I hiked the Beaver Dam Trail in the Noxubee refuge today and I really enjoyed it.  The refuge web site says the trail is a little over 2 miles long.  I’d call it 2.5 miles.  This is a down and back trail, but the return trip didn’t disappoint.

The Beaver Dam Trail follows the flow of Oktoc Creek as it winds through a beautiful hardwood forest.  Along with the ever present waterfowl I saw quite a few forest dwellers too.  I saw two white tail deer as they drank from the creek.  Their coats were in full red summer coloration.  My presence was detected quickly and they didn’t stay long.

A little further down I spotted a Turkey hen and her chick moving through the ground cover.  As I got closer the chick disappeared into the undergrowth and the hen flew up into an oak tree.  She made quite a commotion as she flew from tree to ground and back again.  Her behavior was obviously designed to lead me away from her chick.

My footfalls were always too loud and my camera too slow to get many wildlife shots though.  I really need to work on my stalking technique.  My dry leather hiking boots were squeaking like an old mattress too, I need to get some boot conditioner on them ASAP.

The trail is in good condition and the terrain relatively flat.  This would be a great place for a trail run.  There are several short side trails that lead to some nice picture opportunities along Oktoc creek as well.

I ended up wandering around on the Beaver Dam Trail for an hour and a half and enjoyed it thoroughly.

There are many more pictures of the Beaver Dam Trail in the photo gallery.

There are some great bird’s eye view aerial photos of the Noxubee Refuge on Microsoft Virtual Earth.

The bird’s eye view doesn’t cover the entire refuge, but the area that is covered can be zoomed in incredibly close.

This is a great tools for scouting areas to explore.  You can even pushpin a location and download the location directly to your GPS.  Very handy stuff.

I took a short hike down the Trail of the Big Trees in the Noxubee Refuge the other day.  The refuge web site claims the the trail is 4 miles; 2 miles out 2 miles back.  It seemed alot shorter.  Although, to be honest, I’m not sure I made it to the end.

There is supposed to be a sign at the end of the trail commemorating a fallen national champion Shumard oak tree, I never found the sign.  The trail just kind of gives out at the bank of the Noxubee river.

While the length of the trail is a little disappointing the scenery made it well worth the while.

The trail is bordered on one side by the Noxubee River and on the other by an impressive stand of old growth hardwood trees.  I’m told some of the oaks along the trail are over a hundred years old.  In heavily forested Mississippi it is truly rare to see oaks survive that long.

Glancing back to the Noxubee river side always provided a new rewarding view.  Despite some fallen trees in the river, I still can’t wait to try my kayak in the Noxubee.

I’m going to revisit the Trail of the Big Trees soon, and I’m not leaving till I find that commemorative plaque.

There are more pictures from the Trail of the Big Trees in the photo gallery.

June in Mississippi is when the temps start hitting the high 90′s, a trip to the mailbox means sweating through your shirt, and air conditioners in cars and homes break down in a chorus that is the sweetest music to the eager ear of every repair man.

Thankfully, June in Mississippi also means the blackberries are ripening.

There are few things in life as reliable as the arrival of the blackberries every June.  You may not get your big haul in the same week of June every year, but there are berries to be had all month long.

Picking wild blackberries is not ordinary foraging and it isn’t for the weak.  Besides the steadily increasing temperatures and humidity, you also have to contend with the gnashing thorns, whining clouds of mosquitoes, and an endless army of ticks marching up the inside of your pant legs.

The only real defense you have against the elements is a thick pair of jeans and bug spray with a ridiculously high percentage of Deet.  I used a spray with a 40% concentration of Deet for my last foray and my skin is still red wherever the noxious liquid made contact.

Why do I do this?  For those sweet sweet berries of course.  Wild blackberries are a gift from nature.  They have the same subtle nuance of taste you would find in a fine winemaker’s grape, their bounty encourages the reckless abandon of overindulgence, and they’re fleeting.  Blackberries just don’t keep.  They barely last a day once you pick them, and once June is gone so are they…till next year anyway.

Wild blackberries tend to move around alot too.  A spot that was productive one season might be baron the next.  While their requirements for good irrigation and sunlight stay the same the big clumps of berries seem to migrate or drift from one year to the next.

I’ve found a premium spot this season though.  The road that leads to the Trail of Big Trees in the Noxubee Wildlife Refuge is lined with hedge after hedge of huge plump blackberries.  I filled my first container in 20 minutes.  There are lots of red ones left too, so the berry picking should still be good into next week.  The shear number of fruit in one place could make this my biggest blackberry season ever.

It’s good to see the National Park Service is going to preserve Dick Proenneke’s cabin as a museum.  I hope to visit the site myself some day.

The beauty and remoteness of the Lake Clark National Park definitely puts it in my top 5 places to disappear to.

A month or two trying to survive in this wilderness would make my daily problems look ridiculous.

I put some more pictures of Dick Proenneke, his cabin, and Twin Lakes in the photo gallery.

I posted this picture last week of nature taking over an empty farm homestead; a situation repeated on many old farms in the rural deep south.  Well, here is a picture of the same farm house a year later.

It looks like the vines have opened the screen door and are making their way inside.

Do you know the story of Richard “Dick” Proenneke?  At age 52 Dick left the civilization of the lower 48 behind and headed into the wilds of Alaska.

He built a cabin by himself using only hand tools, and hunted and gathered for the majority of his food.  He thrived in the complete isolation of Twin Lakes, Alaska for the majority of 30 years.

Dick documented the building of his cabin and his journey through the seasons at Twin Lakes on film.  Alone in the Wilderness is the title of this autobiographical documentary, and you must seek it out.

Watching this man craft his cabin retreat out of white spruce using a hand saw and axe is fascinating.  The man made carpentry look like art.

I have a strong desire to follow his lead and head for the wilderness myself.  If I had half his courage and abilities I’d leave tomorrow.

Here’s a clip of Dick turning timber into a cabin by the lake.

I took my fishing kayak to a secret spot this afternoon and caught a few good sized large mouth bass.  These were the biggest fish I’ve caught since I got my Native Manta Ray 12, and it was good to break it in properly.

The Manta Ray is so maneuverable I was able to put every cast just where I wanted it.

The groove down the sides of the kayak that keeps your paddle tucked snuggly out of the way when not in use is just amazing.  When I used to fish from a sit inside kayak my paddle would roll around on top like it had wheels.  Any fish strike meant the paddle was instantly ejected into the water.  I wrestled these big bass around the lily pads and my paddle didn’t budge from its station.

This was easily the hottest day in my part of the south so far.  It was so hot I could see the water evaporating from this rural Mississippi pond.  The fish had all the shade they wanted underneath the lily pads though…I wish there had been just a little for me.  I went through a whole can of that Coppertone Sport aerosol stuff.

If you want more pictures they’re in the photo gallery.

Bluff Lake at the Noxubee Refuge is perfect for kayak exploration.  The east side of the lake is bordered by a cypress forest.  You could spend the whole day snaking your way through the cypress trees.  A standard boat draws to much water to access alot of these secret coves.

I saw several huge fish surface in these backwaters; no luck though.  Next time I’m not leaving without a fish.

I only explored this east side of the lake on this trip; the cypress maze was just to hard to leave behind.  I put more pictures of this trip in a gallery if you want to take a look.

I got a pair of these crazy Vibram Fivefingers last week.  They are supposed to give you the comfort and freedom of walking in bare feet with the protection of a running shoe.

The Vibram web site shows people running, mountain climbing, and even swimming in them.  They coin the phrase “barefooting” and call it a sport.  Take a look at this bit of PR goodness:

No matter which FiveFingers model you choose, you’ll experience a level of performance and a sense of connectedness no other footwear can match. Vibram FiveFingers footwear acts like a second skin to offer a gecko-like grip over a variety of terrain. It protects bare feet from rocks, gravel, and sharp objects. And it promotes a natural walking motion, reducing impact on your knees, hips, and lower back.

I haven’t climbed any mountains yet, but they sure did freak out the people at the convenience store.

They’re supposed to have some special anti-microbial stuff in the sole so they won’t get all funky like my old pair of Teva sandals.  My dog won’t even go near my Tevas.