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| Southern Appalachian Mountains |
Solo hiking in the fall! Driving up Hwy. 130 from SC into NC just as you cross the state line there is a parking area to your right, the Foothills Trail crosses the road at this point and you can go left to Oconee State Park or right to Table Rock State Park. Left will take you up Round Mountain and right will take you down to the Whitewater River. I'm feeling the need for a mountain top experience! Put my hiking boots on and snug them up comfortable, have a fleece and hat in my day pack, water and snacks, the basic survival gear, and my trekking poles.
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| Sign at Hwy. 130 |
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Trail head |
The weather is about as good as it gets as you can see in the Trail head picture. I hiked this section many years ago and remember it being very steep and full of downed trees. We will see what the trail has to offer us today. Amazing! a very pleasant, easy, relaxing, enjoyable hike! No downed trees to crawl under or climb over, no tree limbs reaching out to grab your day pack or to poke your eye out. The trail was back and forth with nice gentle switch backs and views of the mountains and Lake Jocassee, I could see the water in the Bad Creek Project. A simple wind would blow from time to time and refresh my creaky joints and tottering body. A few benches were built along side the trail and I availed myself of one and sat and rested and ate a bar of granola and drank some water from my faithful Nalgene bottle. My real self revealed himself as I thought of how good God has been to me and my family. I sat and revealed in the beauty of the mountains and the lake exposed before me, the only natural thing for me to do was to stand and sing "How Great Thou Art"
O Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the worlds Thy hands have made,
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power through the universe displayed,
When through the woods and forest glades I wander
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
When I look down from lofty mountain grandeur
And hear the brook and feel the gentle breeze;
And when I think that God, His Son not sparing,
Sent Him to die, I scarce take it in;
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin;
When Christ shall come with-shout of acclamation
And take me home, what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Savior God to Thee;
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
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| Lake Jocassee |
You can see the breeze ripples on the water and the blue haze shrouding the mountain range. Awesome! God created for us - A beautiful earth! When I finished singing, I heard no applause or laughter, no one said,"Praise God" or "Are you all right?" so I reckon no one was around to hear me. In a few minutes the birds and squirrels started moving around and the universe began to relax and the earth slowly turned on her axises. I continued hiking up the mountain and turned right on the spur trail headed to and ending at NC Hwy 281. Go a little ways on this trail and turn left off this trail and it will take you to the top of Round Mountain. The spur trail has water! Good to know on top of a mountain.
I try to always return home so I headed back down the trail and it was as nice hiking down the trail as it was hiking up. The car was waiting where I had told her to stay, I removed my hiking shoes and put on my crocs, got in the car and drove home.
In the woods or on the water,
Turtle
