Oct 23, 2026. Switched lodgings today and made a quick stop to hike Old Hickory Trail by Old Hickory Lock and Dam. This short National Recreation Trail is northeast of Nashville and was designated in 1976. The old description includes a short (0.3-mile) paved bit that leads to a small pond and three unpaved loops that lead into the woods. The paved part is still there, but the loops have long disappeared into the brush and are no longer maintained. I did one of them anyway as I could see where it used to be, and I emerged from the vegetation with my bottom half covered in Desmodium seeds which cling to clothing like Velcro. Spent over half an hour afterward lifting them off my skirt, pants, and shoes one-by-one.
A note about my lodging. Since I travel full time, I switch things up often. Spent a week in a remote cabin deep in the Big South Fork Recreation Area while day-hiking the Sheltowee Trace, then I chose a cheap-but-clean motel right off the interstate for a few nights, and now I’m in someone’s beautifully-renovated extra building (on their property) right by a huge lake. Each time I move, I appreciate the change in scenery, atmosphere, and people. The roaming life suits me, and I don’t think I can ever go back to living a traditional stay-in-one-place life. There is just too much to see and experience. Every square foot in every location is its own universe. People, too – the accents, the mannerisms, the cultures. Everywhere is to be appreciated and celebrated. Don’t know how else to explain it.
