Hiking on the Last Day of February

I packed for a camping trip on Saturday morning (February 28), including some unhealthy campfire food, before departing for the Croatan. My first romp was along the shore of Hunters Creek. I hiked along a stretch between Hunters Creek Road and Great Lake. I’m pretty sure I crossed private property, but it was not posted in any way and I made sure not to leave any sign of my passing. I briefly explored an ancient beaver lake before turning back.

After exploring the upper bits of Hunters Creek, I drove to the culvert and hiked on the Weetock Trail to an old beaver dam. I passed several, smaller beaver dams along the way. There were clear signs of beaver activity and the main lake level was pretty high. When I got to the last beaver dam before the estuary that connects to Hunters Creek (much further downstream than where I started my hike), the water was cascading over the dam in several places. I find the sound of falling water cathartic, so I hung out by the dam for a while.

I finished my hike and built a small fire to cook. By that time the sun was setting and the air was noticeably cooler. After I ate, I drove down to Long Point to enjoy the twilight. The river was calm and there were some friendly campers making dinner, so I took in the view until the light was all but gone before returning home. I had neglected to pack something to read. I couldn’t bring myself to set up my campsite with nothing to do for 4 hours. I had already had 5 hours of “alone time”, so it was time to switch gears.