Jordan Family Nature Trail

In our backyard, there is a 30-foot deep strip of tangled brush and trees that separates our property from Tatnall (and keeps their football fans from peering into our rear windows). Aside from serving as a privacy "fence" and containing a small drainage ditch, this rearmost section of our property--running the entire width of our lot--is totally neglected. After a couple of recent forays into this area (including one with Bapa that uncovered an ancient artifact . . . er, old tin mug) the boys decided that it was time to get serious. On Saturday, Will spent three hours hacking through the underbrush to create a trail that runs the entire width of our property. With adult supervision, the boys can now enjoy North Macon's wildest nature trail. There are adventures aplenty (Indian raids, wolf attacks, sheer cliff faces, and the occasional foul ball from Tatnall's baseball field . . . well, at least one of those is true). The boys also have special names for different sections of the trail (e.g.: "The Valley of Wonders," where they found an old metal pipe and decaying carpet square; "The Tunnel"; "The Ant Tree"; "The Tricky Part," and "Bird Poop Junction").

The top two pictures are from one of the trail's two entry points (there is a third, "secret," access point, but we're not telling). The next two pictures were taken from the middle of the backyard towards the only place where travelers on the trail can be seen (as the weather warms, the growth of the underbrush will completely hide it; can you see Will standing beside the boys?). The last two pictures are taken on the trail itself--approaching, and then inside, "The Tunnel."

I suspect that Will and Evan have been through the Jordan Family Nature Trail 25+ times in the last two days, with Alex at about 15. They love it! It is about as far away from civilization as you can get while staying within 15 feet of the mowed confines of your backyard.