There is an old farm on the Orleans/Eastham border on Cape Cod that is really fun to hike through. It is not very big but very pretty with a few trails to meander down. You can see the old farm equipment and fences in the area.
I really liked this photograph of the trees and split rail fence in black and white. What do you think?
What a morning we had at the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary on Cape Cod! It was a gorgeous day for a hike so we headed out on the trail to the beach. You have to go over a little boardwalk when you get to the marsh and then onto a trail and then over a longer boardwalk to the beach on Cape Cod Bay. It is just spectacular!
Well, we got to the first little boardwalk and walked across and onto the trail to the next boardwalk. We couldn’t walk very far because a lot of it was underwater! We had not been there in a long time and thought maybe the coastline or marsh had changed and the water was higher. You can see it going under water on both ends.
So we turned around and started back down the trail. Oh no! When we got to the first boardwalk, it was under water! How would we get across? We could see the water rising pretty fast, so we quickly took off our shoes and socks, rolled up our jeans and waded across. Not what we expected to do in February!
We tried taking the loop trail back but the water was rising very quickly and we could see the trail being swallowed up. We could hear it gurgling in the marsh. It was a pretty eerie sound. Instead of getting stuck again, we opted to turn around and, hopefully, make it back to the original trail before the water did.
We made it to the trail and sat on the bench for a while and watched the water coming in. We couldn’t believe how fast it rose. You can see the first boardwalk in the center of the last photograph. It looks like a little white square surrounded by water. And that water was pretty deep!
So… some wet sneakers and dirty feet, but all in all, a very interesting and unnerving adventure! Lesson learned: Do not hike this trail an hour before or after high tide!
I’ve seen quite a few Great Blue Herons this winter by the salt marshes on Cape Cod. This one was hidden in the grasses on the Salt Pond Trail in Eastham on the National Seashore. I saw him as he stood up tall hunting for lunch in the creek.
The Great Blue Heron is still my favorite bird. He is so beautiful and majestic, especially in the summer when all his plumage is on display!
It was really cool to see the cut Eastern Red Cedar trees at Fort Hill on Cape Cod. They are thinning the forest while using the wood to anchor the boardwalk that is being repaired along the Red Maple Swamp Trail.
I knew they were called Eastern red Cedar trees, but I never fully realized why. Look at the inside of the tree. Wow! It is really red!
Part of the Red Maple Swamp Trail has been closed for a number of years, but should reopen this spring. What a treat that will be! This trail makes a loop from Fort Hill through the swamp to Hemenway Landing and then back up to Fort Hill. The views are spectacular.
It is a beautiful hike and a must if you are in the area!
There were a lot of downed trees at Wiley Park in Eastham on Cape Cod after the blizzard. Hiking over the bridge that separates the two kettle ponds, you can see one of the trees that is leaning pretty precariously. We couldn’t take our favorite hike as there were too many trees blocking the trail.
I couldn’t decide which photograph I like better… color or black and white. What do you think?
