I had just over 20 miles remaining of the 62-mile Ocean to Lake Trail, and I have gotten to the point where I need to hike the dreaded out-and-back to complete the miles as there is a lack of Uber drivers in these remote areas for a drop off. So, I parked at the south entrance of the Corbett Wildlife Management Area and was on the trail shortly after 9:30. I had already hiked to the east from here, so on this day, I headed west, first on the dirt road and then following the trail into the woods.
In the first mile, there was evidence of a recent prescribed burn—and then—Eyeglass Pond, the wetlands walk. (By the way, the bench before the pond is the only bench on this section of the trail.) I did see a sign for a wetlands bypass, and (briefly) considered taking it as I thought about the creepy crawlies in the water, but I needed to complete the OTL Trail, and I saw the orange blaze in the distance, right in the middle of the wetlands area. So, off I wet, sloshing in knee-high water, keeping an eye out for unwelcomed guests in the tall grasses on either side of me.
Regardless of the wet trail, I enjoyed this portion of the OTL. Tall, straight slash pines reached up to the sun, and reflected their beauty in the grassy wetlands surrounding them. I had to be careful not to lose a sneaker in the sometimes-deep mud, and there were several other areas where avoiding the water was not an option.
I hiked to approximately 25.85 mm, 5.25 miles from the Corbett South Entrance, not quite to the junction with the Blue Trail to Bowman Island Camp. On the return, I did opt for the wetlands bypass—partly out of curiosity and partly to avoid the potential critters I somehow avoided on my hike west. Surprisingly, the bypass did not take me far out of the way.
I have 16.85 miles remaining to complete the OTL. For my next hike, I’ll leave my car at the South Grade Road and hike and out-and back to where I left off.
Footprints and Ripples 