Hiked the North and South Loops of the Pike Run Trail--11 miles. St. Francois Park has always had, to me, a very mysterious atmosphere. Even when the sun is out, the sky seems low and close. And I've rarely seen people on the trails although there are always campers and horse trailers on the main roads. Today, a trail runner came up from behind, startling me. She was friendly but seemed to come from nowhere--on the farthest part of the 11 mile loop.Knowing that moonshiners hid stills in this area--and that Civil War battles were fought here--plus the atmosphere of the park in general--made me think of Ambrose Bierce's story Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge.
During the last three hikes I've been on, I've noticed turtles sunning themselves on the trails. I saw probably seven turtles today, three yesterday and three on Sunday.
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