right as long as we were moving, little to no wind, and the possibility of an adventure!
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| Al and DJan, taken by Diane |
I asked Diane to take this picture of Al and me, and it's not quite in focus, but I thought that perhaps it makes us look a little better that way. For some reason, my cellphone camera is not always focusing well, but it's so easy to use that I never took my other camera out of its case today. We were hiking on a trail called "Lookout Loop" (2 miles), with a side trip to a viewpoint adding another mile.
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| The fog obscured our view, but it was still pretty |
Once we got to the viewpoint, there was nothing to see but clouds. However, while we stood around, drinking water and having a snack, a bit of a view appeared through the mist. I'll have to come back here another time to see what it looks like when there are no clouds. We took another side trip to see a waterfall, but it was hard to get a good picture through the trees.
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| Waterfall |
By the time we got back to the cars, we had traveled close to five miles, and we decided we would wait to have lunch at Geneva Pond at the Stimpson Family Nature Reserve. This sign tells you about the reserve, and we also noticed that we were no longer alone: the parking lot was filled and lots of other people were enjoying the area.
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| Amy reading about the reserve |
It's a beautiful place, even with lots of people sharing it with us, but we didn't want to go far, just to Geneva Pond where we would have our lunch. It's only a short distance in, so off we went. I was surprised to see that the pond was partially frozen over, and with mist rising from it, I was able to capture this very nice picture of a trio of Ferndale ladies.
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| Linda, Diane, Peggy |
Sometimes my cellphone takes great pictures, and sometimes it doesn't. If you compare this with the picture of Al and me, taken with the identical camera, it just makes you wonder what is going on. Maybe it's the same gremlin that makes me forget important things, too. By the time we got back to the cars the second time, we had traveled more than seven miles in total and had enjoyed a beautiful day with great company! Thanks, Al!
:-)
i recently upgraded my cell and noticed my new one has more trouble focusing than my old one did - 13 mp vs. 8 mp old and i get lots more blurry ones with the new.
ReplyDeletei like the pic of you and al, though. you adventurous souls. :)
There were 3 cameras on Xmas Day at our home: mine, David's, and my sister Sylvia's. I think Syl's photos are inferior to those David and I took, because she used a smart phone, whereas we used regular cameras (Canon and Sony). Can't beat a real camera, in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteBoxing day? What better than a hike to work off some excess. You are fortunate to have good weather and no ice on the trail.
ReplyDeleteMy feeds are back so you can sign up to follow me!
sounds like fun times to me...i would def take the side hike to the waterfall...
ReplyDeleteour cameras are pretty much the same way...you never can really tell until after...i dunno what it is...
Love the photos of the intrepid hikers. And yes, I too would have been easily seduced into a detour to the waterfall.
ReplyDeleteLast hike of the year? Really? Or are you going to sneak another in...
Gorgeous pics, whether the phone camera works the way it should or not. Panoramic hike for the last of 2013!
ReplyDeleteMy iphone photos are uneven too. It probably has to do with foreground vs background and light level. But it is oh, so handy.
ReplyDeleteStill seeing green on the ground is awesome! Thanks for another great hike:)
ReplyDeleteGreen ground you say, eh - well missy, you won't get any of that around here unless you have an axe. Probably 5-7 inches on the road and snow on top of all that. It snowed yesterday after all our ice storm from last Friday - things are looking good though, sun is coming up today and much warmer out, so ice should begin melting off trees etc and all back to normal for storm coming tomorrow and Sunday through Monday. We still have tens of thousands without power and the linesmen are hoping to get it all restored by next weekend. Lord, we just get out of a real bad one and get whamed again this weekend - well, I guess we mostly are used to it, but I think I would like to walk on that trail of yours and not be "slippy" - as my Dad used to say. Lovely to see you out churning up the miles DJan and having fun in winter. I am off meet the boys and go skating at Arena this morning. Have a great day. lol
ReplyDeleteI am feeling like breaking out in song here today..."Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day!"
ReplyDeleteLove the photo of the fog. I can just feel the feeling I would have if I came upon a view like that!!!
Y'all are so adventuresome. Wishing we had something like this going on around here. But alas, we have no mountains.
Happy New Year Ms. DJan.
On my recent trip I had my sisters take the pictures since they had their cell phones handy. They didn't come out very sharp and I was a bit sorry I didn't lug my Sony.
ReplyDeleteLove that waterfall and glad your last of 13 was a good one.
You look so vital and strong in that picture....good living will do that to you. :)
ReplyDeleteThose darn gremlins. They always wake me up in the night. Or maybe it's my age. Who knows.
ReplyDeleteI',m glad you had a delightful hike. Most of my hiking recently has been to stores. But that's OK; I kept on moving.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have wonderful hikes throughout 2014.
Blessings and Bear hus.
i admire you courageous adventurous get on with it lives.
ReplyDeleteMy cell phone is so so on photos but hopefully when I get a new one it will do better. I really like the clouds through the trees and the waterfall but the one of you and Al is my favorite.
ReplyDeleteIt must have been fun exploring new ground. Here's hoping your first hike of 2014 is perfect with lots of views.
Beautiful scenery, It's so cold that I didn't even leave the house today. I can't imagine heading out in the cold to hike! We're headed to the coast tomorrow. I hope it will be a little warmer because we're looking forward to walking on the beach.
ReplyDeleteOff with a spirit of adventure. I love it. Trying to keep it myself regardless of new roadblocks. And thanks for your kind words, DJan..
ReplyDeleteI know that when you get to the lookout and see clouds you guys are not exactly thrilled, but seeing clouds from the top is thrilling to me. ;)
ReplyDeleteLove the smiling faces and the waterfall, too.
I've been taking photos with my iPhone and I find that at times it'll take great photos and sometimes duds. I never know how they'll really be until I upload it on the computer. If I really need a better photo, I'll use my regular camera.
ReplyDeleteI love your misty shots. I always look better when I'm blurry and far away, but you look great all the time DJan.