Big Hill Pond

The weather is warming back up and we are trying to find new places to hike. I have discovered that there is a lack of hill and elevation here in the deeper parts of the South. No shortage on beautiful places, just have to travel to find hills to hike. We headed North today to Big Hill State Park. I have heard people talk about it my whole life, but neither of us have ever been there. We drove up HWY 45 from Corinth and went through East view since Travis likes to go to Love’s gas station and we needed to fill up the car with gas. With the price of gas at $3.69 a gallon today, I need to be exercising so I can drive less, walk more!!!!!!!!!!!! The park is easy to find and there are signs everywhere. When you enter the park, there is a welcoming/information center. There are a few snacks and souvenirs available to purchase. You can also stamp your state park passport here if you have one. We don’t have one but may look into and come back for a stamp on a later hike. There provided us with a map, a few directions and were very friendly. I took a picture of a few of the magnets/stickers.

We left the welcome center and drove on to the trail head. It ended up being cooler today than we thought it was going to be. I don’t think I saw the sun on the entire hike. We decided to take the blue trail to get back into shape and begin the season. It was about a 3-mile loop. I was so sad that I forgot to turn on the Runkeeper app on my phone. I use the free version all the time to measure our distances. It does all that I need it to do. We started at 9:45 and finished about 11. No vegetation is turning green yet, so we there is not a lot of color in my pictures. My bright flannel shirt sure stood out in against the background. It was a great $2.00 find at the Goodwill store in Alaska last year. We did not add a carving to these trees but took the time to read a few.

We walked across the Dismal Swamp Boardwalk. It was longer than I was expecting. When it was constructed, it looks like they used nails. As they have repaired it, they used screws. I can’t begin to guess how many nails are in that thing.

The trail was easy to follow and well-marked. We made our way up to the lookout tower after the boardwalk. I can’t wait to come back in the spring and in the fall when there is color. It was quite a few steps to the top. We could see Travis McNatt Lake as well as several other landmarks (that I don’t know).

The walk from the lookout tower took you back to the levee of the lake. The walking trail also connected to the horse trail. We saw a lot of trailers in the trailer parking lot but never got to see anyone on horseback. We saw tracks and some piles of evidence that they had been there though………. There is a much longer trail that goes all the way around the lake that is between 8 to 9 mile I believe. Saving that one for a future date. Along the levee there was a BEE sign that informative. There were actual bee hives back at the welcome center.

Lunch was a challenge today. The place that we thought we were going to eat was inside THE PORK SHOPPE. However, it is still running winter hours and closed at 11:00. We arrived at 11:30. We could have purchased raw meat to take home to cook but….Not Happening. We ended up across the street at the Ramer Quick Stop. The lady was SUPER nice, and I have a super funny story. While Travis was in the bathroom, I was checking out the food. The old saying “You snooze you lose” is soooo true. A local man came in while I was still being indecisive and ordered 2 of the chicken on a stick, 4 tenders and some potato log things. I asked him, “What exactly is in a chicken on a stick?” He said, “It is chicken, bell peppers, onion, potatoes, and pickle. They are really good.” I said, “So…. you are getting the last two???” He looked at me, laughed and asked if I wanted one. I responded, “Only if you get just one.” By this time, Travis had walked up and the conversation had digressed between all of us to how to keep women happy. They had each shared the number of years they had been married to their wives (27 and 29) and that happy wife equals happy life. He ended up giving me one of the chicken on a sticks, added several more tenders to his order that he was delivering to his wife who was at work cutting hair, and every was happy. Keep in mind this turned into a conversation with everyone at the counter/register including the nice lady checking us out. We ate inside the quick stop at one of the tables and enjoyed listening to all the conversation. Let me just say that this is a happening place in Ramer!!!!! Bonus, you can share your toothpicks with 799 other customers (who aren’t afraid of getting Covid).

We had a great day at Big Hill Pond. It is close to home, so we plan to go back in the spring to do a longer hike. May eat at the restaurant in the Pork Shoppe, and we might just go back and visit in the Ramer Quick Stop.