FOLIO
Dear Davi,
My human feels harried after a hectic day of work. Where can we go to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life?
Asha the Lhasa Apso
Asha,
Sometimes it’s nice to take a step back from a busy life and reconnect with nature.
As I continued my walk around Jacksonville, I found Reddie Point Preserve, a small park tucked away in the old Arlington area. It’s a great local place to visit, if you like nature — and bugs. Note: Bring insect repellant and plenty of water.
Aside from a fisherman who called me a good-looking dog, I was a lone wolf prowling for a new adventure.
I checked the park map to plan my route, then saw a squirrel. Oh, snap! I lost my train of thought, so I went to the trailhead, marked the wooden post, and began my walk.
The beaten path was grassy with dirt patches and tiny holes, probably local critters’ homes. Even though I was tempted to dig (I am a badger hound, after all), I was also a little leery, so I kept walking.
All the new smells were a huge distraction to my snout. I stepped off the trail every so often to sniff around, but felt a tug on my leash. It put me back on track — my mom’s a real taskmaster.
I walked farther back into the preserve and the trail split. I took the left-hand path and saw an even smaller trail into the woods. The tall weeds tickled my belly as I hopped along and — bam — the marsh. The water was too swift to swim, but the movement on shore looked mighty interesting. I pawed some small crabs as they scurried across the sand, but didn’t catch one; they were too fast. I gave up and carried on.
A few steps later, I was on another trail covered with pine needles and crunchy leaves. The path was shaded, the sounds unfamiliar, so I stopped to process the noises. My mom tugged on my leash again and I kept walking. Suddenly, I turned a corner and — whoa — I’m back where I started. The 1.5-mile loop was completed in less than 45 minutes!
I ended my adventure by walking on the pier. It’s a wooden boardwalk used mostly for fishing, and I was ready to walk the whole thing. They say it’s a quarter-mile, but it looked much longer to me. The planks were scattered with poles and pieces of shrimp. I tried to take a bite, but felt that familiar yank. Ugh. The river breeze cooled my face as I headed down — it felt much better than the trail heat. Finally, I reached the end and got a spectacular view of the St. Johns River. That was worth the effort, but I was dog-tired and ready for a nap.
This was another wag-worthy adventure.
Reddie Point Preserve, 4499 Yachtsman Way, Arlington. The park can be hard to find. Travel north on University Boulevard past Jacksonville University and Blue Cypress Park, to the tip of Arlington. Turn right on Yachtsman Way; the park entrance is on the left. Details at timucuanparks.org/reddie-point-preserve.
Happy trails!
Follow FOLIO!