Take a hike

Summer hikes in Louisiana are best in the mornings. I recently joined the Louisiana Hiking Club (check out the website) and today I went on my first outing with them. We visited several spots without ranging far from home. The summer heat built quickly, but I was back in BR before the afternoon showers began. At Port Hudson SP we hiked the trail to Fort Desperate. Some climbed observation towers on the way to the museum. The air conditioning felt good while we wandered around the exhibits, and we were refreshed for our guided tour of some battlefield sites. We lunched at Audubon SP, saw a presentation on Audubon’s life there, sampled soft- drinks typical of the 19^th century plantation, and had a guided tour of the Oakley House. The Mary Ann Brown Preserve was nearby, and we made a brief visit, mostly to see where the facility is and what it is like. Naturally, I spotted the pond and wanted to learn about fishing possibilities. Today’s trip was a very nice getaway. I enjoyed hiking with old friends and meeting new ones. I’ll definitely involve myself in more hikes with this likeable group.