Swallow Hollow Nature Walk – 04-17-16

Posted on April 17, 2016 by Kim

It was a week riddled with deep emotions and intense stress. So, I had planned on spending my Sunday doing some yard work…..now that Spring has finally arrived in full force – I hope…..and relaxing after I got home from church. But, my dear friend and adventure buddy, Cathy, suggested we might take a ride to Swallow Hollow to check it out. I didn’t know what that was, but she told me it was one of the nature trails on the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge. I had promised myself that I would learn more about the Wildlife Refuge and the many trails they have this year. I also remembered that another friend mentioned a great trail a couple years ago, but I couldn’t remember what it was called – from what Cathy was telling me, this must be what he was talking about! Since it was an amazing, sunny, warm Spring day, I was intrigued…….the yard work would wait!

As it turned out, it is exactly what I needed, today! A peaceful walk through the wonders of nature and wonderful conversations with a good friend! I couldn’t have asked for a better outing for the day!

So…..my day started with church, then I went for breakfast and read a chapter in my current book while I ate, and then met up with Cathy. From there, we went to Swallow Hollow, walked the 1.3 mile trail – taking time to sit and listen to the sounds of nature and talk along the way (and give my bad knee a much needed break from time to time), had a late lunch at the Alabama Hotel, stopped by the Ringneck Marsh Overlook – another feature in the Wildlife Refuge, and headed home. It was fantastic! The trail is an easy walk – 1.3 miles with parts of it elevated boardwalks and parts packed dirt paths, and mostly flat and smooth with benches and interpretive panels and audio messages strategically placed all along the trail. Unfortunately, we didn’t see much wildlife or flora, today, but it was still a really nice and relaxing day. We did see some mallard ducks, a tiny snake, a few red winged black birds and other birds, and some turtles! I’ll have to go again when the rest of the wildlife wake up for the season and become more active.

Here are some photos I took along the way: