My final hike for the day will take me to along the Original Natural Bridge Trail to the Natural Bridge for which Natural Bridge State Park is named. Yes, I said it that way on purpose to emphasize the Natural Bridge. Unlike most of my hikes though, the trail for this one starts just outside my the door to my room at the lodge - convenient. Knowing this is a short one, I drop my pack off in my room before heading out.
The humidity is pretty high and as I begin to ascend up the steep trail, I'm sweating pretty profusely. It's not all that challenging, but physical exertion in these conditions results in the need for a shower pretty quickly. The trail continues up a well traveled path and I pass quite a few hikers on my way up. Apparently, this is a pretty popular trail.
After only about a half-mile, I reach my destination. The trail approaches from almost directly below the natural bridge, which gives it a very majestic appearance. This another very large one and quite impressive, spanning roughly a hundred and twenty feet and rising perhaps eighty feet above its base. I walk around to get views from all sides, but soon my hunger gets the better of me and I decide to head back and grab a quick shower before heading to dinner at the lodge's restaurant. Tack on another 1.2 miles for the day - not bad.
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