Category Archives: Natural

One year Ago

Wow, it have been one year since I starting this blog. Back than I was just getting out of a long-term relationship and I did not even knew at that time.  I starting this blog on May 26, 2013 the day right after my 11 year anniversary with my ex husband. At the time, I was emotionally a mess dealing with the fact that I was force to live on my own for the first time in my life.  Well, yes I got marry at 19-year-old and was living with my parents when I got marry. So at the time, I look to ways to keep my spirit up and I found it in hiking and traveling around NC natural parks. It was after spending my anniversary alone without hearing a word from my ex-husband ,which at the time he lie to me, that is when I started this blog. Yes, he lie and told me the separation was for a short period of time and he wanting me to get help. Any way at the time, I was believed the words from friends and family that he still care for me. Later it became clear that those friends was siding with him, lying to me, and digging for information.  My family were believed the lie coming from my ex husband except for my father.  When I was able to talk with my father about everything, my father supported me.

So hiking was my way of refocus my attention on having fun instead of thinking about hard reality that I were facing on not being able to see my children and losing the family life I had built up for 11 years. I had to rediscover who I was away from the mother of … and wife of … It was clean at the time, I had a hard time explaining my life to others without bring up my children and ex-husband. I enjoy hiking and taking photos so much I was able put aside  the pain and hurt for a time being.  It was a nice break from reality and it give my body time to feel at peace. Due to all the hardship I was going through it cause anxiety and depression so much I could not sleep and eat. I was able to talk with a therapist and the therapist was very impressed with measure I was doing on my own to feel better.  She said I was a strong woman and most women dealing with that level of depression would have giving up and put themselves in a home.

Now it have been a year, I am over my depression and moving on with my life. The fun adventures I had with hiking in NC had help me to get to this point.  I am a lot stronger now.  I am living with my parents again but I am working and saving up so I can be independent and not have to depend on others. I love my new life. I may not have my children but I am not going to stress out about something that is out of my control.  Instead I am focus on prepared for college to get my Ph.D. and to one day work for the EPA.  I have high goals that keep me from looking down.  I have no time to look back at my past because I am moving forward.

My new Blog about Dating

Hey, guys and girls. I am not living in NC anymore. I had to move due to personal reason. However, I can’t really blog too much about the great outdoors of nc if I don’t live there anymore. I will not be posting on this for a while or maybe never. However, not all is loss. I have starting a new blog called The Fun World of Dating. It may not be hiking and all of the adventures but it is still an adventures. I may later when I found more area to hike, create a new blog. For new, please check my new blog. You may just get a kick out of it. I just posting my first post on it and there is a fun poll to it. At least, check it out for the poll, you may get a laugh out of it.
The link is below:

http://datingmia.wordpress.com/

An Autumn Day on the Haw River

I did some hiking the other day on the Haw River on Hwy 64 and on Hwy 15 501.  First I hike on Hwy 64 head trail (south). It was a beautiful Autumn day.  I got there right when the sun was coming up.  The weather that day was overcast. Than I hiked on the Haw River off of Hwy 15 501 head trail (north).

Sometime I forget how beautiful fall is because I am used to seeing it every year.  One of my friend have only been in the state for about four months and this is the first time he have seen the trees change colors.  He has been very excited about the leaves changing colors, that is all he talk about. When I was editing the pictures I took, I thought wow, he is right they are very pretty (just not so much in parking lots).  There below is all the photos I took of my hiking trip.  I had a hard time picked the best one, so I posted all of them.  Words do no justice to describe the beauty of the Autumn day.

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Morgan Creek Trail

Morgan Creek Trail

Hey, it had been a long time since I had the time to hike.  However, today I went on a little walk on Morgan Creek Trail in Chapel Hill, NC.  I have been meaning to get out more, however, life has away of messing up plans. This time I found a place that is walking distance, so it will be easy for me to not make excuses. Half the time, I talk myself out of it and one of the reason is the amount of gas I will spend to a location. It just mean I need to become better at not letting my emotion of the moment take over.  Sometimes it mean kicking myself and telling myself to stop making excuses and pushing forward.

Wild Cotton

After I got over myself, I was able to enjoy being outside surrounding by the sound of birds singing and the nice cool air against my legs ( I was wearing shorts :D). I love this new trail because of the wild cotton plants.  This was the first time I have seen wild cotton outside of pictures.  There was a field full of different flowers, berries, and wild cotton so their was lots of different types of birds.  Now birds are hard to take pictures of, so the best thing I can say is you must see for yourself.

For those who are wonder why I focused so much on observe natural instead of the miles that I walk.  The reason why is because I am more of a naturalist.  In a way, it is fun to observe and I naturally look at life from a scientist point of view. So I am one of those who take their time hiking on a trail. Hiking is not my only way of exercise which I will leave it as that. 😛

flowers 1

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Laurel Bluffs trail

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It have been raining a lot in the past week. The trails are muddle and some areas on the trails are flooding. However, I can’t wait for them to dry out because being stuck inside sucks.  So last week I went hiking on Laurel Bluffs trail at Eno River State Park. Laurel Bluffs trail is very large , so I went on the part between the pump station and Guest Road. That part of the trail is 2.5 mile.  The river was to it maximum capability. Many of the wildlife was not around the area. However, I did see a hummingbird.  It was so fast, I only saw it once. It was fun hiking on trails that are muddling and flooding because it was a challenge to keep my shoes from getting wet and full of mud. Just another thing that keep me on my toes.

Like I say on my last post, I am learning more about mushroom.  I saw more cool looking mushroom on this hike as well as my last one.

Look like a yellow broken umbrella

I think the red one maybe Hygrocybe miniata. I am not sure. Well, it is hard to identify them. I am starting to thing it maybe more fun to take pictures of them and enjoy the different colors of them.  Plus they look better when there is a collection of them together. On my next post, I will have some better pictures of them.  A friend of mine told me of the macro setting on my camera that I did not know about.  Yeah, so I am still learning how to use my camera.  Well, not everyone can be good at everything at first. Hey, it is fun learning these things and it is a good laugh at the same time.

Another thing I have learned in the past week  is that I can drive up to deer and take their picture without any problem because my car does not make a sound. I have a Prius with is kind of nice in the fact it take less gas than most other cars. It is nice that the deer does not run off as soon as they see me because I am so quiet. What a day, that just made my day to see deer.  Deer are so cute.

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Eno River State Park Pump Station Trail

Yesterday, I hiked the pump station trail at Eno River State Park.  It was rainy and wet everywhere. That was okay, I had a goal in mind while I hiked on the trail.  My goal was to take pictures of different mushroom to  learn how to identify them.  I can not identify them just by matching them with photos in a book.  It is very complex.  The only thing I can do is guest and identify what kind of carpophore form the mushroom are.

Example of globose, pear-, or star-shaped carpophore form
Example of with stipe and cap with gills beneath carpophore form
Example of branched carpophore form
Example of gelatinous, mainly on wood carpophore form
Example of with stipe and cap with pores beneath carpophore form
Carpophore unknown
the mushroom are so small that I don’t know if it is with gills beneath or pores beneath carpophore
Example of bracket-shaped carpophore form.
Example of with stipe and cap with gills beneath

In the picture above are many example of different carpophore forms.  This is just the beginning of identify mushroom.  This is the easy part. The hardest part is identify mushroom with macro- and microchemical reactions, and observation by microscope. I believe it would take someone years to be able to identify while in the woods. I think that is why many people become sick from making the mistake of thinking it is edible while it is poison. Too many of the edible mushrooms look like the poison ones. Well, I don’t really care if they are edible or poison, it is just another cool thing to look out for when I am on the trails.

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Aquatic Life on Pea Creek Trail June

Pea Creek Landscape2

Yesterday was a beautiful day on Pea Creek Trail at Eno River State Park. The sun was shining and the frogs and toads were hopping. The fishes and turtles was active in  the river. Plus the hawks was circling the river looking for an afternoon snack. It was a nice break from the busy of every day life. I was out of service range for my phone so it was a much needing break from drama and other such problems that our society put on me. Well, I am not type to talk about my problems. I just write about how I go out and take a break from them. That part of me will always be a mystery for others reading my blog. Just like the mystery of the bubbles coming from the river.  I have no idea what animal or if it is gasification (microorganism decomposing bio material into methane and carbon dioxide and other gases) causing the bubbles.

Hiking on the Pea Creek Trail was a lot better than hiking on the Buckquarter trail.  There was very little amount of people on  the Pea Creek Trail. I was able to see a lot more wildlife on the trail.  Also, it was a lot more peace.

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Buckquarter Creek and Holden Mill Trail

The other day I hiked on the Buckquarter Creek and Holden Mill Trail at Eno River State Park.  There was lots of people hiking at Eno River State Park.  Some people was swimming in the river and walking their dogs. I am not please on how the state park is getting treating my visitors. If you go hiking on this trail, then you have to watch out for dog mess.   I saw butterflies on the trail but I did not like taking pictures of them because they like the dog waste.  It is a little sad that not everyone who go on trails treat the trail and park with respect. First of all, the park had no swimming area. I am not normally someone who press on the issue of not breaking the rules; however, the state park is there to project wildlife habitat. There are some state parks that allow swimming such as Jordan Lake State Park.

A lovely day in the sun under the forest canopy on Buckquarter Trail at Eno River State Park

There are some beautiful waterfalls on this trail.  I thing I may try this trail again during the morning time or later afternoon when there is fewer people on it.

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Hiking in the Rain

Today, I hiked in the rain on Cole Mill Trail.  I was prepared with my rain gear and my waterproof camera.  I felt silly but I enjoy taking pictures of berries and flowers. Sometime I worry too much about what other people thing of me that sometime it keep me from trying new things out. So today I choice  to not think about what other people think of me in full rain gear.  I don’t like getting all wet plus it look like it would rain cats and dogs the next minute.

Plus today I really needing to get out and clear my head.  Rain is just an excuse to not do anything. That is the reason why I have the rain gear in the first place, so I can go hiking ever when it rains. Plus I got some cool pictures out of it. Rain does have away of washing things away which is refreshing.

 

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