With Thanksgiving tomorrow and a lot of my colleagues already on vacation, I don't expect today will be a very busy day in the office and so, I decided to get a short hike in prior to starting. I've been meaning to check out the trails at the Island Ford unit of the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area and today seemed like a good time to visit this nearby park.
Arriving early and just after the park opened, I quickly make my way down the autumn trails around a small pond, across the road, and then down to the river. Several large rocks emerge from the shallow river and a number of Canadian geese and other waterfowl have taken advantage of them to stand on against the river's currents. As I approach, a great blue heron spreads its wings wide and takes flight just over the river's surface.
Continuing on down the strangely vacant trails, I encounter a number of rock outcroppings at the river level. Almost all of them contain some sort of large overhang and could easily be used as a shelter. I wonder if the indigenous peoples or later European settlers took advantage of this natural lodges in their travels. Surely they must have.
Heading up hill away from the river, the trail enters a large wooded area with nearly all of the leaves stripped from the trees. While I do encounter two other people out here this morning, I'm somewhat surprised there aren't more. Perhaps, I'm just too early - good for me.
Returning to the area where I parked, I see that I've hiked 2.5 miles this morning. That's a pretty short hike, but it's nice to get out during the week when I can.
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