Chicot State Park
I stayed at the Cracker Barrel in Shreveport, LA, not one of the better locations. I had cereal in the parking lot and then packed up. It was two and a half hours to Chicot State Park.
I drove to Starbucks for a coffee. As I was about to leave, a woman walked in holding a kangaroo named Jody. The woman works for an agency that takes in stray animals. Jody lost both of her parents. The woman does work with school kids and various other groups. She let me pet Jody. Jody’s ears were amazingly soft and she seemed to like the attention. The woman told me that Jody would be with her for the rest of Jody’s life. It was a nice start to my day.
Chicot State Park
Chicot State Park in Louisiana has several trails for visitors to enjoy. I decided to do the South to North Landing trail. AllTrails has it as an 8.3 mile, out and back easy trail that winds through the parks beautiful natural scenery. I had asked at the park office about the conditions on the trail. They told me it was in good shape. I knew it had rained heavily the day before. The trail was actually very soft and there were many places where I had to walk through mud and water. The park seems to be known for its tent glamping camp sites.
The Trail begins near the park's campground and follows a lot of up and down terrain through mixed hardwood and pine forests. These aren’t steep climbs, but just many smaller hills. On this day, the air was very humid and I drank a lot of water. Along the way, I encounter a variety of vegetation, including wildflowers, ferns, and mosses, as well as the occasional small stream or wetland.
The trail is named for its destination, which is the South to North Landing, a small body of water located in the park's northern section. This landing was once a popular spot for steamboats to stop and unload goods, and it is now a peaceful spot for hikers to rest and take in the natural beauty of the area.
On my way back (North to South), this guy said, as I approached him, “are you going to take my picture”? I promptly lifted the camera and took one photo. He asked where I was from and what I was up to. We talked for about 40 minutes. He was from Michigan and came to Louisiana with his camper to stay warm. He told me it gets well below zero where he lives. We talked about some of his good friends that made him laugh and he told me one of them had passed recently. We talked about national politics, we were mostly on the same page. It turned out that he was the district chair for the democratic party in Michigan. He showed me a photo of him with a woman and asked if I knew who she was. I said it looked like the governor of Michigan. It was, and we talked a little about the plot to assassinate her. He was really interesting to talk to. I didn’t want to leave, but I didn’t want to be hiking in the dark.
Along the trail, hikers may also spot some of the park's wildlife, including white-tailed deer, squirrels, and a variety of birds. The trail is well-marked and maintained, making it a great option for hikers of all skill levels.
It was close to 6:00 pm when I got back to the car and I had a hour drive to the Lafayette KOA. I made it to the campsite before they closed. I knew this wasn’t going to be pleasant. There was a large highway beside the campground and the tent sites were directly located beside it. I setup and made myself dinner. I watched a movie and then fell asleep.