Hike Antioch Pines Natural Area 1/5/2016

This Tuesday group outing started with 20 degree temperatures and with a wind-chill down to 16 degrees. This would not have been so bad if it wasn’t for having 80s just last week. We met at the DQ there in Windsor for our Tuesday Morning Breakfast and had 7 early birds join us. Staying here until 8:45 A.M. to keep warm as long as we could, we finally had to climb into out trucks and head to the trail head. I expected to see 3 or 4 cars in the parking lot but there were no cars at all. This made me a little worried with 37 people signed up, but it wasn’t long before they began to fill up the gravel lot there at the Blackwater River Boat Ramp. Everyone was there by 9:30. We circle dup and I told them which way we would be going and to be sure to keep as warm as they could. Heading out of the Parking Lot onto Blackwater Rd. we crossed over the river and turned onto Thomas Woods Road and hiked 1.5 miles. This was in reverse from all other hikes we had done here, but sometimes it's good to go the opposite way to see a different view. Heading into the Blackwater Ecological Preserve, where ODU College does a lot of research and testing, we now were in the wooded area with the tall pine trees. The sun was out and the wind had stopped blowing and everyone warmed up some as we hiked down the sandy road to the river's edge. This time of the year the river is always high and flowing with great speed heading toward the Chowan River. We then hiked into the Antioch Pines Natural Area Preserve, where they are trying to bring back the Long Needle Pine. From the way the trees have grown in the past year they are doing a great job. We stopped to see the river two more times before hiking out onto Blackwater Road ending our 7 mile hike. The plan was to eat our lunch at Anna’s Pizza and we had 25 of the 37 hikers that stayed to eat. With a group this size we ordered 11 pizzas of all different kinds and everyone had more than enough to eat, I hope. With the cold weather and the pizza only, I hope everyone had a great time hiking with the Tuesday Group as much as I did. Hope to see everyone next week at Beaver Dam Hike; it couldn’t be any colder, “Right”. Bruce

Check out Jim's photos: https://jimarendphotography.smugmug.com/Sports/Tuesday-Group-Hikes/20160105-Antioch-Pines-Hike/

View Bill's photos: https://www.flickr.com/photos/137344663@N04/sets/72157663233784375/