On May 10th, 2020, I went to Umstead State Park for the second time. It was the second day of the partial reopening of state parks in North Carolina, and I was eager to get some much-needed outdoor activity in the short time before parks are closed again. (As mentioned previously, exemptions to the stay-at-home order in North Carolina are in place for both outdoor and health-related activities — both of which hiking is.)

While there, I covered 4.1 miles on three trails and had one of the most enjoyable hikes of the past year — during which I encountered a big lake, several blackberry plants, a scenic creek, a tulip poplar in bloom, and an oak tree growing straight out of a rock.

Arriving from the west, I turned right into the Crabtree Creek Entrance (8801 Glenwood Ave., Raleigh, NC 27617) and drove about a mile down…