It was time for the annual celebration of “Leif Landed First.” Leif Ericson, or if you prefer Leif Erikson, was a Norse explorer who stumbled onto North America after being blown off course to Greenland. While the exact date of his landing in what we call Newfoundland isn’t known, its approximately 500 years before Columbus reached the West Indies. Columbus had the advantage of better PR and a lasting following of settlers, which partly explains why Columbus Day in the US is a holiday and Leif Ericson day is a trivia question. (It’s October 9th, by the way.)
Leif Ericson Viking Ship, owners of The Norseman, celebrated Leif’s landing on Sunday October 12 at Marsh Creek State Park. Last year’s event saw the ship suffer from too much wind. This year the problem was too little, and by the time I arrived for the scheduled landing and closing ceremonies at the West Boat Launch the boat was tied up and being prepped for transport into storage. 
After spending some time talking with the volunteers I put the nice day to good use and hiked a couple of miles along the lakeshore. As I wrote about Marsh Creek, the East Boat Launch is the heavily visited one, but the West has some nice trails and pretty views. Horse refuse is worth looking out for, but if you are careful with your steps you will be rewarded with views like this.
