Blackwater Preserve 2-1-11

BLACKWATER PRESERVE - Zuni Pine Barrens

On this Tuesday 9 of the Tuesday Groupers headed towards Windsor Virginia for a short hike in the Zuni Pine Barrens Preserve. Dewey and Bob A. drove over to our house (Margaret & Bruce) and arrived about 8:00 A.M. and we headed down hwy. 17 to Shoulder Hill Road where we pick-up Jane and Margaret P. who were waiting for us behind Bo jangles. With a truck load we started our trip toward Windsor. Driving through the country side of Smithfield down Hwy. 258 you get to see lots of old Plantations houses and lots of farm land and at this time of the year, with no crops in the fields, you can see for miles across open fields making the trip enjoyable. Pulling into the parking lot, around 9:10 A.M. there at the Blackwater River, just off of W. Blackwater Road we saw Mark and Diane waiting for us. They were checking out the boat launch where we could put our boats in for a paddle down the Blackwater River, later this year. As we were lacing up our Hiking Boots and loading our packs Milton pulled into the lot and we had all 9 hikers and we were ready to head out.

Walking back out to the road and heading east across the bridge we soon came to the gate of the Blackwater Preserve. Here in this area the trail is made up of hard pack sand and was dry and easy to walk on. We headed north into the Pine tree area looking for deer and turkeys, but all we saw was their tracks, where they had walked a few hours earlier. We had walked about 2 miles when Milton wanted to take a side trail which lead us down to the river where we found a dirt path which we could walk out to the rivers edge. Here we took some pictures and looked up and down the river for ducks and maybe a beaver, which we had seen a few trees that he had cut down along the trail. The river at this time was 8 to 10 feet deep and running at a good speed heading towards Franklin. It would have been a good day for a paddle !

Back on the trail again we decided to do some bushwhacking to check out the plants and flowers along the river bank, which the students of O D U had planted a few months earlier. We soon made it back to the trail and here we took our first water break. We hike on from here and soon it was about lunch time and we found a large tree, which the wind had blew over just for us to sit on and we all ate our PB&Js, Tuna, and Sardines. We had walked about 4 miles and after our lunch break we headed back towards the parking lot. As we made it out of the woods we found a V.W. car that someone had left many years before and Bob had his picture taken in it and tried to drive it home, but was unable to get it started. Here we walked down the paved road for about ½ mile and then back into the woods to finish our hike. The group was not ready to head back just yet, so we added another mile to our trip. Here we found a 4 wheel drive tractor used for grading the roads and Margaret wanted to hot wire it and go for a ride, but we moved on before she had a chance too. On this trip we saw 3 bug tents, not the V. W. type, but the flying kind. They were for some kind of a study the O.D.U. Students are doing. With the Board Meeting some had to attain on this night we headed back towards the trucks and to the finish of our short 9 mile hike. Some were sore, but all enjoyed the beautiful day in the woods. When we started the temperature was in the low 20’s & cloudy and when we finish they were in the high 50’s & sunshine, which made it a great day to be alive.

Bruce Julian

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