My job doesn’t really lend itself to meeting new people (I’m stuck in a cubicle most of the time), so I decided to join a Meetup group for hikers.  The first hike I did with the group was Bells Bend Park, a park in Tennessee outside of Ashland City.  There was a wide variety of people who signed up for the hike, including parents with their children, some middle-aged women with their dogs, younger singles (like me), etc.  There were also a couple of people who I could tell had never hiked before, ever.  There was one guy in his 20s who showed up at the last minute in a white polo and loafers with no water, for a 6 mile hike.  He dropped out and headed back to the parking lot before the halfway point.

The hike ended up being a lot muddier than anyone predicted, including the organizer.  It had rained several days prior, but between the shade and the cooler-than-normal weather, the mud was still ever-present.  By the end, all of us were covered in mud from the waist down and our shoes and socks were soaked through.

I must say, I’m really glad I did this park as a group because the trails are not marked well.  There was a lot of walking through large fields and then later trails that intersected each other with no signs as to which way to go.  If I had hiked this myself, there’s no doubt in my mind that I would’ve gotten so incredibly lost.

The best part of the hike was the brief part where we followed the river.  We took a brief break at that point to wait for the stragglers to catch up and just relaxed while watching the water.