Great Dismal Swamp 2-4-14

Hey everyone, we finally saw that furry black animal we all wanted to see for the past 7 years. Ellis was right up front of the group and was able to see it close up. It had just a touch of white on it and was digging in the ground like there was steak waiting just inches below the surface. Wait a minute, I got so excided about seeing this furry black animal I forgot to tell our story.

The trip for the Tuesday Group on this day of February 4, 2014 was a 6 mile hike in the Great Dismal Swamp and the weather was great, no one had any sweat dripping off of their foreheads’ today. The clouds kept the sun covered and the wind only was strong right at the end of the trip. We met at the Great Dismal Swamp Wildlife Refuge Office on Desert Road in Suffolk. Three of us drove our trucks down to the lake and Bill B. brought Ellis, Bob S. and Bruce back to the office where we met the group at 9:30 a.m..

We got in our usually circle and had a talk about our trip to the lake. Everyone said their name and we had two new men today, Buck and Jay. I let everyone know right from the start that each would need to be able jump a small ditch or we would have to go another way and add about ¾ of a mile to our trip. Being Tuesday Groupers, all said that they could, and all did. Leaving the parking lot the group hiked a small trail over to the Railroad Ditch and headed east. The gravel road was dry and had very few mud holes. First stop was a Board Walk Trail into the woods to a new shelter, which had 10 benches looking like an outdoor classroom. It was the Underground Railroad Pavilion and it had a lot of information about that time in our history.

Back on the trail heading east, we made it to the first turn at the 2 mile marker. Turning south we were on the West Ditch and after about a mile we had another Board Walk Trail, it led out into the swamp. This trail has an 800 year old Bald Cypress tree which has, in the past few years, been topped by lighting and is hard to see at this time with only about half of it still standing.

Reaching the 4 mile marker we stopped to let everyone catch up and had a long break. Next we turn east once again and hiked on the Interior Ditch the last 2 miles to beautiful Lake Drummond. Now I can tell you about the furry black animal we all got to see up close, but not to personally, Thank God ! No, it was not the black bear which we have sought for the last seven years but a small skunk. It was about 1 mile from the lake on the side of the trail and must have been hungry, because it was digging for something and not at all bothered by our group. After getting a few pictures we eased by it and continued on. This is the first skunk I have ever seen in the Tidewater Area and it was almost as exciting as seeing a bear. (almost) We were at the lake for about 15 minutes and with the North Winds blowing that was long enough, so we climbed in the 3 trucks and headed back to the refuge office.

Tuesday Group does not just mean hiking, we eat too. The seven vehicles headed straight to downtown Suffolk and the Amici’s Restaurant, where we all ate some of about everything they had on the menu. As we sat at the table Ken, Patricia, Buck, Bob M, Margaret, Bruce, Mark, Bob S, Jack, Jay, Sandra, Carl, Bill B, Marti and Ellis, (the man who did not get to see a bear, but had to settle for a black furry SKUNK) we talked about the next trip into the swamp to find that bear. It was another great day with the Tuesday Group. Thanks to all, Bruce

Click here to view Bill B's Pictures: https://plus.google.com/photos/117475145040031402609/albums/5977013092567776977?banner=pwa&authkey=CLf50PKgla-4nwE