Excursion down Trough Springs trail ends up tricky

The sign at the Trough Springs trailhead indicated a steep path, yet halfway through what I thought was the trail it struck me that I just might be on the wrong one.

Trough Springs leads down into the area where Bushwhacker Johnson surrendered to Union troops, marking one of the worst periods for Huntsville residents and soldiers during the War of Northern Aggression. It is located on the east side of Monte Sano, stretching through Monte Sano State Park and a portion of the Burritt on the Mountain down into the Land Trust of Huntsville and North Alabama property.

Three groups, all dedicated to preserving land, can be appreciated on one trail. That's pretty cool. The territory is rugged, dropping to about 800 feet from the trailhead, according to topo maps. Obviously, putting heel and toe to dirt coming back up would not be a jaunt through the lilies.

The path I trod last weekend wasn't worn and caressed by boots, though.

Blaze orange marking tape was tied to saplings. Some small brush that was cut was not brown with death yet, and even some plants that had been trampled or trimmed were still green. Vegetation tickled my ankles and shins, leading me to wonder how badly the poison ivy would be in a few days. Thankfully, it never showed up.

The trail wound around through the woods, a good hike and obviously a new trail in the works. Taking a break for a sip of water, I realized that I'd missed the Trough Springs trailhead by wandering stupidly around the giant water tank and into the woods where a trail was clearly marked with flagging tape.

Dumb, dumb, dumb.

That's how people get lost, fall and get hurt, or get eaten by the giant blood-sucking lizards that live in the hidden caves under Monte Sano.

Just kidding about the lizards.

Trails at Monte Sano State Park are clearly marked with white diamond indicators and the name of the trail. I made a mistake and was lucky not to twist an ankle, since my wife didn't know where I was and no one else was on the trail. It was a good lesson about planning ahead, being smart and knowing where you're going to hike.

But all's well that ended well, and the improvised trail dropped into the Natural Well trail, a very nice path used by bikers. Heading south on it led me to the sign noting the Trough Springs trail, a "D'oh!" slap on the head and realization that, indeed, it is a steep trail.

With evening drawing near, Trough Springs was good for only half a hike until the point I felt like venturing further would require more water and time. I was running out of both, so we'll save the bottom portion of the trail for another day.

We have an abundance of trails in the area, at Monte Sano and Guntersville state parks, on the Land Trust properties and elsewhere. The Land Trust and the Sierra Club offer great hikes and good folks to help you get outside more often.

Find a trail, plan ahead, take plenty of water and go explore.

Contact Alan Clemons at alan.clemons@htimes.com, and visit blog.al.com/gone-fishing and blog.al.com/outdoors for more news and opinion. Exclusive this week, beginning Thursday, at blog.al.com/outdoors will be a series on bowfishing with Bryan Hughes of Gurley, including an alligator hunt in Florida.