The large group of about thirty hikers assembled, did a quick round of introductions and then hit the trails. I admit to never having heard of this part prior to seeing today's event posted, but I'm up for any trail miles I can get. Before advancing too far into the woods, we explore the perimeter of a nearly abandoned cemetery that the sign indicates is the final resting place of several freed slaves who settled and farmed this area immediately following the civil war. There are a number of little tidbits of history like this all around Georgia, as I'm learning.
The trail system here is relatively flat and easily spotted among the hibernating deciduous trees of central Georgia. Though, as we it twists and turns through the fallen leaves, I begin go question if it was made simply for the sake of building a trail. It seems that is a common element of many of the hikes I have done in and around my new home. I don't mean to imply that there is anything wrong with that, but I tend to enjoy trails more when they have a purpose. A path leading to a lake, the summit of a mountain, or to a hidden waterfall are all more to my liking. It may just be that I need to adjust my thinking about hiking a little bit to accommodate my new surroundings.
As the day proceeds, we find that a small regiment of our troop has finally well behind. The organizer calls one of them that he is very familiar with by telephone and we learn that one of the ladies towards the rear is struggling with the pace we have been keeping. We've been going roughly 3.5 miles per hour with an occasional stop. That is around the pace advertised in the event posting, but some new to hiking don't really know what they are and are not capable of until they get out here.
I and another gentlemen decide to head back to see if we can assist, but unfortunately, we are unable to find them after backtracking a half-mile or so. We return to where we left the main group only to find they have departed again and we are forced to guess at the route the took. We guessed wrong and end up adding a couple of miles to our tally. I'm okay with that. I want the miles, but after a couple of attempts to relocate the main group, we decide to head back to the trail head.
As we near the parking lot, we encounter the two experienced hikers that were caring for the lady that was struggling. It seems they took a completely different route and none of us know exactly where the main group has gone. We join up and head for the parking lot to wait for the main group. After only five minutes or so, the remaining members of our expedition, including the organizer, show up. It was an unfortunate turn of events, but I was still able to get in 8.3 miles at a good pace today. I'm going to have to look more closely at some of these hikes in the future though and ensure they are ones that I want to do. Still, any day that I can get some trail miles in is a good day.
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