Hiking the Ni River Trail

Wednesday, December 15, 2020

Hi Blog!

Before we could get out hiking today, we had to do some grocery shopping, walk the cats and eat lunch. Just as we were finishing lunch, we heard our water pump go on. Now, the pump only runs if water is running. Since we were both sitting at the dining room table, it meant that somewhere in our RV water was running all by itself! Now, we know s**t happens. We have a saying, "It's not "if" it's "when." But when "when" happens, it still gets you in the feels.

With a panicked leap from the table, we turned off the water pump and began searching all the likely culprits. To make a long story short, we found a leaky connection under our kitchen sink. With a few turns of the wrench to tighten the loose connection, we were back on schedule. Since our tiny house experiences a minor earthquake every time we move, it's amazing more things don't break. Just remember, it's not if, it's when! Stay Calm and Keep RVing!

With winter coming, our daylight hours are getting shorter. Since we only had a few hours left in our day, we decided to explore the Ni River Trail which was just around the corner from our RV Park.

The Spotsylvania Greenway Initiative preserves and creates greenways in Spotsylvania County to connect natural and culturally significant areas to provide recreation opportunities that inspire respect and responsibility for green space everywhere. 

Below, Kathy points the way to the trail.

The first part of the trail took us through some pine, fir and juniper, all upland species of trees. It is nice to see so much green in this wintery landscape.

Our first stop was an old farm pond.

The trails are well marked and easy to follow. Dave points the way.

When we first scouted this hike, we thought we would have to do an out-and-back hike on the Ni River Trail before taking the Salamander Loop Trail. Since the original trail guide was published, a new connector trail was completed. Today's hike took us along the Ni River Trail to the Rolling Hill Trail and back down the Salamander Loop Trail. 

We start edour trek though the Upland Forest of red oak and grey birch. With all the leaves on the ground, the sky is open, allowing winter's dappled sunlight to dance along the forest floor.

On our many trips to Williamsburg, Virginia perhaps 17 years ago to watch our son play rugby for William and Mary, we would cross the Po and Ni Rivers as we flew south on I-95. We often speculated on the names but never knew for sure until now. With retirement comes the luxury of delving deeply into those mysteries of life.

As it turns out, there are four rivers that make up the story. The Mat River and the Ta River join in Spotsylvania County to form the Matta River. The Po River and the Ni ("Nye") River join in Caroline County to form the Poni River. The Matta River and the Poni River join in Caroline County to form the Mattaponi ("MattapoNYE") River. The river system was named after the Mattaponi people, one of the six Algonquian-speaking tribes led by Powhatan. You might remember Powhatan as the father of Pocahontas. 

At this point, the Ni River isn't much of a river.

We meandered alongside the slow moving river until we reached the end of the trail.

We backtracked a few yards to the intersection with the Rolling Hill Trail and turned up that trail toward the Vernal Pool. Shortly, we noticed a beaver once lived in the neighborhood. We looked around for current signs, but it appears as the beaver family has moved on.

During the spring and summer, this area can bet pretty boggy. The local trail crew improvised a wooden log bridge through the wetlands.

There was no short supply of falling leaves along the trail. Dave turned just in time to see Kathy kicking leaves merrily down the trail.

Our grandson William is very fond of gallant poses. Below, Dave does his best "William the Conqueror" impression. Kathy's shadow had to get into the act.

You never know what you'll find when you venture out into the woods. Nature has a way of making her own art.

The trail crew made the most this this fallen tree. The benches were a nice place to rest after almost two miles of hiking.

There is a subtlety to the light in a late fall hike. The colors are muted and the light has a gentle glow to it. Every season has its own rewards.

As we returned to the trailhead, we took a quick spin around the old farm pond. We watched this female hooded merganser (look closely in the center of the photo) work her way around the pond as well.  However, she always seemed to be making sure she was at the furthest point from us!

Along the Salamander Loop Trail is a vernal pool know for its spotted salamanders, which is how the trail got its name. This time of year, the pool is dry and the salamanders are most likely hibernating. In order to see the salamanders it is best to come back in the spring. 

Tomorrow, we hope to explore more of the shoreline of the Potomac River. Stay tuned.