Our First July Excursion
Danny and I spent the 4th appreciating one of the few aspects of this country we have no hesitations about celebrating: nature.
We put Ranni's harness on and packed up her collapsible water bowl and a water bottle, and the three of us headed out to Seven Islands State Birding Park. I mentioned in another post that we have a list of things we want to do together this month, and this was the first one checked off the list!
We left early so we could get there before the worst of the day's heat settled on the park. It was still pretty hot, but not nearly as bad as it could've been.
The last time we visited Seven Islands was for our engagement photoshoot, before we had Ranni. I fell in love with the place then and vowed to return someday to explore more.
Photos by the wonderful Elle Schrock
Yesterday was that day! The Seven Islands website states:
The State of Tennessee manages this state park for native flora and fauna and low-impact, non-consumptive, outdoor activities for the enjoyment of the wildlife diversity and natural beauty of Seven Islands State Birding Park.
In addition to being a wildlife refuge popular for hiking and wildlife observation, the park is a research and educational facility for schools and other groups and a demonstration area for land use and habitat management techniques.
We hiked the Island Loop Trail, about 3 miles, and it was clear to me that the park is a wildlife refuge the entire way through. We saw birdhouses, wildflower fields full of pollinating bees, fish thriving in the water, and so many deer. There were deer everywhere, and their hoof prints were all over the trail!
Ranni enjoyed splashing in the water, which was perfect for wading. My only regret is that I didn't wear proper shoes for wading myself because I wanted to get in the water so badly. I'm a Pisces through and through: when there's water around, I want to be in it.
We saw people out on the water in standing kayaks, and we passed a few other hikers, but it wasn't busy at all. It felt like we had the trail to ourselves most of the way, and I'm glad because I think that's part of the reason we were able to see so many deer. I only managed to snap a photo of one of them quite far away in the water, but we saw a few in very close proximity!
I had originally planned to take my digicam but unfortunately forgot it, so all of the photos I took were with my phone. I definitely plan on going back in the future with my digicam and trying to spot more birds. Seven Islands is quickly becoming one of my favorite parks, and I'd love to explore more trails and get into the water.
We all had a great time, though, so July Excursion #1 was a resounding success!
