A post-Christmas hike at O.W. Fannin Natural Area offered a peaceful retreat highlighted by beautiful weather, mountain bikers, and a surprising close encounter with a local peacock.
Today is the day after Christmas, and it was about 65° and sunny this morning in Arlington. Paradise. I wanted to go for a hike, so I returned to the nearby O.W. Fannin Natural Area. It has become one of my favorite places to walk in the woods.
Today’s adventure included a sighting of one of the famous peacocks that roam the area. Last time I was there, I saw three walking in a clearing; this time, though, I ran into one in the woods. I had just entered the trail from Red Kane Park and rounded a bend when I saw him. There he was, just sitting near a tree, his striking blue feathers stark against the nearly monochromatic woods. I feared he was injured or possibly dead because I’ve never seen one sitting—not that I’ve seen many of them anyway—but my arrival spooked him enough to clamber to his feet and start ambling on. I watched him go forth and wondered if I imagined the whole thing. I debated on stopping to get a photo, but I had just passed someone walking a dog and thought it best to be a little farther on if the fur and feathers started flying.
Elsewhere on today’s hike, I saw a large mushroom (pictured below), several hardworking squirrels, a few people walking their dogs, and a dad with his two sons riding mountain bikes enthusiastically through the woods—possibly breaking in some Christmas gifts from the day before. I must admit, that looked like fun. I rode bikes often as a kid, but never a mountain bike in the woods.
A large mushroom sighted on my hike
Overall, it was mostly quiet with woodsy solitude, beautiful weather, and some much-needed fresh air and sunshine. A perfect morning for a hike: fresh blanket of leaves softly thudding under my feet, clean air, and abundant sunshine in which to frolic.
To quote Anthony Kiedis in the song Wet Sand—”My, what a good day for a walk outside.”
Blog post by Jason S. Sullivan, 12-26-25
Jason S. Sullivan 