#8. Chicot Lake Trail, LA: December 27, 2019

As 2019 came to a close, I was one short of my eight annual extraordinary outdoor excursions. Anticipating that the holiday season chez Bertrand would be quiet, I prodded Julie for information about the Wild Azalea Trail near Alexandria, LA, and she opined that it was the one trail worth hiking in Louisiana. Google confirmed this.

It was unclear who might want to go on this hike, given that it would be fairly monotonous (Louisiana is a flat state). Julie was out of town, and Katy had too few days in her Christmas vacation to fit it in. I realized that one of my doctoral students, Rebecca Emel, would be in town over the holidays. She had recently married Ben Rosenberg, an aspiring highpointer. Although this hike would not count toward highpointing, at least he was someone who liked to hike. To my happy surprise, they accepted the invitation for a 5-6- hour hike on the Wild Azalea Trail, followed by an evening at a local bed-and-breakfast.

At the Tulane holiday party, I mentioned in passing to a fellow outdoor enthusiast that I planned to hike along the Wild Azalea Trail over the holidays. Several days before the hike began, I received an email from her with the subject line “Azalea Trails closure?” Apparently, a tornado had swept through that area on December 16, wiping out major sections of the state park, resulting in closures along the trail. Fortunately, Ben researched some alternatives and found the Chicot Lake Trail not too far away; happily, it had not been affected by the tornado. We opted for Plan B.

When Rebecca and Ben arrived at the house to pick me up, I realized I’d chosen the right people. Bill jokingly said, “So she talked you into another forced march.” Rebecca immediately replied, “It’s a forced march for me, but not for Ben.” Apparently he, like I, was itching for a chance to get out of the city and soak in some nature, even if the gain in elevation would be minimal. 

Some 3.5 hours after leaving New Orleans, we found the trailhead for Chicot Lake, with a curious if not alarming sign posted beside it: “Do not feed the feral swine (wild pigs).” Undaunted by the prospect of feral swine, we headed out for what promised to be a fairly humdrum hike, but we were OUTDOORS.

There was not a view to be had during the entire day, but an hour into our hike we were well rewarded by coming upon a cypress swamp. A bald eagle flew over the treetops, and wild ducks fluttered away as we intruded into their otherwise undisturbed territory. If there was any challenge to the hike, it was staying on our feet over the slippery walkway that arched over this magnificent swamp area.

We had arbitrarily decided in advance on an 8-mile hike, so when Ben’s GPS tracker indicated that we’d gone half the distance, we reversed course. His map showed us to be very close to a clearly defined lake, and we made several forays through the bushes in pursuit of it.  After several futile attempts, we did finally come upon an oversized mud puddle. So much for the lake. Rebecca stopped to tape the blisters she’d managed to acquire, and shortly thereafter we found one of the few logs on the hike that would serve as a bench for a quick lunch.

As forecast, the weather was cloudy. The probability of rain was 20-30%, but we’d decided to take our chances. The weather gods had looked favorably on us, and we were 5-10 minutes from the car before the light showers began.

 If the cypress swamp was the first reward for this hike, our lodging at Lloyd Hall Plantation was the second. The name suggested that it might be a cut above the Kings Inn 15 miles down the road, and with little difference in price, it seemed like a great way to treat ourselves. The plantation house, built in the mid-19th century, had gone to seed under one set of owners who farmed the surrounding 420 acres of land and used the main house as an extra barn for animals and equipment. Fortunately, a subsequent owner renovated it back to its previous glory, purchasing antique furniture from the era.

It’s now a very posh, elegantly renovated plantation house used for weddings and big events – for anyone willing to drive to Cheneyville, LA, which is in the middle of nowhere. The crowning glory was the country breakfast served at the table for 20 by Miss Beulah, who had worked on the property for 45 years and gave us its history as we enjoyed our eggs and grits. It’s rumored that ghosts frequent the premises, and Miss Beulah added her own account of strange cries and shadowy figures to this legend.

…a very enjoyable ending to the 8th extraordinary outdoor excursion in 2019.

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