Goose and Bug Adventures- Heron Pond part two

As soon as it started to get prettier outside Goose started asking when we were going to be hiking through Heron Pond again.  I really would have preferred to do some new places but she begged and begged so we decided to take their dad along since he'd never been there before.

This place is really easy to find but the directions online are very, very confusing.  I remembered going one way, but when I Google Mapped it, there was a completely different set of directions given and I was too worried to try my way so we went the route it told us to.  It took about 30 minutes longer than it should have.  Next time, trust my gut.

By the time we got there it was about one hour until sundown so we raced through which actually wasn't as bad as it would seem.  There's a lot of scenic paths to hike on but a lot of the path is just through trees so we ran through some parts and it was a lot of fun.  Bug and I raced each other to see who could get to each turn first.

Going in the winter wasn't as fun as in the full foliage of summer but the Cyprus trees are so beautiful that it really doesn't matter what season you go in.  While they may not be thick and lush and green they are still stately and beautiful and worth seeing.

The best part of Heron Pond is the beautiful walkway over the swamp.  It's not very long but it leads you around a corner so when you get to the end you feel like you're smack dab all alone in the middle of a swamp.

The girls are still really disappointed that the big tree isn't really that big.  One of Bug's biggest Bucket List items is to see a giant redwood so anything that isn't comparable she doesn't really care about.

 

I'm so glad it's now spring and that maybe we can go back to our weekly hiking trips!

Goose and Bug Adventures- Heron Pond

Heron Pond, located just west of Vienna, is one of the easiest hikes we've done this year.  The terrain is flat and the paths are large.  This would be a great walk for people who aren't use to hiking.
We convinced a couple of people to join us on this trip.  My mother and Goose's best friend both came along for the ride and I'm hoping we turned them into adventurers like we are!

When you first enter the trail you cross a large bridge and it's beautiful rippling water on either side of you.

As you travel along you stay right beside the river for a while, turning with the water until you come to a fork where you can choose to continue on the trail and hike for as long as you want or you can go out onto a floating bridge and go right into the middle of the swamp.

We chose to do both paths.  First we went down the regular hiking trail where you come to a State Champion tree.  The girls were disappointed that the tree is a champion because of its girth and not the height.

After we turned around to head back we did the swamp bridge and it cheered them up a lot.  They loved that you go directly into the middle of the swamp until you can no longer see land around you.  It really feels like you are in the middle of nature, more than if you were on a paved hiking trail.

This was the farthest we've traveled for a trail so far and overall they enjoyed it.  They're already asking when we can go back and try one of the longer trails.  I had fun, but I like the scenic trails a lot more.  I want big rocks and mountains and hills to climb rather than easy breezy trails.