Yesterday, we and some friends went hiking at Cloudland Canyon. If you remember, my last encounter with CC included me stepping on a rattlesnake. This time, no rattlesnake! Of course, I missed a lot of the scenery because my eyes were glued to the trail.
However, no visit to the wilderness would be complete without a negative experience with some wildlife. This time we stumbled into a swarm of yellow jackets. My friend was going to everyone’s picture and the moment she said, “Smile!”, the screaming started. We scattered, but the stinging continued. I wonder how the picture turned out…
On the hikes we’ve been on in the past, we’ve hiked around the rim of the gorge. This time we decided to hike into the gorge and see the waterfalls and pools. Did you notice the words “down” and “gorge”? Good, remember that. The views were stunning. Tumbling waterfalls, river-smoothed boulders, inky pools, and forest floors of millipedes, centipedes, etc. (Yes, I really do like bugs.)
Time flew. And we turned to hike back, which was great until…you remember “down” and “gorge”—now we faced “up” and “gorge.” Staircase after staircase after staircase anchored to the undulating face of the gorge. The height didn’t bother me—it was the stairs! My friend called them the “Escher stairs.” (You remember the Escher drawing called Relativity of the steps that never end—they traveled forever.) Add to that low blood sugar and empty water bottles. Yep, misery. But we made it, although my calves are exacting a nasty revenge.
However, no visit to the wilderness would be complete without a negative experience with some wildlife. This time we stumbled into a swarm of yellow jackets. My friend was going to everyone’s picture and the moment she said, “Smile!”, the screaming started. We scattered, but the stinging continued. I wonder how the picture turned out…
On the hikes we’ve been on in the past, we’ve hiked around the rim of the gorge. This time we decided to hike into the gorge and see the waterfalls and pools. Did you notice the words “down” and “gorge”? Good, remember that. The views were stunning. Tumbling waterfalls, river-smoothed boulders, inky pools, and forest floors of millipedes, centipedes, etc. (Yes, I really do like bugs.)
Time flew. And we turned to hike back, which was great until…you remember “down” and “gorge”—now we faced “up” and “gorge.” Staircase after staircase after staircase anchored to the undulating face of the gorge. The height didn’t bother me—it was the stairs! My friend called them the “Escher stairs.” (You remember the Escher drawing called Relativity of the steps that never end—they traveled forever.) Add to that low blood sugar and empty water bottles. Yep, misery. But we made it, although my calves are exacting a nasty revenge.
Hmph. This entire post was about me, but my name wasn't even used once.
ReplyDeleteI still think it needs an elevator installed instead of all those nasty stairs leading up the mountain. Heh heh.
ReplyDeleteWimps! You just need to work out more!
ReplyDelete