+++ title = "Hope springs eternal." author = ["George M Jones"] publishDate = 2022-04-03T00:00:00-04:00 lastmod = 2023-12-06T05:46:19-05:00 tags = ["outdoors", "hiking", "100DaysToOffload"] categories = ["blog"] draft = false +++
{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/2022-04-02-lake_small.jpg" caption="Figure 1: \"Sun on lake\" by George Jones is licenced under CC SA 4.0" width="400px" >}}
This is bloodroot. I also saw a few early violets. The daffodils are up. The forsythia are starting. Red-buds soon. Then dogwoods. Spring in northern Virginia !
{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/2022-04-02-flower_small.jpg" caption="Figure 2: \"Spring Flowers\" by George Jones is licenced under CC SA 4.0" width="400px" >}}
This is a nice flat stretch. Somehow every time you start you think it will be like this.
{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/2022-04-02-perfect-trail_rotated.jpg" caption="Figure 3: \"Perfect trail\" by George Jones is licenced under CC SA 4.0" width="400px" >}}
This is a water-removal feature that was being installed by fellow trail maintainers as I hiked. It is a textbook example that follows the "SET" principal where the features are Sustainable, Effective and Traversable.
{{< figure src="/ox-hugo/2022-04-02-water_small.jpg" caption="Figure 4: \"Water Removal - Textbook Example\" by George Jones is licenced under CC SA 4.0" width="400px" >}}
Somehow, getting out in nature in early spring renews hope.
#22 of #100DaysToOffload take 2, https://100daystooffload.com/