The heat is definitely set in with afternoon temperatures in the 90’s. I had planned to visit a state park about 90 minutes away but adjusted that based on the heat and humidity this morning at 6:15 and chose to walk closer to home at Umstead. This was a new trail for me, Turkey Creek and parts of Loblolly Trail. Parking was outside the park with easy access to the trail. Following the advice of our son, Geof, who runs here a lot, we went left. It was almost all heavy shade and that was wonderful. We first walked to a lake and then across a single track trail in the forest. About midway on that trail we encountered a beautiful small pond that looked like it would be a great spot for birding. I plan to return there. We had to walk a bit past our parking spot to get to our goal of five miles.
Trek nine - Turkey Creek Trail, Umstead @ 5.0 miles - Total to date 43.2 - Miles to go 56.8
Lake at midpoint on the walk
Woodland pond