Thursday, May 14, 2020

Wichita Bluff Nature Hiking With Snakes & Socked Sandals

For today's pre-noon hiking I opted to join the throngs communing with nature on the Wichita Bluff Nature Area section of the Wichita Falls Circle Trail.

I had my first snake encounter of the year soon after beginning today's hike.

It was a large snake, parked on the center of the trail, a location on which I did not like to be seeing a snake.

But before I could get my photo taking device out of my pocket the snake slithered off the trail, heading towards the river.

Continuing on I eventually made it to the high point on the bluff where I sat on one of the swinging benches which swings at the end of one of the side trails. I decided to take that bench swinging as an opportunity to show you one of my new hiking sandals, with matching hiking socks.

It is a Pacific Northwest thing to wear socks with sandals. Sometime this is absolutely a necessity due to the chilly climate. Years ago when I first wore sandals with socks in Texas I had some locals acting like this was some sort of outrageously embarrassing fashion faux pas.

Not one to easily cave to peer pressure I have continued to wear socks with sandals, some of the time.

Today I would have likely been more comfortable sans socks, due to a high temperature combined with high humidity making the outer world seem extremely HOT.

Speaking of the Pacific Northwest, it is seeming increasingly unlikely I will be making my planned trip there this summer.

Sister Jackie just got back to Arizona after flying to and from our old home zone. She did not make the new style of flying seem like something I want to be doing. And road tripping the over two thousand miles back to Washington has its own set of Corona worries.

We live in such vexing times with so many perplexing vexations...

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