The recent good weather has presented a difficult choice for us here. Should we go and work in the garden, or should we begin hiking. The "hiking season" is upon us and we can always use some practice with the GPS device. It was a difficult choice, but because the ground was quite wet and we purely wanted to do something other than work in the garden for a change, we elected to begin the hikes. My partner and I have been taking hikes in wooded areas within driving distance of our home. There are many positive things to say what we encountered in the woods, but one of the most interesting and prolific discoveries was the enormous variety and numbers of mushrooms that bedecked the forest floors, the erect trees and rotting logs. One place that we went was the Oostvaardersplassen--a nature preserve with wild horses, rutting red deer, foxes and lots and lots of different sorts of birds. A movie has been made of this wonderful place, which my partner and I went to see before going on the hike. Here you have a two minute Vimeo trailer to give you an idea of what the film was like: http://vimeo.com/73367945 Here, the same trailer from YouTube: http://youtu.be/_O99sS6K7RU It was an interesting day. We went with a group who regularly do these sorts of walks. The leader was a huge man who certainly needed to do some walking. He walked slowly and panted the whole time. It was good that he walked slowly because that is the way that I like to hike--to be able to see and experience the nature. You know? We went mostly to see the rutting deer and to check out the level of colour on the trees. The second place that we went was in the wooded area at the place in the country where the germans blew two holes in the dike as they retreated.You can see in this screencapture from the google maps page. What happened was that in april of 1945 the capitulating occupiers set explosives in the dike and blew two great holes in it. ±700,000,000 M³ of water poured into the polder and came in at such a force that it eroded holes in the earth that were 20 and 26 metres deep respectively. Within eight months the new length of dike was rebuilt, repairing the damage. What you see today are the deep ponds that were left for migrating birds and other forms of wildlife. The woods were allowed to become "wild" and made for a delightful walk. Here you see a glimpse of the how it looks. This open area was not the trail, but just looked lovely. It is difficult to tell, but there were some lumps of soil turned up here and there where wild swine had been rooting. Here a typical look of the trail. As you can see-- it isn't well-marked and the GPS came in handy now and then, as the small posts marking the way sometimes were simply missing. The last place that we went to a couple of days ago was here-- The place was dark and foreboding and had no marking poles to guide the way. I had downloaded a route from the internet, placed it in my GPS, and walked purely on that (and my own senses). At one point, we heard a rumbling sound and looked up to see this man riding through with his cart. It was still fairly close to the beginning point (about 1/3 of the way in). This footbridge made it interesting. My partner refused to cross it and so, using the GPS I found another place to cross the canal.--We just walked around to the next bridge and then found our way back to the trail. Well it was a nice hike and there was lots to see, including the mushrooms. I shall make a thread for them later on. On the way back home, I came by a field full of these. Can you guess what they are? They are sugar beets for making....urmmmm....sugar. Hoped you liked this very abbreviated account of three hikes. It is time to do more of this and thus the gardening will have to take a back seat.
Another wonderful post S. That is a very interesting bit of history regarding the dyke blasting, an example of something good coming from something bad. That foot bridge does look a bit dicey, don't think I would have attempted it either unless it was an emergency. The small city that I live in was started from sugar beet farms. Not a fan of beets myself, but it is a good source of sugar I guess. I'm bothered by that shot of the horse drawn cart, was the black dog tied to the back? Hope you both enjoy the hikes ahead and looking forward to more posts.
Really great post, Sjoerd... Hiking is an activity I've long aspired to participate in but the nearest I've ever been to a real 'hike' was when I walked around the golf course to play my 'round-of-golf'.. I have great admiration for folks who can and will pursue some endeavor with some dedication.. Hank
I'd love to check out places that beautiful. The last time I went on a hike was in the mountains of New Mexico.
Thanks DONNA--I feel like I do too. hahaha. 4-G--You are too nice. It was indeed an example of how something good can come out of something bad. My partner did actually go onto the footbridge and one plank was rotten and another tilted straight up when she stood on one side of it. Yes, it was completely untrustworthy. The horse-drawn cart: The black dog behind was not on a line attached to the cart, he was a dog that was not on a leash (as he was supposed to be). He belonged to an anti-social visitor in the park. Thank you, HANK-- I got a good chuckle when you told about your golf course hiking. heh heh heh. Well mate, its walking too, or did you use a cart? Hiya CHERYL--You know, I have been to New Mexico, and I found it beautiful. My favourite area of your country is the southwest. NM, Arizona and Utah have some of the most beautiful landscapes that I have ever seen. The plants and animals there are also remarkable.
Wow, S, This is totally fantastic. It is so awesome to other parts of the world without having to actually leave home...(I am such a homebody!) I think the farthest I have been from home was clear to the very southern most point of Texas a few years ago... Netherlands..I am thinking will not be anytime soon, so thanks for letting me see it through your eyes.
CAROLYN--I am really pleased that you enjoyed this thread. There's nothing wrong with "armchair travelling". I am just delighted that you have interest in how things look over here.
Oh Sjoerd, you take us all to the most interesting places. Your pics are superb! I enjoyed the history you shared, too. Keep them coming!
Chuckle, chuckle, Sjoerd, Since the exercise was a major reason for being out there, I walked mostly although we all (we being the people with whom I played) rode the carts for tournament and league play.. Loved golf because to do well was such a challenge on all levels.. Hank
BUNKIE--Thanks so much for the nice words.I am glad that you liked the posting. HANK--You are right about golf requiring a great skill. It would take me ages to have any skill at all.
Nice woods, but I didn't like the look of that bridge. Did you see any wild swine? I've never seen any and would love to see a photo if you manage to snap one sometime.
Thanks for commenting, Droopy-- No I did not see any wild swine but many, many signs of their presence. Fresh signs. They are actually a problem in some areas of Nederland. I will take a pic should I ever see any on my hikes. I am going again this coming tuesday and wednesday...weather permitting.
What an incredible trailer! Beautiful and scenic photos. Thanks for sharing. Don't do much hiking in the fall here because of hunting season, and you never know what kind of "hunters" are out and about. Don't want to end up being "game" because of someones carelessness or poor eye sight. Love being out when the snow flys though and the air is crisp and clean.
Hello Jewell-- Glad you liked the thread. I can thoroughly understand why you do not go out hiking in the fall. I like hiking when it is freezing and there is snow too. I can hardly wait for the weather to change.
