On a spring Saturday, with hints of a very warm summer to come, twenty or so friends and family gathered to celebrate a newly minted one year old.




On a spring Saturday, with hints of a very warm summer to come, twenty or so friends and family gathered to celebrate a newly minted one year old.
The damp camping gear has been hung to dry, unconsumed food put away and my duffle is mostly unpacked. All this plus a campsite teardown, a coffee stop and an almost 2.0 hour drive home… before 11:00 am. We are, at least I am, home for a few weeks after a very wet night in the Big South Fork.
The trip materialized about a month ago when friends Bob and BJ extended an offer to our Tuesday hiking group to join them for some days of camping in the Big South. We would be a group of eight, three couples in campers, and John and me in our large, roomy car camp tent. Three couples (including John and me) were on the Florida trip. The fourth couple, “The Canadians”, were friends of Steve and Karen who had met them on a recent vanning adventure to Baja, Mexico. Good group, fun adventures ahead!
The three camper couples arrived on Sunday and enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day, John and I arrived on Monday under mostly cloudy skies. Rain was eminent, light in the late afternoon and heavier overnight. This was a shift from an earlier version of the Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday forecast when the heavier rain was predicted for Tuesday night. Nevertheless, we were trusting of our equipment and naively thought that an overnight rain would be restful. As seasoned backpackers, we should have known better than to rely on equipment that had not been rain tested.
We hurried through camp setup and lunch to get in a bike ride before the afternoon rain. Our campsite, A36, was the starting point for the ride, a route that took us through the campground, onto Duncan Hollow Rd, to the end of the road where we circled back. We also looped through camp areas B, C and D looking for our friends.
Duncan Hollow Rd is a mixed surface of hard packed dirt, small gravel, larger, loose gravel, potholes and even a couple of small sand pits. The road is somewhat downhill on the way out, therefore slightly uphill on the ride back. This was my first cycle on gravel since my front tire got into a patch of loose rock on Bald River Falls Rd. In that situation, I fell and my head bounced on the pavement. Hurray for helmets. Unlike that ride, I am now sporting a gravel bike but my anxiety for this ride was still a rollercoaster.
We felt sprinkles of rain off and on during the ride but not too serious. Just minutes after we arrived back in camp, the first wave of rain arrived. Like the rest of our group, we decided to take some downtime, change clothes, read a bit and maybe take a short nap.
Shortly before the dinner hour, we received a text to join the camper couples at Bob and BJ’s campsite where appetizers were being served. We met the Canadian campers and learned that they are spending two years in their RV, crisscrossing the US and Canada. Lots of conversation ensued, much centered around campers and travel.
The rain held off (temporarily) as Bob cooked black bean and beef burgers on the grill. This was our second burger feast prepared by the Perlacks and honestly, I was impressed, I thought the first feast could not be topped. They prepared not only burgers and fixins’ but pasta salad, corn on the cob and brownies. The Canadians (Sue and Henry) contributed coleslaw. The rest of us did appetizers. A good meal and very enjoyable evening.
Somewhere during the evening, rain arrived. We squeezed under the Perlacks camper awning and around a picnic table. Karen brought out a deck of Exploding Cats cards and explained the game. She and Steve felt this game would be easy enough for those of us who are not regular card players. She was right, I even won a hand. I don’t brag about this lightly; I never win at cards.
With a pause in the rain, the evening broke up around 8:30 pm. We drove back to the tent and omg! Water was dripping from the ceiling onto John’s therm-a-rest, lots of drips!! His therm-a-rest was wet. Mine was still dry and I suggested we move things around a bit to get out of the obvious problem areas. “It will be ok.” But it wouldn’t. We looked between the fly and tent, found massive drippage and realized that it was never going to be ok in this tent during a rainstorm. The heavy rain was yet to come, so we started moving our belongings to the car.
As we picked up our things, we discovered that other items were wet too including the rug, some stuff sacks and such. With the exception of a few odds and ends, we cleared out the tent. More importantly we flattened the back seats and stretched out our therm-a-rests and sleeping bags to make a bed for the night. I thought John would be too tall for the back of the Subaru but he fit, just barely.
Not long after we folded ourselves into the back of the car, rain moved in for the night. The intensity varied but the rain did not let up. At times lightening flashed in the windows. When we slept, we slept really well, but we were awake, a lot. As John said, if we were 18, this would be romantic, but at 68, we were tired and wished for sleep. We were one of only two tents in the 49-site A-loop. It felt a littled deserted and creepy.
Finally, first light arrived and the rain had temporarily subsided. We wiggled out of our sleeping bags and crawled out the back-side doors. John immediately headed to the tent and discovered it had seriously flooded. Clearly not moving to the car when we did would have resulted in a cold, wet night.
We didn’t consider staying a second night, we pack up and left. The weather forecast predicted afternoon clearing, but our tent would not likely dry enough to sleep in. Neither of us were in for another night sleeping in the Subaru.
We packed in record time, forgoing coffee and breakfast till we arrived in Oneida. John strapped the wet, sandy bundle of fabric, also known as our tent, to the car roof. All of our belongs felt damp.
So that wraps up our 20 hours in Big South Fork. All in all, we had a good time, bicycling and spending time with people we enjoy. Maybe, if we camp again in the rain, we will have a camper too.
Below is a handful of things that happened this week.
1. A Favorite, Sunset Season, is Coming to an End
As trees’ leaf out, a process that is happening rather quickly right now, our views from the hill will become hidden and these beautiful sunsets will no longer be visible. Living on the highest hill in the neighborhood has some great benefits, this view of downtown Knoxville is one of the best.
2. Walking for our Lunch
We walk, a lot. Our mileage can total 25 and as much as 35 miles a week utilizing neighborhood roads, Ijams Nature Center and roads/trails around Knoxville. We often repeat the same routes over and over because, well, there are only so many routes and we are looking more for the exercise than the scenery.
This week we decided to return to one of our favorite walks, a walk that began in the “training days” of the Cleveland Trail in 2018 and ended the minute we finished that 109-mile walk. The favorite walk…for lunch of course! “Back in the day”, a lunch destination by foot served as motivation on days we struggled to get out the door. Indeed, it worked well for us on Monday when we headed downtown, then home for a total of 6 miles.
Our destination restaurant was fai thai kitchen; we had heard good things. Just one problem, fai thai is closed on Monday so we ended up at Kopita next door, also new to us. The food was good though we look forward to another destination walk soon, on a Tuesday or Wednesday, so we can give fai thai kitchen a try.
3. Crazy Weather Happened
Around Tuesday of this week, the temperature reached 80° F. Tonight it will drop to 32° F. We have had warm sunshine, heavy rain, hail, brisk, chilly wind and periods of snow. This weekend’s cold weather has officially been dubbed Dogwood Winter.
When I was younger and this crazy weather pattern struck, I would express my worry about the fate of the beautiful blooms and emerging leaves of spring. My mother would always reassure me that erratic spring weather has been around forever, nature knew what to do. She was right, of course.
4. Bicycling and Blooms
Springtime in Knoxville is a particularly beautiful time of year. For 55 years or so, Knoxville has hosted a Dogwood Arts Festival during the month of April. The festival celebrates all things dogwood, flowers and the arts. Our little city looks forward to this celebration; everything is cleaned up and spit polished in anticipation.
Through the years, the number of roads that make up the dogwood trail network has continued to grow. Currently 13 Knoxville neighborhoods (including ours) are marked with pink paint in March and designated as official trails. This year trail mileage has reached 85.
One of the older and longer Dogwood trails meanders through the Sequoyah Hills neighborhood in mid-town. Sequoyah Hills is a historic and beautiful neighborhood with large homes, big lawns and expansive gardens. The neighborhood is also walker, runner and bicycle friendly. We decided to explore the trail by bicycle.
We had a lot of fun bicycling this Dogwood Trail and hope to cycle one more before the festival ends.
5. Dinner with this Little Bunny
Finally, last night we had dinner with this little bundle of cuteness and her parents. ‘Nuff said.
So that concludes our favorite events of this week. Now I am off to watch it snow and check the weather for the anticipated mid-afternoon sun. Afterall, we have some miles to get in!
On February 8th, we joined several of our friends to hike to the “unmapped” stone cabin in the Sugarlands area of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The roots of the two-room stone cabin are a bit of a mystery, but the most reliable story is that it was built in 1927 as a hunting and fishing lodge. The owner was given a lifetime lease in the early 1930’s when the park was established. According to park details, the owner abandoned the property in 1937 and the structure was left to decline.
The hike begins on the Old Sugarlands Trail (across the street from the Sugarlands Visitors Center) then drifts to the right, following the river. The trail to the stone cabin is unmarked and not on the Park Service map.
History is visible everywhere in the area including stone foundations, walls and the telltale signs of daffodils from an old community and of course the remnants of a CCC camp.
Due to heavy vegetation, the old stone cabin is not visible most of the year. It’s really not very visible in winter unless you are looking for it. On our first hike here some 15 years ago, John and I were wandering around and stumbled on it. What a surprise, we had only heard rumors of such cabin.
Bob and I were the only two who crossed the creek, a real feat for me. The rest of the group sat on the bank and watched us cross and climb. I am sure John was wondering if he would have to fish me out of the water.
While I noticed some structural deterioration since my last visit, the cabin is weathering the years remarkably well. The roof and floor are missing but those beautiful river stone walls are strong.
After exploring the cabin, Bob and I recrossed the creek and joined the others for lunch. As we sat and gazed at our surroundings, we noticed that the Great Smoky Mountains Fire of 2016 had raced through this area. Many tree trunks were blackened, soot littered the forest floor. The damage was very distinct and limited to a relatively narrow path. The fact that the fire path was so narrow in this area occupied a good portion of our lunch conversation.
Our final stop was the Sugarlands cemetery. Considered on of the largest cemeteries in the park, the graves date back to the mid 1800’s. So many young children that never reached their 1st birthday…
This was a great hike with good friends and lots to explore. So glad we got a chance to see the stone cabin again and as always with this group, we look forward to the next adventure.
I briefly mentioned in my last post that we are thinking about truck campers and camper vans. Actually, John has been thinking about campers for a long time, I am fairly new to the game. I have been waiting for him to sort through you tubes, reading blogs and researching articles, which he is still into…deep. But this process was excelarated in the last few weeks when he found a truck and camper for sale, online. Good opportunity; decisions have to be made, quickly. But the only truck campers I have ever stepped in were ones I would not want to own.
John found a company in NC that had both the truck camper and van that we are interested in on their lot. Perfect, we could compare them side by side. While the RV lot was located in Apex, NC, a 5+ hour drive, it was much closer for a quick look than going to New Hamphire where the “for sale” truck/camper are located. That’s the backstory, now here comes the trip.
Friday morning we packed the car, loaded the bikes (cause the VA Creeper and American Tobacco Rails to Trails were in our plan), dropped the dog at the sitter and headed out on our grand adventure. Fun times ahead!
We were maybe 30-40 minutes into the trip when the “check oil light” came on. Grrrrr! Stop #1-a gas station somewhere on I-40 for a quart of oil. Stop #2-10 minutes later because the hood latch popped, stop # 3- the hood latch popped again, stop # 4… you know where this is going. After the 4th stop, John believed he had fixed the latch, I was pretty adamant we go home and change cars. We turned around. A bit of driving indicated that the latch was not going to pop again so we turned back around. We had lost nearly an hour.
The drive to Apex was incredibly long and stressful. The issue was not just the car but more importantly the decision looming in front of us, the big $$ purchase, a truck and camper or Class B camper van. These types of campers are very different with one’s pros being the other’s cons. We can make a good case for either and did for many miles. Finally our destination, D & H RV and Marine was on our radar. We had been on the road over 6 hours.
Our search started on the Class B side. The camper vans are so shiny, sleek and trendy. The front seats are comfy, the height is reasonable, and John can even stand up in the shower. Lots of windows result in a bright, breezy interior. They are easier to drive than a truck, require low pre-trip prep (like loading the camper on the truck), but have lower ground clearance and storage is almost non-existent.
The truck camper… The unit on our radar is built in Canada and is a 4-season camper. It will require more pre-trip prep but oh, the storage space, both inside the camper and the truck (a 4-door model). This camper has a better kitchen, a dedicated bed, higher ground clearance but it is oh so very tall and intimidating. And I wonder, will our neighbors think Jed Clampett has moved into the neighborhood??!
We spent a couple of hours on the RV lot, back and forth between truck campers and vans. We were tired, confused and no closer to making a decision. Finally we decided to shut down the search for the day, find our hotel and a good restaurant for dinner. Unfortunately, the American Tobacco Bike Trail would have to wait.
Our hotel, the Comfort Inns and Suites in Apex rates a 2* by my standards. The hotel was certainly clean enough, the price very reasonable and they had no problem with our bikes in the room. But lots of street noise into the night and around 12:00 am, someone mistook our room for theirs and tried to get in. Then there was the mattress, OMG! Thin and very hard, every time one of us moved, the other woke up. Poor night’s sleep!!
The food and arts scene in historic, downtown Apex was wonderful and worth the visit. Apex appears to be a bedroom community of Raleigh-Durham, NC. From what we saw, the town has expensive houses, new and historic, well-manicured parks and green areas, good building codes, ethnically diverse and a busy downtown. Lots of choices of places to eat but John had previously selected Scratch Kitchen and Taproom so that is where we went.
Saturday arrived, it was cold and windy outside. Instead of bundling up and getting on our bikes, we decided our time would be best spent on the RV lot looking for answers to a few questions we had discussed over dinner. After all, we had driven six hours to do this. Another hour plus spent with the vehicles and talking to the D&H owner, and we were ready to move on to our next location, Abingdon, VA. Maybe we could bicycle there.
Our route took us through Mt. Airy (Mayberry), NC significant only because I once commuted from Knoxville to Mt. Airy for work. Though John and I were dating during this time, he had never visited the town, so we stopped. Felt too much like a Saturday in Gatlinburg, in this case, a Saturday morning with tourists looking for everything Andy of Mayberry. We grabbed a rather forgettable to-go-lunch and ate in the car. Sadly, much of that overpriced lunch was tossed
The last stop on this trip was Abingdon, VA. Again, we had hoped to get in a few hours bike ride but it was still cold, windy and we were pretty exhausted. Seems our bikes were there just for show! We had an early dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, 128 Pecan, and went back to the hotel. We shamelessly watched TV, looked at our phones (RV videos and websites, of course) and went to sleep early.
Monday morning has arrived and we are at home. Sadly we haven’t made a decision between the two campers but the hold time on the truck and camper is ticking down so a decision will be made soon!
“Five things”, is that even still a thing? Is blogging still a thing?! Certainly, it hasn’t been with me. So many things to do and so little time spent recording them, hikes hiked, trips taken, little successes, little moments, all so easy to forget. There is still time to salvage this year’s memories and keep alive my resolution to do so, but well, life goes on and the doing takes precedent over the recording.
So, here’s a bit of an update on this windy, Wednesday in late March, a quick recap of “five things” that we have been doing:
John has fully retired. He has been on “vacation” since the first of the year but as of the 31st, we have exhausted his vacation and have been cut free by the university. We are fully on our own which is both a bit scary and also quite exciting! Many conversations have been had about plans for the future. We are looking forward to implementing some of them.
2. SPRING IN EAST TENNESSEE HAS ARRIVED!
Sure, we are going through our usual round of spotty cold weather often named for whatever is blooming at the moment, redbud winter, dogwood winter and so forth but the late winter crocus and daffodils blooms have faded, the redbud blossoms are opening, the dogwoods are almost fully in bloom and tulips are showing their colorful heads. We are walking (and running) almost every day and recent walks have taken us though Ijams Nature Center where we have enjoyed the glory known as an East Tennessee spring. The photos below were taken just this week.
3. WE TOOK A QUICK TRIP TO HUNTSVILLE
Last weekend we took a quick trip to Huntsville, AL. The cover was to spend time with John’s mother, but the reality was to look at truck campers and Class B camper vans. These items are hard to come by in the days of Covid and one of the RV centers had a few we wanted to inspect. Sadly, none met our expectations, and we were not surprised by this. But we still have some possibilities in North Carolina and one “pending” our commitment in Vermont. This story line will continue! Meanwhile, I only took one picture while in Alabama and it involves Miss Katie unhappily sitting on the porch staring in the window while we ate breakfast.
4. GLORY BE THE BOY GRADUATED!
Say hello to the latest Dr. Dunlap, Lee Dunlap PhD. After 6 years of working his heart out at the University of California-Davis, Lee was awarded his doctorate in Chemistry on March 18. He graduates with numerous publications and several drug patents under his belt, both granted and pending. Sadly, for us he will remain in Davis as a post-doc in the same lab working with the same professor but employed by a drug development company out of Boston. We are so very proud!!!
5. WE TOOK A VACATION
With a little luck and time, I will write a post on our vacation to Florida in early March. We met up with four other couples in St. Mark’s for a few days of bicycling, kayaking and eating (although good food would elude us until the last day of the trip). We stayed in a fish camp that had not had much update since the 60’s but we did not spend much time in the room…except when it rained, hard!
With that, there is a little puppy girl in the other room trying to break into her new bag of food. Until next time…
We have tried for several weeks to kickstart 2022 hiking, but things kept getting in the way, mostly the bitter cold. On Tuesday, January 18th, we finally convinced ourselves that the cold would be tolerable and the terrain, not too icy. Only three in our hiking group were available so three it was.
Tom drove us from the Obed Visitors Center in Wartburg to the trailhead. Over and over, he noted that the downhill approach to the trail start could be icy and dangerous, and a backup plan may need to be activated. This trip was our first into the Obed and we did not have a backup plan, we were counting on NOT skidding off the road! Luckily Morgan County road crews had been hard at work and even the back, back road to the Lily Bluff area was drivable.
The snow was oh so beautiful and we were so pleased at how much had fallen compared to the small accumulation we received at home. The trailhead, located across from the parking area, started immediately uphill with about 50 plus steps. I was huffing and puffing. I could tell I had not hiked for a few weeks.
Aside from kayaking, the Obed is well known for climbing. After the 50+ steps (noted above), we arrived at one of many park rock formations where anchors had been set for climbing. This park, as well as several others on the Cumberland Plateau has the most incredible rock walls.
Tom has treated us to at least one waterfall on every hike he has led on the Cumberland Plateau. This hike was no exception with Melton Mill Branch cascade visible not too far from the trail. Unlike other waterfalls we have visited recently, getting close to these falls was not possible. Tom pointed out several rocky overlooks, but I chose not to walk out on the ice. I am a chicken that way.
The Bridge, about .5 miles from the trailhead, is an elaborate section of raised, wooden walkways ending at several spectacular overlooks.
We stopped at one of two overlooks connected by The Bridge trail. I asked a couple at the overlook if they wanted their picture taken with such a magnificent background, they reciprocated with a photo of us.
From the Bridge Trail to the Point trail, we had another bridge and creek to cross. Again, not too icy and a good place to pause and enjoy the surroundings.
As the temperature warmed, snow and icicles fell from overhead branches. The snow was wet and heavy, weighing down weaker trees. Tom spent most of the hike out front and was the “tree shaker” or “snow plow” if you will.
We stopped for lunch shortly before arriving at The Point. The lunch spot was chosen based on protection from falling snow and the incredible view. John and I crawled under this rock shelf while Tom selected an outcropping of rocks so he could meditate and enjoy the view.
The Point was really grassless dead-end that climbers use to stage their belay and climbs. If we hadn’t enjoyed the hike so much, the trail end would have been a little anti-climatic but it was just our turnaround point to trace our steps back to the car and see a few things we missed on the way out.
Several nights ago I spent a few hours lost in a blog I kept between 2004-2013. My goal was to find a poem I jotted down during the hustle-bustle of a Christmas season in a year whose date I could not remember. But it was the Christmas stories of years gone by that stole my attention and distracted me.
I scrolled through posts from the days leading up to Leslie’s wedding, to Christmases celebrated at my childhood home to Christmases with my mother in assisted living through Christmases at the nursing home, and finally Christmases without my mother. So much emotion. I realized how special the recording of pictures and words are to me.
A year later (after the above pictures) my sweet mother had moved into assisted living and my father into a retirement complex. The move signaled the beginning of some very beautiful and very difficult years. Photos help me remember and smile. My parents have both passed away now, Mother in 2011 and Daddy in 2016. But for the memories…
Which brings me to Christmas 2021, a Christmas which has come and gone too quickly. Many things were left undone, but it seems not to matter, so many memories were made. I took few people pictures this year and my family did not complain. I will miss the visual reminders in future years as the visuality transports me to the recesses of my memory. Instead of family pictures, I have recorded a few other thoughts and memories from Christmas 2021 to jog my mind in 2031.
Around Thanksgiving I purchased a small container of sourdough starter from King Arthur Flour. While I have never had much luck with starter, I had ambitious dreams of sourdough bread and other Christmas goodies dancing through my head. As it turns out the starter is a prolific producer. Unfortunately, I am more fascinated with the process of feed and discard and less interested in the act of baking. So, I continue to feed and discard and maybe 2022 will inspire baking.
Early December I stumbled across “Christmas Chronicles” by Nigel Slater. Nigel is a long time English food writer, journalist and broadcaster in the UK, someone with whom I was previously unfamiliar. It is not the recipes that caught my attention (I am not much of a cook) but the almost lyrical writing that takes readers through crisp winter days, brief histories of Christmas traditions and the smell and taste of hearty, winter fare bubbling on the stove. I completed the 450-page book before Christmas and purchased a copy to give Leslie for Christmas.
In “Christmas Chronicles”, Nigel wrote about his love for panettone. I think I tried it years ago and was not a fan. But the description of a slice of toasted panettone slathered in butter and served with coffee had me scrambling to an area market in search of one.
Christmas cards are a tradition I love and hate! The number of Christmas cards I receive each year has been steadily dwindling such that this year I seriously considered giving up the tradition. I love receiving cards, especially cards that are filled with thoughtful, personal messages. The surest way to receive no cards is to stop sending cards, so I sent cards. I was mostly rewarded for my effort.
I did not enclose my usual newsy letter and hope to get back to that favorite tradition next year. It’s a nice way to think back through the memorable moments of the year. Some folks dislike the ubiquitous Christmas letter but I am not among their ranks..
I am happy to report that Christmas flowers bloomed on cue this year…
One of the pleasures John and I experience each year when decorating the tree is unwrapping our ever expanding collection of Christmas decorations from travels near and far. We nostalgically talk about our favorite trips and possible trips to come.
Our Christmas tree came from a tree farm in Maggie Valley, NC. We usually drive “over the mountain” for tree hunting a day or so after Thanksgiving. The day is as much about the journey to Maggie Valley as selecting just the right tree for the corner of our living room. The years we travel in December, the tree is artificial.
Oh and this little Christmas face, my only “people picture for 2021, our sweet granddaughter.
I will close out Christmas 2021 with the Christmas poem I wrote and posted in an old blog on December 19, 2004, that which started my journey and this post about Christmases Past and Present:
‘Twas the week before Christmas…
‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through the house,
Lots of dust balls were stirring cause I gave them a rouse.
The holiday goodies have been prepared with great care,
In anticipation of Christmas and fond memories to share.
And I and my father took Saturday to shop
Oh, the treasures we purchased; it was so hard to stop.
For Carol, for Leslie, I have found some good stuff,
But for Mother and Daddy, I don’t have enough.
Now the temperature on Sunday is icy and cold,
With snow flurries flying, the winds are quite bold.
But inside my home I am cozy and warm,
As I write my last card, I will ride out the storm.
So hurry up Santa, I can hardly wait,
The best Christmas of all, I am sure this will rate.
And I close with a wish to my family and friends,
To those near and those far, my best wishes I send.
This poem is over and soon out of sight,
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
As I sit here typing, I am dragging through the third day of a virus, some type of stomach-intestinal thing causing very low energy. I have been mostly sleeping with a little reading but today I felt well enough to get up and move around a bit. I figure my illness is a result of something I touched versus something airborne but I will never know. I try to be conscious of my actions, taking precautions to keep my hands away from my face and hand sanitizing after public encounters. I have been vaxxed, boosted and wear a mask. Seems like John and I are some of a handful of people left in the city who still do such. This morning was my first real meal of mention, warm, comforting Cream of Wheat.
But this post is about a Tuesday hike, last Tuesday, December 14 when our little group got together for one last hike before we scattered to celebrate the holidays. This was Steve’s hike to choose, and he chose an old standby, Middle Prong Trail in the GSMNP. The trail is an old railbed, wide with a gradual climb, perfect for walking two or three abreast to share stories of Christmas coming and travels planned for the New Year. The trail follows the Middle Prong of the Little River Creek with an amazing number of cascades and small falls. If you know just the right turn off around mile 4, you can find Indian Flat Falls at the end of a short manway.
We passed several people on the way in and out. Of importance to most was this old car frame, about two miles into the hike. The car is described in our well-known, well-used brown book “Hiking Trails of the Smokies” as follows: “It is rusty and missing just about everything, but it must have been an elegant one. According to someone who worked at the Middle Prong Civilian Conservation Corps camp, this is an old Cadillac that belong to the supervisor. One day it quit running, and camp members just pushed it off the road and left it.” Who at that time, could have imagined the car would be a destination for hikers near and far.
I love the long shadows of winter when the trees are bare, and the sun sits just so in the sky. We were only 7 days from the winter solstice on this crisp, bright winter day. We hiked mostly in the shade and the air never lost its chill but that is part of the beauty of winter hiking.
I have hiked this trail a number of times over the years, most recently (maybe 15 years ago) with John where combined with several other trails we pieced together a backpack. Less recently and very dear to my heart was an out and back hike or two with my dad. But I confess I did not know about Indian Flat Falls. What a treat to find something so lovely along the same old trails. Once home, I scoured the “brown book” and found no mention of the falls in the most likely passages.
As I sat on a rock observering the falls and eating my lunch, I looked toward the second tier of falls and noticed Steve and Tom deep in conversation. I took this picture, my favorite of the day. Steve (left) and Tom (right) have been friends many years. I thought of the song “Old Friends” by Simon & Garfunkel. These two clearly share a bond of time and memories.
I also took a quick (zoomed) picture of the second set of falls. I imagine the view where Steve and Tom sat was spectacular, but I didn’t get too close. The rock behind Tom was covered in algae. Tom, who has more balance than any person I know, slipped and fell in the puddle. He fell on his pack so no damage done but I might not have been so lucky.
We hiked out the same way we hiked in, still engaged in conversation, probably about our upcoming group trip to St. Marks, Florida or the never-ending, never boring topic of van life. We were a little warmer on the way out but not much. I am okay with that; the winter hiking season is too short for me.
Tom, John and I may hike next week but others have family plans. I love this little Tuesday hiking group that has developed. We have hiked some new (to me) and interesting places this past fall. All of us have hiked together before-Alaska, Wyoming, Idaho and so forth but until this fall, we haven’t all been retired so weekday hiking was impossible. I look forward to a continuation of these Tuesday hikes in 2022.
Early this morning we took coffee out to the veranda to watch a glorious sunrise. Seems like sunrises this time of year are especially spectacular with their delicious pallet of pinks, reds and yellows. Watching sunrises (and sunsets) over the years has been a mainstay in our relationship. Whether waking deep in a southern forest or halfway across the world drinking coffee on a piazza, we take time to delight in a colorful sky.
The relaxing morning did not last too long. For days our weather forecasters have been predicting high wind and heavy rain for today and a check on the weather radar indicated that foul weather was indeed racing across the state. We hurried outside to take Miss Katie for her morning walk taking note of the gloomy, gray sky to the west.
A brisk 5.25 miles was squeezed in before heading home to take down bird feeders, a metal yard ornament, wind chimes and anything else that looked like it might serve as a missile in high wind. What we had not counted on was a branch that had been precariously hanging on the trunk of a tree decided, while we were gone, to break free. We count ourselves lucky that the branch broke before the high wind hit. Had the branch been pushed forward by a gust of wind, it would have pieced our dining room window.
We were inside no more than 5 minutes before the wind began to howl and rain started falling in sheets.
Hours later the wind is calm and the rain, a steady drizzle. Unfortunately Kentucky and other surrounding states did not fare as well. John has settled down to a movie and a bowl of popcorn while I am staring down a stack of partially written Christmas cards. All is safe and quiet at our home as we await the final weeks till Christmas.