Natchez Trace - Hiking the Yockanookany

October 23, 2018

Hi Blog!

Yesterday, we spent the day driving the Natchez Trace from Tupelo to Jackson. It was probably the most relaxing move day we have ever had, until we had to leave the Trace and drive through Jackson to our campground. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times! The best - 50 mph speed limit, no traffic, rolling hills and woodlands with deer dancing by the side of the road. The worst - highway construction, washboard roads, bumper to bumper traffic, low hanging branches, everything in our cupboards tossed about. We can't wait to get back on the Trace.

Today we decided to visit a few of the places we passed on our way to the campground. Our first stop was the Cypress Swamp.

We entered a realm of trees, water, and reflections. Water tupelo and bald cypress can live in deep water for a long periods. After taking root in the summer when the swamp is nearly dry, the seedlings can stay alive in water deep enough to kill other plants. A boardwalk through the swamp gave us an up close and personal look at these water dwelling giants.

The trail led us through an abandoned river channel. We were soon surrounded by bald cypress. While it is a cone bearing member of the coniferous redwood family, it is in fact deciduous, losing its flat, one to two centimeter long needles in the winter, a characteristic that led to it being dubbed the “bald” cypress. “Cypress knees,” or protrusions that grow from the trees’ roots and stick out above the water are thought to help stabilize the tree against hurricane force winds and may aid in respiration for trees that are consistently standing in water.

The water tupelo tends to gather more moss than the cypress. The name “tupelo,” a common name used for several varieties of Nyssa trees, literally means “swamp tree” in the language of the Muscogee (Creek) Nation . In North America, there are several species of tupelo: black, black gum or swamp tupelo; water tupelo; and Ogeechee tupelo. It is the Ogeechee tupelo in Florida that bees use to make tupelo honey.

Just across the Trace from the Cyrpress Swap is a section of the original Old Trace. While part of the Natchez Trace National Scenic Trail, this section of the trail is marked as unmaintained.

Now, we've hiked on unmaintained trails before. It usually means climbing over or working around some fallen trees. However, with most trails, you can usually find your way back to the main path. What we encountered here were sections that were truly impassable.

As we worked our way through the woods, we discovered these bright purple berries. Known as the American beautyberry, the raw berries, while palatably sweet, are suitable for human consumption only in small amounts, because they are astringent. Some people have reported mild stomach cramps after consumption. We'll pass on berry picking today.

We found a few old blazes and trekked on some small portions of the Old Trace before losing it again in a jungle of fallen trees and creeping myrtle.

We decided to give up on our hike and head over to River Bend for lunch, where the Pearl River takes a left turn and empties into the Ross R. Barnett Reservoir.

While eating our lunch, we watched the butterflies work along the banks of the river.

After lunch, we found another section of the Old Natchez Trace. Here you can really see the "indication of the passing of something." The first thing to pass where the huge herds of buffalo; next, the native peoples that followed the buffalo; and then the hunters and trappers exploring the new frontier. By the time the Kaintucks began traveling back to Kentucky, Ohio and Pennsylvania, the Trace was a well established route.

The pullout for the Old Trace, was also tagged the Brashears Stand Site. The park brochures indicated that this site was the location of "a house of entertainment in the wilderness." However, we found nothing indicating where said house was located.  Kathy did find a local resident to quiz about the mysteries of the Natchez Trace:

From the Old Trace we followed the Chisha Foka Multi-Use Trail to the Reservoir Overlook. Chisha Foka roughly translates to “among the post oaks,” and was the Choctaw settlement that once stood where the City of Jackson is today.

Fall is just starting to catch up with us.

The newly created path has a massive footbridge over a tiny little creek.

The Ross Barnett Reservoir is a reservoir of the Pearl River. The 33,000-acre lake serves as Mississippi's largest drinking water resource, and is managed by the Pearl River Valley Water Supply District. The lake features 105 miles of shoreline impounded on the south by a 3.5-mile man-made dam and spillway. The western shore is bounded by the historic Natchez Trace Parkway. So much water, so little time.

Time to head back to camp and get our chores done. Tomorrow, we follow the Trace down to Natchez, the town that gave the Natchez Trace its name.

Stay tuned.