A Day at Lake Thoreau

On the morning of Saturday September 15th, 2012 Outdoor Afro South Mississippi converged on the shores and trails of the Lake Thoreau Environmental Center located in Hattiesburg, MS. The air was cool and crisp. Birds were flitting in the trees all around us. The lake was beautiful as well as all of the Outdoor Afros. We hiked around and along the shores of the lake. The kids ran ahead laughing, talking and screaming effectively frightening away all nearby wildlife.
The adults hung back and allowed the children to explore by and for themselves. My youngest daughter; Cassandra’s best friend (Alivia) spent the night with us the night before and was excited to be hiking through the woods. She was the loudest of the group and I think she enjoyed the outing more than anyone else. She was not too enthusiastic about the spiders and spider webs that we repeatedly encountered. Everyone loved the lake and the beaver dam especially the kids. We saw a tree that a beaver had started eating or trying to “cut” down for a lack of better terms.
We didn’t get to see much in the wildlife department on this trip but everyone had a wonderful time regardless. I always find spending time outside especially in a forest to be refreshing and mentally restorative. I prefer to sit still and quiet, patiently waiting for the nearby wildlife to return to their normal behaviors after being alarmed to my presence. Overall everyone had a wonderful time building friendships with each other and with nature. I wish I could do this every day!