Day 202

Now that we knew we had a more reliable way to build and maintain the trail, we wanted to start the process of making it a more permanent fixture of our farm. We plan on continuing to restore the land which will increase the diversity of the native plants and hopefully the wildlife we can observe. We have thought about adding some seating options for wildlife observation. We‘ve even tinkered with the idea of putting some play spots along the trail. 

When designing the trail, we wanted to include the different habitats and potential “future” habitats our land offers. 

When not hiking on a trail, one of our favorite activities is watching the fireflies at night. With our open land and tall grass surrounding the area, we are very blessed to have a ridiculous amount of fireflies. Watching the kids chase and capture them is truly heartwarming and something they look forward to every opportunity they get. On one of these firefly excursions, my eldest shared an absolutely simple yet brilliant idea.

Backing up a bit, I initially marked out the potential path of the trail with five foot tall green garden stakes wrapped with pink flagging tape near the top. These stakes guided me as I used my push mower and pull behind trimmer to create and maintain the trail bit by bit. 

On a hike, my daughter noticed that the tops of these stakes are rounded and came up with a plan. Experimenting, she picked up one of the many plastic solar lights we had around our garden and placed it on one of these stakes.hile not a very snug fit, it was nothing that couldn’t be easily secured with a little tape. 

We walked around the trail and secured solar lights on every stake we found. When night arrived, we were excited to see little sky lanterns light the path of the trail. Every night, seeing this seemingly random set of lights scattered around our big backyard is eerily reminiscent of the fireflies we adore on summer nights.

While these lights add some allure and mystery to our trail at night, daytime discoveries offer even more opportunities for adventure and wonder.