Tue, Apr 9 2013 - Tuesday Noon Hike at Sope Creek (View Original Event Details) Trip Leader(s): Joyce T. Participants: Joyce T., Sunae, DonW, Allan, Marianna, Stan, Faith A, Michael Langton, howard, Janice, Hans, Adrienne

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What a grand hike at Sope Creek!  We had a variety of nice experiences.  We had a newbie, Faith, who jumped right into a solid D3 hike as her first event - - and she did just fine.  This was Marianne's first D3 - - after just 6 hikes.  She's definitely ready to handle  this level of difficulty. Several folks (Don, Marianna, Janice and Faith) had never hiked at Sope Creek, so of course, we had to explore the old ruins. Hans, an AOC member for years but with only 3 hikes, proved a valuable plant resource.  Hans has led hikes as a trip leader with other organizations, so we have to keep an eye on him for future TL recruiting.  :-)

 As we made our way past the pond, Adrienne spotted two large Koi fish swimming relatively close to the shore!  There are at least three golden koi in the pond - - one gigantic one that I have seen, plus the two large ones we saw today.  Sitting near the trail by the pond was a talented lute player who treated us to a song (which I recorded and posted on Facebook).  Finally, we spotted several turtles sunning themselves on logs in the pond.  We all had a great time, finishing the hike just before 2 pm - - right on schedule.