14 Nov Autumn Daze
Another bluebird sky day! Just have to get out and take a trek through the woods. So come along with me!
There is a gentle breeze blowing the leaves still clinging to the tree branches. I also hear the occasional scuffle of a squirrel or chipmunk scurrying through the crisp crackly leaves.
My goal is to hike the entire elk trail. I don’t know when I will accomplish this. But I’m doing sections of it and have to retrace my earlier steps on cross trails to get to the elk trail again. So today I’m hiking up the McDonald to catch the elk trail and come back down on Shaffer Draft Rd.
I hear the babbling McDonald Run below me. Occasionally I hear the scolding of squirrels and chipmunks as I interrupt their afternoon forage for nuts. I recognize the sound of a flicker calling.
Look way up the trunk of towering mature oak trees.
As I walk I think it is impossible to walk quietly. The leaves are so crisp and dry, it hasn’t rained for a while. This may seem like a disadvantage to seeing wildlife but it also allows me to hear anything that I may startle as it runs away. That’s exactly what happens, I hear a commotion, I stop and pick out a bull elk! He is a nice 6X6. That’s why it’s called elk trail!
As dusk settles in, the golden hour, I hear wing flaps of several turkey flying to roost. Thanks for tagging along with me.
6.5 miles