It is so fitting that I got lost in the woods off Cream Pot Road this morning since my plan for today was to write a blog about the many great walking and hiking trails in our area. I really wasn't planning on hiking up to the Mica Ledges when Mora and I started our walk, but there we were, at the bottom of the hill on a lovely, sunny morning. I climbed up, up, and up (very carefully since I fell last week coming down the huge rock at the base of Pisgah Mountain), knowing there was no way I was coming down the same way we climbed up. I actually DID come down that path in the winter when the trail was totally snow covered, and wound up sliding down on my bottom (on purpose, this time) since it seemed too treacherous to walk down. It actually was a great way to come down the trail! At any rate, we made it to the top, in my case aided by a thick branch I picked up and used as a walking stick. Thinking I knew how to get back to the parking area on a different path (unmarked, of course), we started back down. Sometimes we were on the red trail, then we met the blue again. But my inner compass (which was wrong, yet again!) told me to take an unmarked path which then turned into an exercise in basic "bushwhacking"! By now I was getting hungry, but not enough to nibble on Mora's biscuits in my pocket. Just when I was really wondering if we'd be lost for hours, I saw a house through the trees not too far away. We stepped out of the woods into a lovely yard surrounding a beautiful home. Was this a Fairy Tale?? No, as it turned out, a very kind man came out of his house and gave us directions to Cream Pot Road. He is the third helpful stranger I've met while lost on trails since Mora and I began our daily walks. The other two times were in the winter when it was getting close to dusk. I guess then that there really is "magic" in those hills. Back to this AM...We walked down the driveway and were on Cream Pot Road, just a bit down the street from where my car was waiting for us. Today's lessons: 1-Don't assume an unmarked trail will get you where you want to go. 2-Take a trail map along, just in case. 3-Enjoy the walk, no matter where it takes you. I am lucky to have the time, a great walking buddy, and plenty of places near me where we can get out and enjoy the scenery, no matter what the season.
