You Can't Sit Down

Feb. 25, 2014 on the Yellow Trail at Sweetwater Creek State Park

"Pilgrims are persons in motion--passing through territories not their own--seeking something we might call completion, or perhaps the word clarity will do as well, a goal to which only the spirit's compass points the way." ~ Richard R. Neibuhr





Our compass pointed toward Sweetwater Creek State Park, a conservation park which opened in 1976 (the year our first son was born). It encompasses 2,549 acres of land west of Atlanta, Georgia and it is the most visited day-use park in the Georgia State Parks System. We love this place and usually go on a weekday when it seems we have the park to ourselves. The park offers a diverse range of plant habitats, from river bottomlands and marsh to hardwood, pine and mixed upland forests to open meadows. Wildflowers are generally abundant from late winter/early spring until fall.

We started on the Red Trail at the Interpretive Center and headed upstream to the bridge on the Yellow Trail and crossed Sweetwater Creek (looks more like a river to me than a creek).  We took the more rigorous ascent to the ridge and warmed up quickly. We passed by a mother and daughter and greeted them. The mother said she would enjoy the trail more if she could breathe a little easier ... I was taking some deep breaths in and out and assured her she could make the climb. We were walking in a beautiful hardwood forest. As the trail descended through the ravine, we passed by a large rock overhang and I tried to take our picture with it in the background but only managed a small corner in upper left. Archaeologists estimate that Native Americans used this as a shelter for several thousand years. It began to rain and we put on our ponchos (a first test to see if we'll take them to Spain). It was fast and easy to put them on over our packs and we didn't overheat wearing them.The trail leaves the ravine and levels out and we walked through some dense stands of Mountain Laurel which are beautiful when they bloom in the Spring. This is the area where the bricks for the New Manchester mill were made in the late 1840's. The extraction pits are visible from the trail in the winter. 

Mill ruins - pic taken in April of 2011

Having finished the 3 mile loop, we crossed back over the bridge to the Red Trail, walked along the creek. The rain had stopped and we removed our ponchos. We passed by the five-story mill ruins and the rapids (up to a class IV at "The Falls") where we saw a father and two older children. A short time later, a guy out for a trail run passed by (so we saw 6 people total on the trail). We've had quite a bit of rain and we both noticed that the sound of the water seemed much louder than we had remembered on past hikes.  

The White Trail intersects with the Red Trail at the overlook of the mill ruins. It is a 5.2 mile loop which passes through some of the most remote areas of the park. It was designed to highlight the park's wildlife and plant communities. The trail winds through several lovely stream coves and follows the ridges overlooking Sweetwater Creek. The trail turns west and follow's Jack's Branch upstream to Jack's Lake. Around the 8 mile mark my feet were asking for a little rest so we sat on a bench overlooking Jack's Lake, drank some water and enjoyed a little trail mix and soaked in the quiet for about 15 minutes.  Then we continued the climb out of the lake valley. The trail passes through the Jack's Hill area, a former farming community now known for its open meadows which are a favorite of bird watchers. I guess the former farmers of this area planted daffodils and we passed by and enjoyed several areas graced with their beautiful sunny yellow heads lifted high.

I was pleased with the way the Newton Boco AT trail runners handled the slippery rocks and the varying terrain. I really like the cushioning in the forefoot and I hope it will support my foot and keep the plantar fasciitis at bay. They only come in this hot pink color!!!  I've put about two hundred miles on them but it was my first time to wear them hiking with my pack.  I think these will be the shoes I take to Spain (well, a new pair, which will hopefully take me the entire 500 miles). 

We finished the day at Sweetwater Creek by enjoying our packed lunch seated at a picnic table.

Still practicing with iMovie and making little videos.  So here's our 9 mile day in 2 minutes:



The longer we walked, the more I thought of this song. Walking with Stoney is a lot like this song. On our daily walks when I take my "shuffle" with me, I always pick up my pace when this song comes on.

We were pilgrims in motion today passing by territories not of our own.

"There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure." ~ Colin Powell

 

Counting the Days ...

“The object to pilgrimage is not rest and recreation – to get away from it all. To set out on a pilgrimage is to throw down a challenge to everyday life…there is a stony road to climb on foot – a rough, wild path in a landscape where everything is new. The naked glitter of the sacred mountain stirs the imagination.” ~ The Art of Pilgrimage – The Seeker’s Guide to Making Travel Sacred by Phil Cousineau 



Stoney has begun a countdown … he usually mentions it when we are on our daily walk. My heart skips a beat and my stomach does a little flip/flop because I’m taken back to one year ago when I began my journey on the Appalachian Trail. Ahead of that journey, I’d done a lot of reading from books, journals and blogs about individual adventures on the AT. No one wrote about pre-hike anxiety and I was surprised when it jumped on me ! 

On February 12, 2013, two days before Stoney would take me to the trail, I was very unsettled. My pack seemed so huge and heavy. I had packed, unpacked, rearranged inside the pack too many times to count. I couldn’t determine what I could leave behind to make my pack smaller. It was winter and I was carrying a heavier sleeping mattress (insulated), microspikes, more layers, etc. So Stoney offered to drive me (about 2 hrs.) to Mountain Crossings at Neels Gap for a pack shakedown where an employee who had completed a thru-hike would take a look at everything and weed out the unnecessary. It was humbling to take it all out of my pack and spread it on the floor (undies and all) in a corner of the store. The young man was just a few years out of high school. He said I would need everything I had packed with the exception of my Kindle (which I knew was a luxury). In one respect I was relieved but I was still nervous; I was heading out to the woods alone and could I really do this. 

Was I experiencing performance anxiety -- thoughts of doubt, failure or a lack of confidence due to a perceived lack of ability? I think the self talk in my mind was getting the best of me. I had no appetite on the morning of my start but forced myself to eat a little. And the other times I returned to the trail after injuries, it was the same for my jittery stomach. The good news was that after walking for an hour, the nervousness went away. Thank you, endorphins. 

Since we will walk the Camino together and my pack weight should be cut in half (unless I go crazy and decide to take my bigger camera and other luxuries), I’m hoping there won’t be as much anxiety in the days ahead of our adventure. But then again, we are flying on Delta buddy passes (thank you, Beth), we’ve never hiked together day in and day out for 5 weeks let alone in a foreign country, or slept in a different place each night for 40 days. My husband won’t have his room to retreat to, news to watch, no normal routine. But, hey, we are setting out on a pilgrimage and throwing down a challenge to every day life.

 I’m testing uploading video with my phone. I like to take pictures of little things and the ice and snow storm gave me an opportunity to capture a dogwood bud, cherry tree buds, camellia bud covered in ice first and then snow. You can turn your speakers off if you don't like the music.