Into the Streets of Giant City, Part One

Looking Towards the Top of the Bluff

Probably my favorite hike at Giant City State Park is on the namesake trail. The blend of forest and bluff bring a harmony that you can find in other parts of the park, though there are places unlike anywhere else. This adds anticipation to the beginning steps.

For the initial stretch, the path winds along a base of a bluff through mature forest. The greenness is so bold and living. Though, like many other trees elsewhere, not everything always survives severe weather.


Snapped

Still the living goes on in nooks of rocks and along the face of the bluff. Life finds a way to perpetuate. There is one spot which for me highlights that sense of living coupled to rock and its geology and the passage of time. I've actually photographed the location on each trip. I don't specifically look for it, but I seem to always find it.



Gully Steps in Contrasting Seasons

The left is from March 2009 and the right is from June 2010.

I also photographed it this May.



Leading Upward

During rains, little streams form and tumble, leaving the harder rock behind to create small ravines and, in this case, a natural staircase. Here and there, you see the bare rocks and crevices, but this is one of the best illustrations of the action of runoff water has had on the geology of the bluffs.

These "steps" always invite me to come forward and think higher.

More of the trail will soon follow, but if you can't wait, you can look at these images from our 2010 hike on the Giant City Nature Trail.