On the Road Again

My friend Jon and I just finished hiking the Appalachian Trail.  This monumental footpath is 2,178 miles long and stretches through 14 states from Springer Mountain, Georgia to Mount Katahdin, Maine.  People who hike the whole thing in one sitting are called “through hikers” and generally accomplish the feat in about 5 months, averaging 20-30 miles a day.

Jon and I took three days to hike our 20 mile section.

We hiked from Springer Mountain to Woody Gap, enjoying each other’s company and the outdoors.  It was mostly very relaxing, except for the climb straight up a few mountains.  The weather, which was supposed to be cold and rainy, was only cool and foggy, so we were very thankful for that.

The second night we stayed in a shelter with a through hiker with his last day of the trail before him.  We talked with “Big Bear” (you’re supposed to make up a silly trail name when you through-hike) about his experience and his reflections.  We wanted to pray with him but he went to bed before we could ask.  I hope he found what he was looking for.

I owe many thanks to my friend Jesse for shuttling us at o-dark-thirty and lending us a map and guidebook, and to Matt and Lauren (and Harper of course) for lending their gear and volunteering to risk the rain to bring us suds and firewood!  What a great evening.

I don’t have anything terribly profound, but here are a few Hiking Lessons Also Applicable to Life:

• Know what you need to pack and shed what weight you don’t.
• Don’t tell yourself you’re nearly to the top unless you’re sure- disappointment makes the climb unnecessarily difficult.
• A map doesn’t run out of batteries.
• The wonder of God’s creation and providence is everywhere.
• It’s easier when you walk with friends.
• Learn the balance between watching your footing and enjoying the view.

Mount Yonah

Sorry for the silence.  I was having so much fun with my family while they were up here I forgot to blog.

On Friday I went hiking with my brother, uncle and cousin.  We decided to climb Mount Yonah in Cleveland, an impressive-looking mountain (for here, anyway) that rises 3,186 feet above sea level.

There are three stages, more or less, to the trail.  The first is a winding trail with a shallow grade through the lower forests that passes by a lot of huge boulders.  This culminates in an overlook with an impressive view, and the first rock face for climbing or rappelling.

The next stage is much steeper, but shorter, than the first, going over lots of smallish rocks perfect to roll your ankle on.  No big views, but the hiking gets easier when you turn right onto the road (they use this to bus Army Rangers up to the cliff face).  The road leads in to a campsite with restrooms of a sort and nice places to build a fire.  The campsite is open year-round except when the Rangers are up there to train (call 706-864-3327 to find out when they’ll be there).

Continue up the road to reach the summit and the third stage of the trail.  At one point you’ll see a trail that leads off of the road: you definitely want to take it!  All the best views out over the valley are located off of this trail–you can see some of them in the photos below.  Although the temperature was about 55* down at the parking lot, there was ice up here near the top– the main cliff face features ice climbing in the winter–and the winds were astonishingly strong.

A little farther on we reached the summit, which was a whole different animal from the rest of the mountain.  The winds abated to a light breeze, the sun felt balmy overhead and the top was a grass-covered bald surrounded by trees, with a fire circle and great camping spots.  It was a peaceful rest after a strenuous climb.  We saw two, four and then an improbable dozen eagles soared out over the side of the mountain, diving occasionally as they hunted.  We had lunch, rested, looked fruitlessly for my poor cousin’s cell phone which he’d dropped, and headed back down, taking the road this time.

In total, we took about two hours to get to the top, counting breaks, and a bit less than an hour to get back down.  There were points when we looked all the way up toward the summit and considered turning back, but it was well worth it when we reached those views!

Looking back at the road so far

The journey’s left its share of scars

Mostly from leaving the narrow and straight

Looking back You know You had to bring me through

All that I was so afraid of

Though I questioned the sky, now I see why

Had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view

Looking back I see the lead of love

-Caedmon’s Call, Lead of Love

Something you should know about Lead Of Love LyricsTitle: Caedmon’s Call – Lead Of Love lyricsArtist: Caedmon’s Call LyricsVisitors: 4008 visitors have hited Lead Of Love Lyrics since May 27, 2008. // <![CDATA[ tf_sid = "PMMBs0001"; tf_artist = "Caedmon's Call"; tf_song = "Lead Of Love"; document.write(''); // ]]> Listen to Lead Of Love Caedmon’s Call music, lyrics and more! Listen to it with the free music toolbar. free-music-online.com Lead Of Love Lyrics All Caedmon’s Call Lyrics from largest lyric site on the net! best-song-lyrics.com Ads By Monetized // Send “Lead Of Love” Ringtone to Mobile Looking back at the road so far The journey’s left its share of scars Mostly from leaving the narrow and straight Looking back it is clear to me That a man is more than the sum of his deeds And how You’ve made good of this mess I’ve made Is a profound mystery Looking back You know You had to bring me through All that I was so afraid of Though I questioned the sky, now I see why Had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view Looking back I see the lead of love