As I grow older I find a need to spend more time in walking and exercising. Here in the Clarkesville area I find a variety of ways to enjoy the lovely area and stay fit. One thing I do most days is to take an early morning walk. Although I retired from a daily job I still get up by 5 AM and thus hit the trail in time to catch the sun rising. Having spent years leaving home early for work my internal clock remains the same.
At times I walk woodland trails or some side road with little traffic. As a daily routine, though, I normally go to the Old Clarkesville Mill and walk the trail by the Soque River. I sometimes walk at Pitts Park in Clarkesville but in later years I’ve also walked the trail at the mill. Here are more wildlife and I can take photos of hawks, rabbits, red foxes, groundhogs, beaver, geese and once an eagle. I once saw and photographed a young doe in the river splashing in a circle like any kid having fun. Wildlife are best seen early in the morning as the hawks, for example, like to sit in trees to catch the rays of the rising sun.
I can get good photos of hawks as they catch the morning sun and before more people and noise, such as a barking dog, scare them away. Now and then I get photos of geese that drop in when the swamp has adequate water. The trouble lately is lack of enough rainfall to fill the swamp and with low or no water the reeds and brush are threatening to choke the swamp.
Groundhogs have dens near the walking path. If few people are around one will come out and lay near his den or graze on the new grass growth. Last year I was fortunate to get shots of a beaver gathering a clump of green grass growing out of a rotting log in the river. The beaver cut all the grass with its teeth and then with a huge mouthful carried it off down the river, perhaps to its den.
Red foxes have dens inside the circle of trails and also at the upper end of the meadow. Early one morning this spring I saw a fox catch what looked like a rabbit and carry it to the upper den. On one occasion I saw a fox mamma teasing someone’s dog to chase her, no doubt to get the dog away from the den. Another time a dead mole lay in the entrance of a den, left there by the mamma so one of the kits (young fox) would find it and to eat it and wean it off milk.
I sometimes go to Pitts Park to watch the horseshoe players and swap insults with them. Folks that play horseshoes tend to be more relaxed and have similar views of life. If I was a reporter interviewing people to get their views I would start with horseshoe players. They tend to be more conservative and usually act somewhat mature. This park is a great asset to Clarkesville and I hope there is a slowdown on any more additional facilities that would cause too much congestion. The location by the river, the fresh air and scenery, playground facilities for children, a bandstand and the exercise of walking by the river are just fine.
