Lace Up Those Shoes Kiddos!

DISCLAIMER: For some reason I'm having trouble with getting Blogger to import my photos, so excuse the place holders please and check back later for the pics =).

My hiking companions are still getting used to the idea of hiking when it's cold (don't worry, they'll come around), so it was only recently that we had warm enough weather for them to agree to hit the trail again. Since it had been raining so much the previous week, most of my go-to spots would have been muddy, swampy messes. I considered a different option: Maple Ridge. It straddles both Mantua and Deptford townships, and in it's previous lives had been a golf course. A friend who lives in Wenonah has walked the paths there and seemed to enjoy it, so I thought we'd give it a shot, figuring at least some of the paved paths would be passable.

Since the area is still not officially a preserve, there really aren't any "trail maps", and there are no longer golf course markings. If you like to meander, and you aren't nervous not knowing exactly where you are, you'll have some fun. I would probably have felt a bit more oriented if I had ever even once in my life been on a golf course (other than a Putt Putt), but c'est la vie!

There was no sign that we could find, but there is an obvious old parking area off Glassboro Road (use 1705 Glassboro Road if you're having trouble finding it). The day we were there there was a small sign for a greenhouse.

So, we park and head off on the paved path, which was bordered by a well-developed meadow:

*** INSERT PIC OF BRIGID ON PATH, MEADOW ***

Since we had not been here before and didn't know the original layout of the course, we decided to try to stick with larger paths when we reached an intersection, or failing that, one with a very distinctive visual memory trigger, like this tree:

*** INSERT PIC OF HIGHLY BRANCHED TREE ***

Some of the areas seem more remote, like the small bridge over this creek

*** INSERT CREEK PIC ***

and there is a large variety of flora and fauna to discover, including an unexpected patch of bearded iris (one of The Mama's favorite flowers!)

*** FLORA, IRIS ***

We only encountered a few others on our walk: a solitary woman from the parking lot, some older teens fishing, and a trio of very sweet Golden Retrievers who brought their gentleman out with them, although he didn't go in the water to swim like they did.

*** PUPPY PIC ***

We rounded one corner and saw a lovely overlook, and another bend brought us to this collapsed structure which we quickly decided was now a hobbit home.

*** VISTA, HOBBIT ***

I'd really like to walk here again if there was even some rudimentary sort of map, and when the girls said they'd like to come back I suggested we bring a compass, pencil and paper. I'm trying to help them learn various ways of trail navigating, and this would be yet another way.

You know, there's a Junior Girl Scout badge for Geocaching which obviously involves using GPS.... maybe I can convince our troop to try it? Maybe I can call on someone with more experience and equipment, like "Uncle Aaron", someone from Council, or those friendly folks at REI???