Mines of Spain- Off the Beaten Path!

On February 15, 2016, I decided that I needed a change of scenery and therefore made the decison to get off the beaten path.  By that I mean the path that I usually take and am familiar with.  At the Mines of Spain when you go to the Horseshoe Bluff trail you will immidatly notice that there are a lot of small pathways that lead away from the main path.  Some of these are made by locals looking for a more private place to relax, rest, or socialize in a more private setting.

On this day, I started at the bottom of the trail and got off to quite a rocky start.  You see, it had recently snowed and the snow texture was fine and powdery.  I did not occur to me that this fine, powdery snow would in fact be sitting on top of a thick and dense layer of ice; which it was.  The result:

My body print in the snow.

 I biffed it for the first time this year; at which time I made a dedicated decision to invest in proper hiking gear for varying weather conditions as soon as possible.

However; I did not let the incident detour me from my intentions; and I continued the hike; to the right and away from the ice.  This led me into a series of interwoven paths that led through the wetlands area which of course was frozen over at this time.  However; the view was different and at this time I was able to obtain my photograph for Day 5 of the #wildphotochallenge that I have undertaken from We are Wilderness University; which you can learn more about by clicking here.  You can also follow me on Instagram to see all of my photos from the #wildphotochallenge by clicking here.

This walk was very brief- about 30 minuets long; I have no idea how to tell you where it is because it was not marked on the trail list that was provided on the Mines of Spain website; however if you go to Horseshoe Bluff and turn off to the first right path that you find; it will take you directly there.  You can hike for as long as you would like as these trails appear to be interconnected and well marked as well.

As always; please enjoy the following photographs from the hike:

Tree that did not loose its foliage. 

My improper hiking shoes for the weather.

Day 5 #wildphotochallenge- something old in nature-- I chose this bridge because it has clearly been in place for a long time.

Wildlife blind; please be quiet!

Forest Selfie-- I like the view of the limestone bluffs here; which is why I included it.

Behind these trees is limestone bluffs-- very pretty.

View of the forest; bent tree.

  
If you would like more information about the Mines of Spain Wildlife Refuge or the EB Lyons Intepretive Center please follow the links bellow:

Mines of Spain 
Trail Descriptions 
EB Lyons 


Please comment; suggestions are always welcome, like and share!!  

Happy Trails!!