Cemetery Trail

It hurts me to see that most trails are overgrown and run downed.  This is one of the main reasons I started this blog, in hopes of getting more people involved in hiking.  The more people that hike trails, with proper trail etiquette the better the trail system would be.  So my challenge to everyone this week is to go and hike a local trail, and try to inspire someone else to do the same.  There is something really free about walking in the woods, even when you can still hear the highway in the distance.  Leave no trace and have fun.

Today Paul and I would head out to Chickasabogue Park again, but instead of canoeing we would give the trails a try.  I chose Cemetery Trail because it is

mentioned in Joe Cuhaj's book "Hiking Alabama."  If you don't have a copy of this book and you live in Alabama, I strongly urge you to pick a copy up, it has a really good list of trails to hike.  Cemetery Trail was a good little hike, even though trail markings are a bit confusing and the map that Chickasabogue gives you isn't really much help at all.  We started near the sports field and off to the woods we went.  Mostly surrounded by long leaf pines and banana spiders we still managed to have a good time.  The trail was pretty clear, except for the spiders and had a few hills that were really fun.  I guess most of the creeks or water has dried up because the boardwalks pretty much went over dry land.  Be careful, a few of the boardwalks have rotted.  We definitely blazed a path today.

We came to a sign in the woods that said wet this way, dry this way.  We went down the dry side, it seemed to be an old creek bed that ran parallel with I-65.  On the left side of the trail was the bottom lands or wetlands of Chickasabogue and you could see a swampy area, my favorite.  This trail led under the bridge at I-65 to Chickasabogue Creek, a route Paul and I have canoed.  After realizing that it led to a whole other set of trails and that we were no longer on Cemetery trail, we turned around in hopes to find the "cemetery" we headed up the wet this way side, at this point we were back on the trail.  Needless to say we never found the cemetery, maybe next time.  Overall it was around a three mile hike, and a good way to spend the first part of the day, nothing daunting just a good little walk with a good friend.  This was a very easy trail, especially if you are not afraid of spiders.

We kept it short and sweet today.  I am trying to save my energy for this weekend.  The wife and I will be heading up to the Sipsey Wilderness for my birthday, can't wait for that adventure.  I will take many pictures and have quite a story to tell I am sure.

Once again I challenge you to get out and hike.  This earth is a healer if you let it be.  We are constantly surrounded by the hustle and bustle of life and it is real easy to escape it in the woods, once you find yourself in tune with it.  Until next time.