I had not been walking much lately for a variety of reasons, and the first of two loops, 3.5 km in length, proved to be quite an exercise for me. Both trails rated 2+ in normal weather, a change to a 3 rating due to the wet conditions made it tough going on this first loop, which contained most of the grassy portions of the trail. The owners cut the really long grass this past week, but the wet grass was still a bit tough to slog through. We did a few loops around large fields of young strawberry and other fruit and vegetable plants. The fields were linked by a trail through the woods that included an out and back stream crossing over several well-placed rocks, which kept our feet reasonably dry until later soaking from the wet grass was inevitable. This loop was closed by returning to the finish point, the farm market for the orchard which is usually quite inactive at this time of the year, the owners allowing us to use it as a nice start point for our walk.
Robin was pretty tired, and she had friends working at the start/finish, so she and I bargained and she just did the 5 km option as mentioned earlier. So I ambled off by myself after the trails split soon after starting the second leg, which headed out from the start in a different direction than the first. I was happy to learn that this second leg had more gravel trails and less grassy ones. We did several loops around more fruit and vegetable fields, and also curiously groves of what looked like Christmas trees. I am not sure if these trees are marketed as such, or they are just planted for erosion control or other environmental reasons. I was passed by several volkssporting friends on the trail, as I continue my slower pace since my leg injury last year. I started to feel better though, as I walked on and got some stiffness and "cobwebs" out of my tired legs. We gradually worked our way towards State Highway Route 27, but not quite on it, staying on the orchard grounds. We passed a farmhouse with a large pile of mulch in the backyard, then the only blueberry bushes on the walk. At about the 6 km mark (most of the distances were marked in 1 km increments along the trail with pink sheets covered in plastic) we started to head back towards the finish, though in the typical meandering routes around outer fringes of fields for the most part. At the 8 km mark our second checkpoint was reached, in a great spot with a shady gazebo where veteran volkssporter Tom Moseley checked my card. We chatted for a few minutes, and I filled my partially ice-filled water bottle with more water. The walk on Sunday started in cool, cloudy conditions, but by this time the sun was out and it was getting quite warm. The gazebo not only was a shady spot, but its open air nature was catching all the nice breeze there was, and I quickly cooled off from the hot trail.
I passed around a few more fields, then headed eventually into a more wooded part around the 9 km mark. Passed what looked like an abandoned school bus with the curious sign on it "I HUNT WALKERS". No one ever saw any activity inside the bus, but several kids said they saw a lot of evidence that someone was living inside this bus. A nice bubbling stream, another woodsy farmhouse and a very scenic pond gave variety to the trail as the finish loomed ahead.
The trail was marked entirely with pink streamers, directional foot signs, and occasional written signs. The markings for me were a joy, a rare treat these days where most trails seem to be described with maps/directions and very little on-trail markings. And the marking was done very well, with plenty of markers at all the key points. Wherever you needed a marker, you saw one.
