Oyster Dome and Lily Lake Hike

This week’s hike was finally a win. I hiked with my family, and I think we got to the point where we can hike together. For me, it’s always a challenge to hike with other people:

• I’m slow (as in 1 mile per hour on a modest incline)
• I can’t really keep a conversation while hiking
• I like to think while hiking

It took us a few tries to find a balance between hiking together and not ruining each other’s experience. My son hikes fast and doesn’t break a sweat, my wife hikes slower but still pretty fast, and I hike the slowest. So we let each other hike our own hikes, and it’s working really well.

The trail goes through the woods.

I almost forgot how rewarding and refreshing it is to just walk through the forest for a few hours while being left alone with my thoughts. There’s always something to do at home and at work, but here in the “wild”, there’s nothing else to do. Just keep walking. Just keep thinking.

This particular hike is rated moderate and I concur. It’s not especially beautiful or rewarding but it’s good enough when you get to the top of the Oyster Dome.

The view from the Oyster Dome is pretty spectacular, not going to lie.

If you hike counter-clockwise, you get a steeper incline for about 2 1⁄2 miles, after which you mostly go down for roughly 3 1⁄2 miles. The Dome is the only worthy feature of the trail — feel free to skip Lily lake (it’s more of a pond really).

One of the best features I want to mention is the parking lot. It has a fantastic view and you could spot some paragliders.

Weeeeee!.. 🪂

All in all, nice and slightly challenging trail.