Weekend Hike: Devil's Racetrack

The weather has been so beautiful lately that we have really been anxious to get some hiking in. Our biggest dilemma is Jack's naptime. Today we decided to bite the bullet and head to Huntsville right after breakfast. We made a quick stop at a consignment sale before heading up to Wades Mountain Nature Preserve to hike the Devil's Racetrack trail.

We were promised views of Huntsville and Tennessee. The trail was 1.6 miles (one way) and we figured we would be finished in time for a late lunch. We were hopeful that Jack would sleep on the way home.

The trail is easy. It meanders through the woods, with a small amount of elevation gain. We were dubious about reaching a view point since we weren't really on top of the mountain. However, at the end, the trail did connect with the transmission lines and we were rewarded with a view. I wouldn't call it a view of Huntsville, not the city any ways, but it was a view.

We only saw a handful of people on the trail – which was a bit surprising since it was a gorgeous Saturday.

At the 1-mile mark Jack started fussing. Soon he was full-out crying. We weren't sure if we should turn back, stop and let him walk or let him cry it out. 

We let him cry it out and before our turnaround point, he was asleep.

I tried to walk as smoothly as possible as we made our way back to the trail head. It was nice to get a hike in, but I did feel a little guilty about Jack missing his real nap. He slept most of the way back to the car.

This hike is a walk in the woods with a view at the top (though don't expect a mountain). It was easy enough that we think it could be a good place to take a picnic to for eating at the view point. The 3.2 miles (round trip) took us about 2 hours, but that included time in the parking lot to get Jack and Sophie trail ready (i.e. Jack in the backpack and Sophie in her harness and on leash).

On a scale of 1-5, I would rate the Devil's Racetrack a 3. I am curious about the name... the rock formations didn't seem special and it certainly wasn't a difficult trail.

If you are interested in checking out this Nature Preserve, it is located north of Huntsville and has 8.5 miles of trails. It is open to hikers, runners, dogs and horses. The trails we were on were not suitable for horses, but just be warned that you might run into horses on some of the other trails.

This is the kind of trail Daniel would LOVE to live close to so that he could go trail running whenever he wanted.

Post hike we stopped at Chick-fil-a in Huntsville to grab lunch. It was an absolute zoo. It took over 20 minutes (after the order was placed) to get our food. I think Daniel stood in line for at least 15 minutes. We love CFA, but will plan on avoiding it anytime there is a rush like today.

I'm pretty sure that everyone in the backseat was more than ready to get home!

Hiking

In an ideal world, Daniel and I would like to go hiking once a week. In reality, once a month is more our speed these days. It's hard to believe that its been over two years since we were able to do an overnight backpacking trip. And we didn't hike at all in February. I guess that winter hikes {especially with a toddler} are not meant to be.

Last Sunday we had good intentions to check out the trails at Blevins Gap – part of the Land Trust of North Alabama. It was a perfect day for a hike. Before our intended tramp, we had post-church brunch plans with some friends. We brought our pack-n-play in hopes that Jack would eat and take a nap while we visited and then we could squeeze in our hike on the way home. If you have a baby {or toddler... or kids in general} you know that your best laid plans often fail you. Jack barely napped. I think he was too excited to visit with our friends. By the time we left brunch he was utterly exhausted. He crashed as soon as we placed him in his carseat.

The hiker in me really wanted to hit the trail anyway – Jack probably would have slept in the backpack carrier. It was 60ºF and sunny – the perfect weather for a hike. The mommy in me felt like we needed to let him sleep. I know that this will get easier in the coming years, but sometimes making good parental decisions is harder than others. Yesterday, we didn't even consider hiking – it was 40ºF and felt even colder with the wind.

It's March now. House projects are wrapping up and the weather will be getting nicer. Jack's nap time may not always align with our hiking plans, but we will get out and hike again. There are so many places to explore that are within an hour drive of us and I can't wait! For now I will continue peruse local magazines like Get Out Chattanooga and dream of hikes to come.

A few places on my radar that we haven't hiked before: Springers Ridge, Lula Lake Land Trust, Blevins Gap Nature Preserve, Wade Mountain Nature Preserve, and the trails at Cathedral Caverns.