In my last travel post, I bemoaned my boredom from the recent lack of adventure in my life. I’ve travelled perhaps every weekend to somewhere to do something since childhood, so spending months cooped up at home was starting to feel like imprisonment.
Perhaps a wiser man than I sometimes give him credit for, Michael read the miserable blog post, perhaps understood for the first time how truly restless I had become, and sought to remedy the situation as best he could.
Thus, when I least expected it, he offered to whisk me off on an unplanned hiking trip to Henderson Park. I consented to go even though:
- It was a work day.
- The weather forecast forewarned us of rain.
But there’s no adventure without some risk, right? And isn’t that what I wanted?
Judging a Book by Its Cover
We had never been to Henderson Park before, but Michael insisted that there was at least 6 miles of trails to explore and that we would have a blast. Yet, all I saw when we entered the park was a football field, and two families saying goodbye in the parking lot.
As we left the lot and ventured further into the park, I caught my first sign that this trip might yield a good time and great pictures, after all.
It was one of two entrances on our left, and to the right of both of those was a map. From prior experience venturing off on the first trails we see and missing out on the good stuff, we now know to look before we leap. So Michael went ahead to see what treasures we should go digging for first.
Ever the hunts-woman for good photos, I hung back to look around and to get some shots of the playground below.
Meeting the Ducks
While I explored the playground, Michael continued ahead and soon shouted back that he had found a lake. After a moment or two, he realised I hadn’t caught up with him yet and came peeking out of the bushes with Tyko to see what was taking me so long.
I’m not quite sure this was big enough to count as a lake, but it was beautiful nonetheless. We spotted a large fish that was too fast to be photographed, and a duck who wasn’t at all camera shy.
Deserted and Stalked
Noticing that Michael had gotten ahead again, I left the sandy shore for higher ground. Turns out Michael hadn’t wandered off too far, as evidenced by the fact that he then proceeded to stalk me with the camera.
While I stood on the bridge, I noticed out of the corner of my eye that I was not alone. The photogenic duck had returned to bask in the limelight once more.
Heading into the Wild
Having seen the general perks the park had to offer, it seemed only right that we did some real exploring, by venturing onto this alleged 6 miles of trails. We were not disappointed – nor were we forsaken by the ducks.
Before long, we came across mushrooms, which provided the perfect opportunity for me to work on my macro-photography.
The High-Point of the Trip
After that, we went through winding paths – uphill and downhill. We crossed streams, scrambled up and down riverbanks, and then finally ended up at a waterfall we had no idea existed. This was the highlight of our impromptu hiking trip, and by then sweat was practically washing us.
Michael was finally able to wash himself a little cleaner, so he smelled less like duck filth. Tyko enjoyed splashing in the water to cool down after a hot and humid hike. And I, more than anything else, love taking pictures of waterscapes, and sometimes, being the target.
Check out the last of our pictures from the trip below.
As some of you may have noticed, I’ve made some changes to my blog’s layout to make way for new content. As a result of all the questions I’ve gotten via comments and emails about freelancing, and blogging, I’ll start posting more articles on these topics to share advice with fellow writers and entrepreneurs.
I’ve also spent quite a bit of time working on my novel lately, so expect some spillovers of that in the form of short stories as I exercise my narrative muscles.
Thanks again for the amazing support you guys have shown me, especially within the past few months, and I hope you enjoyed this post.
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This little adventure and exploration is just the kind of thing I like to do. I love the waterfall.
I loved the waterfall too and just being out in nature. Thanks Dinata! 🙂
Great pics! Thanks for sharing your impromptu hike with us.
Thank you for commenting! Glad you enjoyed the photos.
Those are some fantastic pictures! Impromptu hikes are some of the best ones out there, in my mind.
Thank you! It was amazing.
So for some reason, I am no longer following your blog and I can’t imagine why. It won’t allow me to refollow either. 🙁 This has happened before. I’ll try again later.
That is bizarre. Strange errors are strange. Hopefully you can get it fixed!
I know. WordPress does mess up sometimes. I think I should be following you again now.
Fun! So glad you found mine so I could fine yours. Adventure is everything.
Thanks for dropping by! Yes, I need it like I need writing and like I need air. There is simply no life without it.
Gorgeous, Alexis! You and the hike. This looks like a fun day! 🙂
Haha, thank you Dave! Didn’t expect to see you over here. How’s the writing coming along? You’ve inspired me to get back to my novel as well, so thank you!
Really? I’m so glad to hear it! Mine is coming along fine. I’ll be finished with the Germany romance soon, maybe a few more weeks. It’s exciting to come to the climax of the story. I’ll be on the lookout for more of your excursion posts. This one is great!
Why, thank you! Glad to hear you’re wrapping up your story. I’m at the same point with mine as well. It’s not only the end of the book, but the end of a series so you know how that goes. Thanks again!
Yes, I do! Wishing you all the best in the editing process. Keep me posted on how it’s going for you. Take care! 🙂
I’m currently working on a short story series to publish here around Christmas time as well, so keep an eye out. Thanks again!
I will! 🙂 Thank you, too!
I love this post, my partner and I go on these types of treks too and I just love it, thanks for sharing 🙂
Thank you! It’s fun to be whisked away for hiking for sure. Do you blog about those as well?
I haven’t as yet but I am going to later on, maybe come October as I know he is taking me on a hiking weekend for my birthday but I don’t know where yet so that could well be my first travel blog 😊
Go for it! We’ll all enjoy the travel stories and photos for sure.
Beautiful p8ctures. New dog?
Haha oh no. That’s Michael’s dog. He’s always been around, long before me. If you backtrack through my travel posts you’ll see him pop up everywhere.
How’s the doggie? Did the garlic help any?
My dad has Mikey at his house right now. He took him to the beach but hasn’t tried the garlic yet.
Sounds like a great place for Mikey to relax. Sea salt is usually good for natural healing in people (my piercer swore by it) so hopefully it does Mikey some good as well!
Love the pictures of you on the rocks. Glad you made time for an adventure.
Thanks Bernadette! I’m glad I finally had the opportunity to get out as well.
Loved this, it looks like the perfect daycation
Thank you! It was. 🙂