| Date | Distance | Time | Elevation Gain | Average Moving Time | Year to Date Miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12/20/2021 | 8.7 miles | 4 hours 23 minutes minutes | 30' | 2.3 mph | 566.6 |
Parking: Lighthouse Road Trailhead (25.8), Sandy Bay Day Use Area (17.5)
Maps:
- Google Maps and Gaia GPS app
- Mountains to Sea Trail Guide (really necessary as Gaia doesn't show all of the trail)
Directions:
- See MST guide for more specific directions. Start at Lighthouse Road Trailhead. Pass through gate. Follow wide trail, mostly blazed with MST blazes. Continue following blazes to the ocean. Turn right and walk along beach. Exit beach at Sandy Bay Day Use Area.
Today we worked on a hike on the southern end of Hatteras. The hike starts with around 4 miles of walking in the woods on the Open Ponds Trail. This section seems popular with dog walkers, though we only encountered other people in the first half mile. The trail is very wide and starts out grassy, often covered with soft pine needles. There are occasional sandy areas, but overall, the trail is excellent. The trail passes by a pond, and we let Krummholz swim in it. He's finally learned to swim this year, and even wants to swim in December. Just not in the ocean.
This section has beautiful pine trees. I don't know their variety, but they are bright green and gorgeous. I'd love to have some in my yard. We stopped in a shady spot for lunch. I put my hand out to sit down on the side of the trail and ouch! I lifted up my hand and a prickly pear cactus was attached to it. OMG. I tried removing it, but it hurt too much. When Glen caught up, I had him pull it out. That was kind of shocking - and we hadn't noticed any other cacti before that. Another unusual plant we saw was yucca. We decided to continue on and find a different lunch spot. We found a couple of picnic tables next to a water tower and decided that was a safe spot to eat. I let Krumm off leash for a bit and threw a tennis ball for him. Then back to hiking.
We joined a paved road and passed through a large campground, completely empty. From there we walked on a boardwalk towards the ocean. The ocean was pretty deserted today. It's a weekday, and cold and windy. Two days ago, we were too hot, and today we were wearing gloves. The water was very shallow in this section. I walked in the water a bit, trying to encourage Krummholz to be brave. He didn't like it when the waves came in, but he'd run out to them with me. I of course got my shoes soaked. Lots of laughing as we played this game. We took a break on the beach, and out came the ball again, for some more fun. I collected a handful of seashells to paint inside.
After our hike, we visited the Hatteras lighthouse. It's not open for climbing in the winter, so I just sat in the car and painted it.
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