Where does the time go…

Ugh… I’m horrendous at staying on a schedule apparently. I had this dream of posting each week this summer… yeah right. Between work, working out, wedding planning, and trying to maintain a social life, add in gallbladder issues (which looks like surgery in my near future), I’ve forgotten some of my other plans for the summer; like up-keeping my blog. So here is a little hike from about four weeks ago…

The featured photo makes it seem like we hiked up the river doesn’t it? Well, we actually started at an area called Burr Oak; on the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge. This particular trail is only about .9 miles long. Wimpy, considering that I’m planning on at least going ten miles in the future.

The Ft. Falls Trail is a lovely jaunt…in the fall. Right now, the part of the trail that loops by the Burr Oak Access area is overgrown. It’s like bushwhacking through a jungle. If you are planning on hiking it anytime in the future try to avoid this part of the trail. Stick to the primary river access or the Ft. Falls Overlook section of trail.

Poison Ivy is also an extreme likelihood at this part of the trail- Princess and I both got a bath with Poison Ivy soap that night. Once the fall rolls in this trail will be perfect for walks along the river.

After a trek through the “jungle” the trail widens out, a little. Along this path you will find a variety of trees, from eastern species (cotton woods, burr oaks, and hackberries) to borel trees like Paper Birches. On the top of the trail near the Ft. Falls Overlook you will find Ponderosa Pine- I live in a truly amazing area.

As you go along, the river meanders to your left (coming from the Burr Oak Access). It peeks through the underbrush and trees in various locations, reminding you that at any time if you get to hot you can easily hop in and cool off for a bit.

After the trek through the humid and tangled undergrowth, Princess and I enjoyed the cool water.

One of the highlights of this hike, seeing Princess enjoy the river.

She cooled her heels and played for a bit in the water. I also enjoyed the river and cooled my heels as well.

 

Probably one of the coolest things on this trail is Ft. Falls. This (and over 200 other waterfalls) dot the Niobrara River and provide hiking opportunities. At a later date I plan on floating through the Refuge and exploring some of the other waterfalls in this section. You can also hike in the wilderness section- one of my weekend plans (that might now go by the wayside because of surgery) is to go play around in the wilderness area.

For a quick hike this one is hard to beat, not only do you get river and a waterfall you get awesome views from the overlook.

This is a very short posting- partly since I don’t remember most of what happened (my fault for getting busy). Once I know more about when my gallbladder is coming out I will be able to plan some additional hikes before or after. As of right now, I will be heading to Rocky Mountain National Park in August for my bachlorette! I will be doing some hiking with a few friends while there! Stay tuned!