An absolutely freezing but incredibly beautiful morning to explore the nature reserve (for the first time)!
We went clockwise around the main loop, stopping to hike around Geneva Pond early on in the loop (also clockwise). We ended up hiking a little over 5 miles according to my Gaia tracking. We were stopping a lot to look at cool ice, wildlife, fungus, and more (see Misc.).
THE ROAD / PARKING
We got to the trailhead a little after 9:30 and there were only 2 cars in the parking lot. The parking lot is right off the main road and paved, so no issues there.
The accessible vault toilet was open and in great shape — it had toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and even a sharps disposal.
When we got back to the car a little before noon, there were a handful of cars in the parking lot but it was still plenty empty.
THE TRAIL
The trails were in great shape. You could tell they were muddy in some places when it was warmer earlier this week, but the trail was mostly frozen today where that was the case. Later in the morning, when it started warming up, the trail got a little muddy.
There was frost on the ground throughout, and the bridges/puncheons were a little slippery. I was fine in my trail runners (but also shuffled my way across the bridges).
MISC.
There was hair ice everywhere. Some cool needle ice in the ground too. We saw a raven, a mouse, a squirrel up close, and 3 deer. Really big mossy trees. Mushrooms all over the place. The ponds were frozen too, which was very cool. I wasn't sure what to expect on this hike, but I didn't expect to see so many interesting things!
We only saw a few people on trail today. It was super quiet. With it so cold and everything frozen over, it felt even more quiet.
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