Foggy Mountain

          Seven o'clock in the PM and the sun is shining, I've just finished my supper and am driving toward the foothills of the Southern Appalachian Mountains. My goal is to go to the top of Sassafras Mt. and watch the sun set. I have plenty of time as I head that way. I always enjoy the drive and meander along thinking of nothing original or creative. Today was no different, just today!

          Nearing the mountain top I entered the bottom of a cloud, pretty much took care of  any viewing of tonight's sunset - gray is gray! Not wanting to waste an opportunity to enter the woods, I slipped my sockless feet out of my comfy shoes and hopped my way into socks and hiking shoes. Dark is dark! so I retrieved both my headlamp and flashlight from the day pack and pocketed them in my fleece. I'm guessing the sun was shining above the cloud, I could see well enough to follow the trail with no artificial light and walked from the parking area toward Pinnacle Mt. My desire was not to go far, just far enough to become cocooned by the forest. Mission accomplished! That section of trail is down hill and I would obviously climb up hill to return to the trailhead, did not want to go far. Those who are comfortable in the night woods can feel with me the stop and listen. I stopped in the trail and gazed at the still, dark trees pointing up like tombstones marking leaf covered graves and bones of ancient wildlife. No sound stirred from the ground nor surged around lifeless trees. The night shift had not clocked in, and the day shift were waiting for time to go, all animals - silent! The bugs had no hum nor rub. My ears flexed trying to hear a sound, but there was none. My heart beat and my lungs breathed. I turned back, rustling leaves, then quiet. I returned to the car in the near darkness and in the deadly quiet, taking a splinter of the forest with me.


          In the woods or on the water,

          Turtle



         





         

Round Mountain - Foothills Trail

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.

Sign at Hwy. 130

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!

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