As I was walking Saturday around North Park Lake, it occurred to me that even though I’ve lived in the North Hills for 16 years, I’d never really spent any substantial time in North Park.
I did spend a fair amount of time at the golf course back in the mid-’90s, but I never had much appreciation for what the park is about. One five-mile walk around the lake didn’t tell me everything, but it showed me some things I hadn’t really understood before.
First, that five-mile path around the lake is popular! Bikers, joggers and a few other walkers passed me during my two-hour hike. There’s a lot of vehicle traffic, too, as the path follows some of the main roads through the park. There were joggers pushing baby buggies. Families on tandem bikes. Joggers with their dogs. I saw a lot of different dogs — chihuahua, beagle, collie and huskie were the ones I could name, and there were a few others.
It some ways, it reminded me of Central Park, although not quite as crowded as New York’s famous green space.
I also took note of dozens of picnic pavilions, assorted playgrounds, a few open fields that were in use by lacrosse players and Frisbee throwers. I even walked past the no-leash dog park, where a few dozen pups had a chance to run free with their canine brethren.
The lake was a little bigger than I expected, and it actually might be a decent place to practice kayaking when spring comes around.
I made the walk with only one small problem — a blister started to develop on the sole of my foot. I think the pavement had something to do with that. I’ve never come close the developing a blister on the softer, gravel path an North Boundary Park.
I think I’ll try to head back to the woods next weekend.