The Great Smokies!

On March 17th, 2012, myself, my brother, my cousin, and my neighbor and friend went on a journey to Great Smoky Mountains National Park.  The trip that I had wanted to make during summer the year before had finally come together.

Before the trip to the Smokies started, Bryan and I had slept a meager 2 hours (Robby, who was with us, got much more sleep), waking up at 6:45.  I assume part of the reason was our excitement for the trip and the ease with which we are lulled into insomnia by video games and computers.

We packed all of our last minute things and left Bryan's condo, including some stuff Thomas had left when he was visiting.  We drove to Thomas's house and picked him up.

It was interesting.  The trip had been preceded by a lot of strange conflict and conundrums.  First, my parents had insisted that I not be allowed to go unless I purchase a satellite phone (ended up buying a SPOT GPS device, which lets you alert family that you're alright, and has an emergency button), and bear spray (we got pepper spray for humans, but whatever).  There were also debates about how much we should pack, whether we should bring plastic bottles or nalgenes, etc.

Well, we alternated driving the car (though I ever ended up driving) until we made it to the Smokies.  When we entered the park, there was an absolute feeling of euphoria.  I was blown away by the beauty of it all - the scent of fresh air, the feeling of river mist upon my skin, the towering trees up above...  We drove along a rushing river, and music was playing as we all laughed gleefully.  As the joyous wind flowed against my face, I could instantaneously feel the weight of months of stress, addiction, feeling lost, just whisked away.

We drove through Cade's Cove, taking pictures of the beautiful scenery along the way.  Finally, we got to the visitor center and got our permit.  We walked a bit across a field and along a road until we got to the trailhead.

In the map below, you can see the visitor center's position relative to the trailhead.  We made our way along the Abrams Falls trail.  It was beautiful scenery, and there were these awesome bridges along the trail made of a flattened log with railing on one side.

We got to Abrams falls and enjoyed the view.  It was extremely relaxing to just lie on the rocks in the sunlight.  There were some small blue-gray butterflies that kept landing on us as well.

We continued on, attempting to get to Campsite 16.  But on the map, where Abrams Falls Tr. intersects with Little Bottoms Tr., we came upon a creek crossing that was too strong and fast to cross safely.  

A Humid Hocking Hills (& a canoe trip)

It's about time I started posting again. It's been 3/4s of a year, but on July 22nd of 2011, I went camping with my brother Bryan in Hocking Hills.

It is, of course, a common place for us to visit due to its convenience. But it's far from the most rugged and wild experience.

How this trip would go was perhaps foreshadowed by the fact that my plans to backpack in the Great Smokies were shut down. We even were planning on going to Mohican (since he hadn't been there in the summer), but those sites were full.

So at 6:30pm, we got a walk-in primitive site, H-13, at Hocking Hills. We got the tent set up quickly, and got everything inside, when it instantly started raining. We lied around listening to the rain, which was welcome as it cooled things down.

This summer and spring has been hot and humid, partly due to La Nina, and (I suspect), somewhat due to climate change (at least the intensity of the heat, not the heat per se).

At night, it rained some more for a little bit. The cool air was welcome. I saw lots of stars through the tree canopies.

The night was pretty awful though; my sinuses were completely stuffed up. I kept getting temporary relief by blowing my nose and popping my ears. Somehow, I eventually fell asleep, and woke up the next day with a clear nose.

Well, the next morning we went on a much needed jog up and down the campsite path. Did about 2 miles. After that, we drove to the visitor's center to cool off, and then hiked at Old Man's Cave. Waded through the water a bit.

Then we drove to Rock House and explored that. We napped in the parking lot for a bit, and I kept having dreams about us not hiking I think. Then we went to the Rock House and I had Bryan go down the ol' Rock Slide with me.

Then we drove around and looked at some random little gift shops and food areas. There were a lot of random kitschy baubles. Then we drove to a place called Lake Logan. It was an artificial lake created by a dam. And it had a fake beach.

It was pretty windy and cool, and we could see a storm brewing in the distance. Nice weather, and it was admittedly quite relaxing to sit around there. But it all felt so out of place.

After that, we returned to the campsite. At one point during the evening (8:22 according to my written journal), there was a bit of serenity. Droplets coaxed by the wind fell from the canopy above onto our tent. Fog was rolling like silence through the forest floor. It was beautiful. Both the humidity and the hectic pace of consumer America were quashed by the cool dampness that seemed to be emitting from the trees. Even the frantic flies had settled. There was just a bird or two. Sitting. Singing softly. Serenity.

That night was a bit better in terms of my sinuses, though I did have a headache, which I relieved by putting a heavy object on my forehead.

The next morning was deceivingly cool. We had foregone dinner the previous evening, so we both had 2 hot dogs.

We packed some things up and headed over to Conkle's Hollow and Ash Cave. They were, of course, beautiful.

We decided not to stay another night. Around 4pm, we went to a local Italian diner to eat. It was quite tasty.

Here is what I wrote on my journal about this experience:

"It was very humid the whole trip, and I wonder if I could have backpacked in this weather. I believe a problem with this trip was that we always were in a car to drive somewhere, so we A) never adjusted to the heat and B) Always had our mind on the future, the A/C, rather than the present.

I also wonder if my thoughts of Allison kept me distracted from the present.*

Another issue is that Hocking Hills is such a sight-seeing park. In Ash Cave, as I stared at the beautiful waterfall, the layers of jade-green leaves and their dark trunks, and the looming, somehow iridescent cave, I felt that desire for "more," to "take it in." It felt like the same urge you get when you try to fulfill true needs with reified material things.

I realized this is the same sort of nature objectification that millions take part in each year around the country.

To fully revel in nature, you must BE it. I wanted to climb the rocks & trees, swim in the water, and go barefoot.

How else can you truly experience nature? This is why a backpacking trip with close friends in true wilderness is necessary and desirable. Real, Genuine human beings & nature are the key to life. Otherwise, there is no fulfillment. There is no actualization & fulfillment. There is no wonder, there is no transcendence."

That is all I have to say about Hocking Hills.

But as a side-note, 2 weeks prior to this trip I went on a day trip canoeing with 5 friends on the Little Miami River in Ohio. It was a good time. We swam around sometimes in the river and explored the land. Other highlights include a jumping platform someone had made from barrels (it brought me back to Phelps Lake), and a rope swing tied to a tree. I went off of it twice, and on my second time, went high and far. It was exhilarating.

*A girl that I had a crush on. After this trip, I visited her in Seattle and we are now dating. hoorah!