Badlands Trail

         
            This week Noki and I traversed through the seas of green covering the Badlands trail at Miami Whitewater Forest.

            This has to be my favorite trail. 

The reason I like it is because it is a trail rich in plant life.  Each time I walk the trail I notice something new.  I noticed just recently there are many ferns around the various streams that litter the forest floor.

I noticed other interesting things as well.  A birds nest, high in a tree, with chicks in it calling for food and a tree fallen into another tree to make an arrow point aimed at the sky are just a few examples.

This trail reminds me of a description of a game called “go.”  Go was once explained to me as a very simple game with a lot of depth, it always changes but is always the same.  This is very much the Badlands Trail.

Once we noticed a small clearing where there was a flourish of activity with birds and squirrels, but the next time we came there was a calming silence.  Even the one squirrel, which appeared around a tree suddenly, was not making any noise.

            One day we walked past some green plants only to find the next they had all suddenly sprouted white flowers.

When walking, Noki and I can be very forward thinking, eyes front, never looking back and certainly not stopping unless we see something to give us pause.  To help experience the whole trail, we tend to walk it in different directions.  It allows us to see some things from different angles.

I would strongly suggest this strategy with this trail.  There are things you can only see if turning around or from looking at a completely different angle.

To every trail there is a small downside as well. Unfortunately, there was a bit of trash.  Not enough to ruin the trail, but we saw water bottles and pop cans in various places.

This, I understand, is not so much a failing of the trail but a failing of some of the people who walk the trails.

If you are going to take food or drinks on the trail, please do not litter.  Bring a bag or something else to hold your trash.  I usually bring my backpack filled with drinks and extra weight.