William B. Umstead State Park

We skipped adventuring last weekend because the weather was too cold and wet, and honestly, I punked out and stayed in. Two weeks in the house with an adventuring duo was too much for me. There was troublemaking and maniacery (is that a word? it is now) afoot and it was driving me crazy. I had to get these two out on the trail. Goose rode quietly in his carrier while Mac was shaking the entire way there. I was worried I had let his socialization training slip for too long but it turned out he was really excited for the car ride and even more excited when he saw where we were going. I was glad we wouldn't have a repeat of our bike trip. Whew!

Umstead Park is a favorite for its well maintained trail system and a variety of terrains based on which entrance you choose. Today we hiked out of the Crabtree Entrance on Sal's Branch Trail. It's an easy 3 miles that wind through the woods with a lovely pond at the midpoint. If you want to learn more about the park, check out this link: https://www.ncparks.gov/william-b-umstead-state-park/home 

We got out to the park around 1:30 pm, just about the time everyone else decided they could use a walk, so it was busy. We snagged a parking spot kinda near the trailhead and Goose freaked out as 5 cars passed us looking for spots. Just to clarify, a Goose freakout is rare and involves him squirming in his sling until the car passes us. It's the only thing he's scared of (so far) and I don't blame him since he was playing slalom with the cars on the day we met. Once the cars passed, he was back to normal.

After some trail fuffelling (another new word) cleaning up after Mac, we were on our way weaving through the other people on the trail, pulling over to the side to let dogs and kids go by. I always try to practice good trail etiquette since everyone isn't a dog/or cat lover.

Goose attracts a lot of attention since he is such a handsome boy and most people haven't seen a cat on the trail before. Reactions range from pointing, staring, glaring in disgust, comments about what a lucky kitty he is, and open gushing about how adorable Goose is.

Mac is usually an afterthought and he seems to prefer it this way. He's not a fan of touching and is a big believer in Stranger Danger. With Goose in tow, it's easier than ever for Mac to politely decline a meeting while Goose welcomes the attention.

We made our way to the pond and headed back into the woods. I usually stop at the water but there were too many people today so we continued on with our hermitage.

I found a little side trail that led to a quiet spot by the water and let Goose out of his sling. He explored the grass and had some good walking spurts on the side trail. He found some interesting scat on the side of the trail and went bounding through some weeds before people showed up and it was time to put him back in his sling and head back to the main trail.

There were so many people, dogs, and kids out. The weather was a gorgeous, sunny, 65 degrees Fahrenheit. It had rained the day before so there was a little muck to navigate through. My trusty trail shoes did not let me down. I didn't slip once. I was being extra careful so I didn't turn Goose into a pancake by falling on him.

Once we got back, Mac and Goose promptly passed out, which was the point of the trip, and Jay and I got to enjoy a little peace and quiet...for a while. Goose woke up a couple of hours later and was on the rampage again, biting my feet and attacking the older kitties. Sigh. We'll have to get out there more regularly and for longer. I can't wait!!!! I love hiking with these guys.