Team Rugby – May 4-5, 2024

By Stephen D. Bowling

We are rolling right along with this year’s Hiker Challenge. We rolled through some beautiful terrain in May and passed thousands of Spring wildflowers. More and more of our walk will now be in the woods.

Hike Six for Team Rugby was great. The sunshine and the flowers helped make 26 miles enjoyable, and the bright colors helped change our landscape. The Hike started at the S-Tree Road Trailhead, crossed the road, went down the hill, and parallelled Horse Lick before we finally crossed to wait for our shuttle to the Livington gym. Sunday morning, there was a short ride from Livingston to White Oak Creek and Highway 89 junction. A short asphalt road walk and a quick trip through the woods took us to Wildcat Road and the Clear-Cut. From there, it was all a gravel road walk to the Wildcat Battlefield Monument and the awaiting shuttle.

According to the official calculations, we have now completed 47.90% of the trail. We will cross the halfway point early in the next hike.

Again, I am reminded that the trail is beautiful, with all its visible and hidden secrets. The trees, arches, streams, and wildlife add to our adventure. With six hikes completed, you have now crossed the psychological threshold. Yes, at this point, we are statistically all likely to complete the trail- barring a family emergency or injury. However, I am reminded each hike that the real rewards of the Sheltowee Trace Hiker Challenge are the friendships we develop along the way. We even handed out a few new trail names like Arrow, Reject, and Hot-to-Trot.

Hike Six was a very nice adventure. The weather cooperated, and the predicted showers stayed away. The trail is in very good condition, minus a few blazes that have been removed. The beauty of the flowers will begin to fade as the lush greenery takes over, and soon, only the mountain laurel and rhododendron bloom will brighten our path. After a short road walk in June, our Trail is more and more a single path through the woods as we head south to Rugby.

Have a great week. I hope to see everyone on the trail.

© 2024 Stephen D. Bowling