Strange timing indeed. The deer count for today’s 4.5-mi loop hike was 17 – this time with no backtracking, so the count was legit. This is a new record for me.
Just before I turned off the radio and hit the trails at 5pm, I heard them say it was 100 degrees. Excellent, it had cooled down a bit from earlier when it was 105.
A squirrel made the cut today; as I hiked by, there was one on the trail, and it did not run from the trail when I passed. The trail was 2ft wide there, so I guess that is how close the squirrel and I got. Nice.
No related posts.
August 24, 2007 at 12:52 pm
Hey,
I’ve enjoyed reading your blog. I was surfing for Randor Lake info and fell upon your site. I can’t believe how much nature there is there, for being so close to downtown.
I’m visiting Nashville for the first time next week on business, and I’d like to hike these trails one evening. I won’t have a rental car, so I was wondering if you could suggest the best way to get there and back from downtown. Taxi? Your suggested loop around the trails sounds good; which do you recommend if I’m only going to be there once — clockwise or counterclockwise. Any other pointers?
I did some day hikes in the Smokies last weekend with my daughter. Great hikes along Alum Cave, Appalachian, and the Dropoff trails. Though, the only wildlife we saw were small birds and squirrels and various insects. We heard that there were bear signs near Charles Bunion, but we never made it that far as we had to get off trail to catch a flight back to Texas.
Thanks,
Paul
August 24, 2007 at 2:44 pm
Hello Paul,
Thanks for commenting on the HikingNature blog. Yours is the first comment on this blog by someone other than the pair of mismatched geeks that created it, so a hearty and genuine congratulations is in order!
Given the virtually nonexistent public transportation in Nashville, I suppose a taxi is the only practical option. (Practical, that is, but maybe not affordable. Nashville is not a taxi town, so a cab ride won’t be cheap.)
Radnor Lake is very easy to find from downtown. Radnor Lake is just off Granny White, which turns into 12th Avenue within a few miles of downtown. So, you’d simply travel south on 12th Avenue, continue straight as it becomes Granny White, and take a left on Otter Creek Rd.
Indeed, it is a special place — a veritable wilderness area teeming with wildlife, in such proximity to a major urban center, is something few cities can boast.
Being from Texas, you will really appreciate the altitude changes, moderate as they are — but you won’t step in any bear sign. When you hike Radnor Lake on your next visit, look out for green herons, great blue herons, barred owls, squirrels, pileated woodpeckers, wood ducks, and more.
After your hike, please be sure and tell us what you saw and how your experience was! We are definitely interested in hearing about it.