The 2.8 mile paved Onion Creek trail was perfect for my first run in a long time. There are only a few steep hills, and the paved surface made running easy. I saw lots of flowers and birds, and only a few other people. I ran all 2.8 miles (except for 2 hills), and really had to push myself at a few points. Between my Peru trip in November 2013 and guide school, I've really come to appreciate the value of having determination and a strong tolerance for discomfort. If you have both of these, you can push through almost anything successfully.
After finishing my run, I drove over to the parking lot for the Homestead trail. I put on my new LLBean hiking boots that I purchased in Freeport, Maine last weekend and grabbed my Cambelbak before heading off on the 2.75 mile trail. The creek crossing right before the trail head was easy, as I believe Onion creek was lower than I've ever seen it. I found the trail marked much better than my previous hike on this trail - probably because I actually went in the desired direction on the trail this time. There were not as many flowers on this trail, but I did see plenty of flowering cacti and birds. Additionally, I saw no other humans until I was walking back from the trail head to my car.
As I was heading to my car, I stopped by the Onion Creek crossing to see if I could see any turtles. During the summer and on the weekends, there are usually lots of people swimming in the natural water hole. However, tonight I was captivated by watching three different water snakes weave their way through the water and occasionally disappear. I bet people might reconsider swimming there if they saw these snakes!
