Spring Hike

So yesterday Paul, Jennifer, Steve and Roger and I all went for a hike at the Walls of Jericho. It had been a rainy week and Jennifer thought we'd see some good water there - and man was she right!!! We also saw the very beginning of the spring wild flowers. Had a bit of a cold front so the hike out wasn't too bad either - just had to loose the hat and a few layers with the 1000 foot elevation gain.

These little beauties are Blue Bells. They were just on the other side of the first footbridge.

Steve on the trail... I think he's almost smiling here.

Some chrinoinds on a rock that had a geocache under it. Paul played with the super macro mode on his new little Olympus camera for this one.

Some interesting flowers we still can't identify that were by the campground near the second footbridge crossing the river.



Jennifer setting up to shoot some of the great little rapids on the river. The wild thing is this is the first time I've ever even seen water in the riverbed.

A bit of the river before the first splash pool with Paul starting to cross.




The first splash pool.



Up past the first splash pool - Paul and I by the water that exists a short cave - man was this beautiful!



Me with last waterfall with the sump - where the water eventually spills out of the cave below.

Paul shot this one of me and the water spill in between the last fall and the cave as we were carefully making our way back down. The water was just incredible!!

Tried to find it in the Audubon book - but no luck - so I guess this is one of the other unidentifiable wild flowers. At least being unidentified - takes nothing away from its beauty.

How Many Fords Does It Take To Cross a River?

"Forty-twwooooo!"
says a booming omnipotent voice.*

No really, it does take 42 fords to cross a river, Jack's River that is.

Two weekends ago Angela, Kristi, Paul and I met up with Andy in Georgia's Cohutta Wilderness to backpack the entire 16+ miles of Jack's River Trail. For a newbie (this was my first backpacking trip) I don't think I did half bad, not to mention the fact that I LOVED IT!! It really felt like the someone hit the "pause" button on the outside world - it was just us and the river and the trail. Sitting at my desk come Monday I was so relaxed and calm it didn't even seem I was truely back at work till Wednesday.

We began our hike late Friday and set up camp as night fell and were greeted with a cool overcast forest morning on Saturday.

Our first ford of the day.

Andy chillin' on our first break.

Some of the flora along the trail.

We took another short break at Jack's River Falls with just enough time to cool off in the water and watch several folks jump off into the water before is started sprinkling.

The rain didn't last very long at all - just long enough to pull out our pack covers.

Paul fording with his trusty hiking stick that he found.

Kristi fording away.

From Jack's River Falls on - we didn't pass a single hiker. We made really good time and had found a great campsite early in the afternoon.



The site had a great view of the river and a little beach with rocks where we could perch to filter water.

It was wonderful laying there on the rocks, listening to the little rushes and gurgles of the Jack's.

The evening was spent relaxing and talking by the campfire. Sunday morning it was back to more fording...

Kristi, Paul and Angela in the midst of the last ford.

I kept a tally of our fords the entire way. There were 42 Jack's River fords, but we also crossed 2 more infeeders to the Jacks and then after the last ford, Andy, Angela and I found a waterhole to jump in and cool off before we hiked the last couple miles or so. Angela and I both decided we need to swim across to the other side - bringing the total up to 45.

Paul and I.


Angela.

Andy, Kristi in TN, Angela in TN and GA and Paul and I in GA in after our Jack's River trip. I for one had an absolute blast!!

*42 - the answer to Life, the Universe and Everything, that is according to Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy anyway.

Ultra Light

Paul and I are beginning to entertain possible places to go on our backpacking honeymoon. I've been reading up on backpacking and gear of late. A friend passed me this great link for edible hiking/backpacking/camping gear. I'm beginning to wonder why Paul and I registered at REI when we could have gotten all out backpacking gear at Eastern Active Technologies. I would have gone for a blueberry SnackPack™ instead of an Osprey Aura 65, but now that I have one I guess I'll just happily use my non-edible pack.

Take a Hike!

This past Sunday Paul and I took a break from all the wedding-planning errands and printing to take a hike on Green Mountain with our friend Geoffrey.

Geoffrey and Paul really enjoyed the nice bluff on the east side....

I preferred the view on the west.


With all good hikes there was of course stick-fencing.


There was also some really pretty moss while we were tracking down a mutli-stage cache.


And some early spring flowers too.


As a reward for watching Paul set type and me print (yawn) - I set up some quick stationary printing some flower artwork I had made for Paul and I's wedding invitation. (So the flower artwork is a bit of a sneak peek) Geoff set his Mom's name in type, and I printed matching envelopes. We'll see if his Mom was impressed with his letterpress skills when he gets back after Easter.

Sondra's Birthday Cave

I have to laugh at our reminder note because if we had lost it and someone else had found it I'm sure they would have thought something kinky was going down in room 155.

Dave has been systematically combing karst areas in Huntsville for features and possible new caves every time comes into town from Atlanta to research at the NSS Office. Last weekend Dave invited Paul and I out for a little jaunt on Huntsville Mtn. He had found a few karst features while he was by himself that he thought were worth investigating later. So this time he brought some back up - Paul and I!

Paul pulling out some gear.

Dave gave me the honor of descending one particular karsty feature first - and as it turns out - its looking like it will just qualify. Dave read instruments & pulled tape, Paul helped with tape and I sketched the new little cave.

Dave in the entrance.

Me, sketching away....

Dave pulling tape.

Then we had to think of a name. Dropped Pencil Cave was a possibility - because I dropped a pencil and then Scorpion Cave was another because while I was sitting propped up on a ledge, a scorpion came out and decided to tell me I was disturbing him. I apologized and quickly got out of his way. I didn't even know there were scorpions in Alabama!!! (They are smaller and less poisonous - but just as spooky looking as their western cousins) And then I thought gee, I wonder if my Mom would like a cave named after her - since we found it on her November 11th birthday? So we landed on "Sondra's Birthday Cave" will be coming to an ACS near you!

Some pretty fall leaves during our ridgewalk.

A fantastic old cedar patiently rearranging rocks.

5 Questions

Got these questions from WmWms. If anyone would like for me to make up a batch of 5 to answer just let me know and I'll think of some you can answer and post for your blog.

1. Have you ever gotten over a phobia?
If so, what was it?

Can't say that I've actually gotten completely over a phobia. I have three. But I can say I've challenged one of those with gritted teeth - Forced myself into testing the bounds enough that I've come to terms with the fact that I can do it - I just really really don't like doing it. I am not a huge fan of wide canyons in caves (or large rocks falling on me - but that's another story all together). The tighter the better for me. Wide ones are nice to look at, but not so nice to travel up, down and through. Here are two examples of Fern being my wide canyon testing ground:

Example 1 (The Rumbling Panic): On the way to the Lower North by way of Coney's Chasm (100+ feet) there a section where you have to span a wide crumbling canyon (some feel the need to tell me there are punji sticks at the bottom). And eventually you go over the pit and then back track down to it. Brave folks can just stand over the canyon. I am not so brave. So I sit on one side and push off on the other side with my feet, scooting sideways, knocking stuff off as I go. The pebbles and mud slip off the crumbly sloping edge and down into the yawning canyon. You can hear them bounce back and forth on and of ledges and the walls all the way to the bottom. So even though you're not looking directly into the canyon you have the gentle reminder of how deep it is from the echo the mud and pebbles hitting the ground. That said I try not to knock off anything. I really don't need that gentle reminder when I have someone telling me about punji sticks. I just have to scoot slow and apologize profusely to the folks waiting behind me. I don't like it, BUT I CAN do it.

Example 2 (The Full Throttle Panic) : Getting a lot of places in Fern requires you to use the Gold Level canyon and it scares the crap out of me. I tell myself there's only one way through every time I take that step off the comfortable, solid floor onto the first skinny little ledge. I've discovered the trick is not to think about it. If I second guess my footing enough to pause and take note of my surroundings, a little part of my brain screams at me "What the *bleeep* do you think you're doing hanging out in a canyon where you can see 20, 30, 40, 60 feet below you?! Are you flippin' nuts?!" To which I take a really deep breath, swallow that lovely little knot of fear that's suddenly crept up in my throat, remind myself that I've done this before, and quickly pull off my muddy glove and shove it in the mouth of the little voice replying "Yes, darn it, I am nuts! Now stuff it before you break both our legs!" So lets just say I have my fear of wide canyons under control.

2. Are there any laws you obey only because you fear the potential penalties of noncompliance?

Um, we I guess all of them. Getting thrown in jail is a bit of a bummer. Can't say that I haven't gone through a red light at 3 am on a weeknight because it was taking forever to turn and I hadn't seen a living soul for 45 minutes - but that was only after carefully observing all points on ingress and egress for several minutes.


3. What foods do you like now that you disliked
as a child?

I didn't really care for broccoli and cauliflower when I was a kid. Now I really love steamed broccoli and cauliflower. As long as it keeps its color, and stays a bit firm. Add a little sea salt and (better yet) cheese and I can eat a plate full. Aww great. Now I'm craving a huge plate of broccoli. I know what I'm going to go get for lunch today.

4. Are there any fads you wish would return?

Swing Dancing, Good Musicals at Drive in Movie Theaters, Saddle Oxfords (I've been trying to track down a girls pair for several years now.)


5. Is there somewhere you'd rather live? If so, what keeps you where you are?

I don't think there's a place I'd rather live right now. Although I didn't exactly picture myself ending up in Alabama that's for sure. I miss Florida a lot. I miss my folks, and I miss all my friends back home very much. I miss the ocean. I miss Spanish moss hanging from the oak trees. I miss orange groves and sweet strawberry fields. I miss good flea markets. I miss everything staying green all year round. Florida is in me. And I know one day (sooner or later) I'll be back there again. But for now, there are no regrets. I like Huntsville. Paul keeps me here - very happily I might add. Caves keep me here. The people that I now call friends keep me here. Mountain hikes keep me here. My sense of adventure keeps me here.

There are places I dream of living one day: Somewhere in the UK for at least two years, so I can see all of Europe and mingle in and amongst some real history. Then maybe Sicily to find part of my roots. I'd like to live in a big city in the US for couple of years - a place where you have to use the subway - and feel the hustle and bustle and speed and craziness of life - someplace where the city never sleeps. And then someplace remote for a couple years, someplace slow and calm - a S. American rain forrest comes to mind - or South Africa perhaps - or in the bush of Australia - someplace where paved roads aren't, someplace where you can see the Milky Way, someplace where I can help others and where just living is the fashion trend.

A Weekend Above Ground (with gratuitous tree hugging)

Spent the weekend above ground. Missed the mud - but the weather rewarded me with brilliant blue sky days and nights that begged to have the windows left wide open.

Saturday was filled with a hike, yet more strawberry picking which has/is yielding a plethora of strawberry recipe cooking, and a trip to a local nursery for some more vegetables.

This cedar tree was really cool. It had decided at a very young age to go into the rock moving business.

(a bit of gratuitous tree-hugging)

The strawberry plethora

Ventured out on Sunday to the Tennessee Renaissance Festival. I was the only fool in the group that arrived in garb - but it was cool - I got back at everyone by tickling them with the feather in my cap, poking everyone with the fletching on my arrows and jabbing them with my long bow. I didn't actually do any of these on purpose - really - I just had various items that seemed to lash out everywhere if I didn't keep them in check. Paul had to be my weapon bearer so I could control my arrows and be sure they didn't poke any one's eyes out in the crowds.

The "garbed fool"

The future people - Paul, Phillis, Tommy and Michelle

(some more gratuitous tree hugging)


Took a tour of the festival owner's real house - a castle that's been under construction for about 20 years so far. On memorial day weekend they are planning on lifting this timber framed copper rooftop with the largest crane in the world to the top of their other tower. The owner of the castle said to watch for it on the local news and then said with a laugh he hopes it doesn't show up on the national news, because something will have gone wrong).

The copper was blinding and I can't imagine how much this whole thing weighs!

The back view of the castle and the tower they are planning on capping this coming weekend


A joust with lance is way up there on my list of cool things to watch. Charging horses, sticks, and full armor - what could be better than that? And perhaps one of the only real things left of the old world that isn't "play acted." (other than the falconer exhibition which is way cool too!) They add extra neck and chest protection to their armor and the scoring is real with certain points for broken tips, shatterings and unhorsing. You pretty much can't fake a lance breaking from contact and you can't fake a horse at a gallop either. The Gath of Baal National Combat Jousting event is held at the TN ren-fest every year on Memorial day weekend with full contact jousting in three divisions for a real cash purse. And going back next Monday for the finals is pretty darn tempting.




Next time though I know I will not be the only one in garb. Paul finally "caved in" and bought an outfit. When we got home he did a fashion show for me so I could see the hat, shirt and pants all together. And its brilliant on him! I told him I'd have to make a nice cranberry colored sash for him to complete the outfit.