Finally it was a
couple of days of what I had been looking for. The night air still had a chill
but, the days were great for hiking. When the sun would dip behind a cloud and
the breeze would kick up you had to make the decision of stopping for a light
jacket, or pushing on until the sun would give you some rays.
With my schedule of
late rising and early stops I had managed to get behind the early crowd of
hikers. I was able to get a couple of days of that wilderness experience I
wanted. I was able to stop and camp away from the shelters, where the forest
was my own. I was able to enjoy the sounds at night, and the wake up call of
the early morning birds. I had managed to somewhat get my trail legs and was
ready for whatever the trail would bring.
It was so nice to
look at the upcoming hills and not worry if I would make it to the top. I knew
I would make it, even if I did take longer than some of the “professional”
hikers. I did notice however that the forest was a little quieter than I had
imagined. It was still early in the year and the sounds of crickets and tree
frogs were absent. It left the night sounding still. Every little creature
stirring in the leaves sounded large when trying to sleep. My first night
camping alone, I was excited and a little scared. If something were to happen I
would have no way to take care of it. It was just a personal fear I had to
overcome though. I made it safely through that first night, and had a great
outdoor experience all the way to Hiawassee.
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| Natural Spring with great tasting water. |
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