This was an impromptu hike that started with a mission: to procure wings at the Pic-a-Lilli Inn in Shamong after work a couple weeks back. It was the first day that outdoor dining was permitted at restaurants in NJ after quarantine, and I didn’t want to miss out on a solo date with some Hot and Spicy’s. Even better, at 3pm on a Monday, the social distancing was pretty much guaranteed.
To further enhance my social distancing, after leaving the Inn, I drove down some of those glowing sandy roads in Wharton State Forest, eventually parking for what accidentally became a 10-mile hike when I hit the Goshen Pond trails. As usual, the only critter I ran into (no offense to the other non-pictured critters) was about ten feet from where I pulled off the road, but he had some of the most beautiful Box Turtle eyes I’ve ever seen.
I was happy to find plenty of Sundew, a native carnivorous plant that traps its victims in its delightfully dastardly dewdrops. And that feather is kinda nice too! I still have to look up what those floofy little swampy plant guys are too—they’re dodging my image search queries at the moment.
All in all, a very nice day. Would gladly live it again.