It’s been an unusually active bear season this year, so when I arrived at the Spring Road Trailhead for Pond Parish today—a trail I’ve probably hiked over a hundred times—I had a brief thought that maybe today is the day I run into a bear. Mind you, I’ve never seen one out there, but I just thought, maybe. I didn’t really believe I would; I just considered it more likely than ever before.
But then I saw the warning signs at the trailhead, reminding me that the real threat to my safety is not bears, but the possibility of hunters. A bright orange placard that looks like somebody ripped a piece off on purpose, stated that I should “Wear Orange!” and to “Keep dogs on Leash!”
I was off to a bad start—I was wearing a black t-shirt, and I had forgotten to bring a leash for the wingdog.
Oh right, hunters.
What Are We Hunting?
I’ve seen this warning sign tons of times, as it lives there year-round. But I remembered there are certain times I should be more concerned than others, and I was aware that we just started a new month. Isn’t September the start of some hunting season? A quick google revealed that not only has a new hunting season begun, but BLACK BEAR season has begun—and I was wearing a solid black t-shirt. I may as well have been wearing a t-shirt telling hunters to “Shoot Me.”
Fortunately, it wasn’t too far to get back to my home. I retrieved one of those orange runner’s vests as well as a t-shirt that wasn’t so black—you know, just in case there were any hunters out there who thought it entirely possible for a black bear to be wearing a vest.
I’d like to tell you I also complied with the request to get a leash for Bullet, but at present, I have no idea where his leash is.
First stop, the beaver dam!
Back on the Trail
With the proper safety attire, Bullet and I made our way around the Pond Parish trails. We love these trails. We explore them every season of the year and they run well in any condition. They can get a little muddy in the early spring, but not much worse than any other trail at that time of year. And only in the early sections.
Our routine is to hit the Beaver Dam Overlook first, a little over seven hundred feet from the parking lot. It’s a quick reward just for getting outside, and a great place for pictures. The trees reflect perfectly off the water from a lookout area where the water spills out into a creek, and we usually have the place to ourselves.
After a good look at the pond and the beaver dam, we return the way we came and then cross the footbridge onto the main Pond Parish Trail. We do this without thinking, only today we received another warning.
Oh man, hunters AND hornets??
Hornets Too?
What was supposed to be a quick little midday trail excursion was starting to feel like a gauntlet of peril! Hornets? What’s next, a pit of snakes? But the hornets paid us little mind as we made our crossing, and I paid them very little mind at all.
Further up the trail, you have a couple of options. You can take a short spur to an observation deck where the area turns more marsh-like, or continue up until you reach the junction of the Pond Parish Loop Trail and the Josiah Parker Trail. The Loop Trail is what Bullet and I always opt for, since it’s just to give him a little exercise in the middle of the workday. But if you want something bigger, Josiah Parker can lead you into a whole network of other trails. Looking at the map, I’m surprised I never explored them more. Maybe I will tomorrow… but better prepared, of course.
Happily, no one was maimed, shot, or stung in the making of this post. Have a good time out there! And wear orange.
The red highlighted area shows the route. Maybe tomorrow I’ll check out another one of these loops.