In spite of gray, chilly, windy conditions 29 TrailBlazers and 2 canines opted to come out for our Post-Thanksgiving Turkey Trot at Lee Creek in Van Buren. Fortunately the trail is sheltered, so it wasn’t quite as cold and windy as the CV parking lot! Speedy, our old friend and one-time TrailBlazer, came out of retirement to lead us on his favorite historic trail. 

After hiking over to the graveyard of the Bodine family to check out the graves and ruins of their old buildings, we trekked up to the scenic bluff overlooking the reservoir. Continuing down the trail we came to the Civil War graveyard where about 300 African-American Confederate soldiers are buried, a few with actual gravestones but most with small vertical rock markers. After hiking over to the creek with its aquamarine waters we saw several small waterfalls and then trekked up to the crack in the rocks that looks like some of the crevices at Devil’s Den. From the top of the high ridge we were able to see some neat falls in the distance. Hoofing back down the trail we came to a waterlogged section requiring some fancy footwork. All too soon we were back at the parking lot where the sun finally decided to favor us with some bright, if not warm, rays. Déjà vu all over again – Mt. Magazine!