Cloudland Canyon Campout: Days 5 & 6

Day 5 (Friday) was set to be another scorcher, leading to possible rain later on. I'd intentionally left this day open for everyone to decide what they'd prefer to spend time doing. My Dad left early to go to work. Most of our group piled into one big van for a little road trip to nearby Chattanooga, TN. Billy took all the kids up Lookout Mountain to watch the flyers at Lookout Mountain Hang Gliding, then to McDonald's (a special treat). Others chose to relax or go hiking. My brother had returned,

and I got to go hiking with him, which was really nice. Since he'd not been down to the waterfall yet, we headed into the canyon.

It was great being able to hike along with my brother, no kids or anyone else. That hasn't happened in a long, long time. We chatted or just walked in blessed, companionable silence, listening to the birds and the far-off creek and our footfalls sliding in sandy, rocky soil. The air was close, heavy and hot. Wild blueberries provided an occasional burst of flavor. The sun shining through the leaves was pure magic.


Before long, we found our destination. My brother remarked that it reminded him of a similar waterfall he'd seen in Costa Rica, except there the locals had been diving off the top of the waterfall! (This swimming hole is not nearly deep enough for such a dangerous stunt.) We cooled our feet in the water, just taking in the day.


Before we left, I just had to stand under the waterfall. I was cautious, because I didn't want to encourage other visitors to take the risk if they weren't up to the challenge. Finally, the moment seemed right. It really wasn't that difficult, and some views can only be experienced from a closer vantage point.




I can hardly describe the wonder of sitting beneath a waterfall in such a beautiful location. The guys who had tried it all said the water hurt a lot as it beat down on their skin- I guess I was lucky to be wearing a shirt because to me, it felt absolutely wonderful. I could have sat there much longer than I did. This was the crowning moment of the whole campout for me. I will ever be grateful that I did it, and did not choose to sit on the sidelines and just observe.


After awhile, we decided to hike over to the other waterfalls in the canyon. They were nice, but I didn't really think they were nearly as lovely as the first waterfall. We headed back up the many, many stairs to the trail, and back to camp. On the way, my brother talked me into driving to a roadside grill for sandwiches and a milkshake. It was a longer trek than we'd intended, but DAMN! That fried chicken sandwich was good. I wish I remembered the name of the place, because it's worth a visit. I plan to go again sometime. On the way back I could clearly see the storm clouds rolling in. It looked like a big one, with heavy threatening clouds, flashes of lightning on the horizon, and a quickening breeze. Between sucking down my milkshake and feeling the wind on my still-wet clothes, I was actually shivering a little. It was bracing! I love a good summer thunderstorm. With full tummies, tired muscles and the wind in our hair we raced the storm back to camp.

My brother headed home, and Billy and I began preparing for that night's traditional yearly group campfire. Once ready, we lay plastic over the wood to keep it dry in the intermittent sprinkling of rain. We were worried the imminent thunderstorm would rain out the campfire plans altogether, but at least we had a nice big area sheltered under our tarps, lit beautifully with Christmas lights. It would be fine.

As it was, the storm skirted right on by us, and never dumped any real rain on camp at all. By nightfall the fire was lit, and friends and family (including some kids from a nearby campsite that Littleman had befriended) began wandering over with chairs and drinks. We toasted hot dogs, then marshmallows (for the traditional s'mores, of course!) and played story games until everyone had arrived. We closed out the night with our yearly round, everyone offering a favorite thing or a particular memory about this year's campout. We took a moment to miss Billy's Dad, who died in May. And we simply enjoyed the moment, watching the sparks dance up toward the stars emerging from the dissipating storm clouds. I read local ghost stories as the moon emerged and the barred owls added their nightly chorus.

Finally, we gathered up the sleeping little ones and everyone bid each other good night. Time to go to bed.

Saturday we packed up and drove on home. The kids slept all the way. Another year's family campout completed!

Now to plan next year- I need a good coastal location!

Cloudland Canyon Campout: Day 4 Cont. (Thanksgiving in June)

Billy's Mom, her friend (Billy's sister's mother-in-law, to be precise) and our niece were staying in one of the park's many nice cabins nearby. They had invited us to a potluck dinner for the night, so everyone wandered off to prepare supplies and drive over. My Dad arrived to stay for the evening, too. Billy's brother-in-law was frying a turkey, and the rest of us provided appetizers and side dishes. It was like Thanksgiving in June!

I threw together some potatoes, cooking them in the microwave first (because I was short on time) and cutting them up, then tossing them with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic and fresh thyme. Finally I browned them in the oven before serving. Yum!

Some of us sat on the screened porch to eat and chat, and everyone else had fun groaning and offering commentary on some terrible TV movie. Billy's brother had brought their little dog, who was leashed with us on the screened porch. (Dogs were not allowed in the cabin.) One of my nephews' friends sat under the stars and practiced some songs on his acoustic guitar. It was a mellow, relaxing little family gathering.

As we were clearing up and washing dishes, there came a knock on the cabin's door. Yes, it was a park ranger. Yes, we were breaking rules again. What was the problem this time? Apparently we had too many people in the cabin. We weren't making too much noise, we hadn't bothered a single soul, and we weren't damaging any property or otherwise causing a disturbance. The fire regulations limit cabin occupants to 8 people, so apparently that means no more than 8 people can be physically inside the cabin at any given time. The ranger had stopped because there were several cars in the cabin driveway. Bonus for him: we had an illegal dog leashed on the porch. (Who had behaved beautifully, by the way.) Such was the end of our little family gathering. Luckily, we'd been preparing to leave anyway. Oh, well. We returned to camp that night mostly without incident (Except for my sister-in-law, who missed a turn and ended up outside the park gate. Can you believe, they totally lock the park down at 10 pm? It took her 5 phone calls to get the code to get back in. Every time we turned around we felt like adolescents getting caught: breaking rules, having illicit parties, breaking curfew. . . It was a bit ridiculous.)

As a special treat, I made ice cream, and served it up cold and soft with strawberries and syrup. We shared it out under our tarp lit with glimmering Christmas lights, as the barred owls hooted and called all around. A cat came visiting, and I gave it a few licks of half and half and some good ear scratches. It was another pleasant end to an adventurous day.

Cloudland Canyon Campout: Day 4

The next day I was excited to hike down into the canyon and see this waterfall everyone was so thrilled with. Billy carried Babyman down for me.



The hike was pretty as it criss-crossed back and forth down into the canyon, but the trail itself was often very eroded. I loved the rock formations we passed.

Cloudland Canyon's geology is interesting, in part because all the layers of rock are still horizontal, much as they were laid down in ancient times. The flaky shale sometimes yields interesting marine and plant fossils- Littleman has unearthed some in nearby Chattanooga TN before. However (of course), removing fossils from Cloudland Canyon State Park is strictly forbidden.

Littleman climbed up to a ledge for a portrait

(one of the only shots I have of him- he was hardly ever near me long enough for a picture, and he never stopped moving)

and The Pirate just had to climb up for his turn as well.



I caught cousin "Dashi"

before the Three Muskateers trooped on down the stairs toward the bottom of the canyon.



The deeper we went, the cooler and shadier it got. What with all the boulders, and mosses, and dappled shade, I felt as if we were walking into a fairy tale, or stepping back in time.

Billy remarked that it was like being in the Lord of the Rings, which I guess is to say that it was something like New Zealand. ;) I hope one day to visit there, to see what wonders I can behold, and find out if there is any real similarity to certain more familiar landscapes.


Finally we came to the first waterfall (there are a few in the canyon), and it was a sight to see.

The light was so gorgeous, and the colors so vivid, it seemed like we'd stumbled on a tiny tropical paradise hidden in unassuming NW Georgia. The waterfall tumbled approximately 90 feet from a cloudless blue summer sky to an emerald green pool that stretched across the distance to the rocks we were standing on. Several signs were posted forbidding "climbing, wading, swimming or rappelling" but hardly any of the many visitors seemed to care about that. The order of this hot summer's day was a cool wade in the gorgeous shallows, and a few folks swam all the way out to stand under the falls. Our group did a great deal of rock building,

leaving several interesting formations behind for later visitors to enjoy and destroy.



(this last one belonged to Littleman and Dashi. See their "alligator rock"?

Everyone was having a wonderful time.

Littleman got some lessons from Daddy on skipping stones,

and a few of us went swimming. Never have I seen a more perfect swimming hole.

Babyman especially enjoyed the shallow water and the gorgeous day.


It was a perfect afternoon.

It really is a remarkable spot.

We returned to camp by late afternoon, because we had special plans for dinner. I'll continue that story next post.

Photo Blog: Camping Through The Pirate's Eyes

Photos by The Pirate (except the last, by Littleman), via Fujifilm FinePix Z33WP. I did a bit of editing.

Cloudland Canyon Campout: Days 2 & 3

Tuesday dawned warm and humid, and the day heated rapidly from there. The kids ran gleefully amok, and I passed the time easily taking care of their needs and taking in the beautiful day. There is so much for them to enjoy, so much to do and imagine and examine.

Babyman especially enjoyed living outdoors- this was a constant sight during the campout:


I tried one more time to get the park rangers to see reason about the tents, or at least to offer some credible explanation of why I needed to move them. It was fruitless, however. I encountered a great deal of sympathy but the oft-repeated phrase was "Well, I don't make the rules." Before long Billy arrived, and since there really was no good place to pitch a tent on our site's driveway, he helped me move our camp to a new site. This one had a level tent pad, and we raked the large gravel aside before pitching our tents on it (ruining several stakes in the process). By evening we were all set, and the rest of our party had arrived.

We settled into an easy routine of camp life and visiting, swapping food and stories. The fireflies set the woods afire and the cicadas buzzed in time as I leaned against my brother's truck, passing a flask of fine scotch back and forth between us. It was an easy moment, a fine way to wrap up my birthday, for birthday it was (Billy's, too). My brother was heading home for the evening ("Wuss" I said), but would return later in the week. So ended Day 2.

We started Day 3 with our annual group picture. Cloudland Canyon 2010!

We did some smaller family shots for good measure,

and then headed out together for a hike along the West Rim.



The trail was great, alternating fantastic rock formations and wild blueberry thickets with canyon-hugging vistas.


I carried Babyman, which is usually a welcome workout. However the heat and humidity combined with my relative lack of practice was kicking my butt. Babyman fell asleep, and when we all stopped for a snack, I was glad to lay him gently down and take a break. He slept on, oblivious to his surroundings.


We turned back at this point, and by the time I reached camp (approximately 5 miles of hiking behind me) I realized I had overdone it. The heat and exertion had caught up with me. After lunch everyone else set out for the waterfalls down in the canyon, but I decided to stay behind. Billy took the two older boys and I did my best to relax by myself with Babyman. We had a quiet time together until later, when the intrepid adventurers all returned with evening's cooler temperatures, ababble with excitement over the first waterfall. They'd spent the whole afternoon there, climbing on rocks, splashing in the swimming hole and building "monoliths" and monuments of stones (all activities strictly forbidden, of course). It was a must-see, so everyone planned to visit again tomorrow.

The boys fell asleep quickly, exhausted. Billy and I snuggled in our tent together, bathed in bright, silvery moonlight which poured down through the open screened roof. It was the kind of camping moment that transcends everything, that makes camping a cherished part of my existence.

Cloudland Canyon Campout: Day 1 (The Trouble with Tents)

Our 5th annual Family Campout was a success! This year we met at Cloudland Canyon State Park in Northwest Georgia. I'd heard wonderful things about the hiking there, and the campground was very well-reviewed.

I arrived Monday afternoon, meeting some of our party who'd already arrived. Billy would be arriving Tuesday. The West Rim campground was great, with lots of shady trees, friendly camp hosts, tidy sites and very clean bathrooms/showers. I chose a pretty site near my sister-in-law and her husband, and started pitching the tents. The site (#16) had an uneven but adequate gravel driveway with a picnic table, grill and campfire ring at the end. The campground rules state that tents must be pitched on the "gravel tent pads", but since this site had no tent pad and the gravel was rough driveway-grade stones, I looked under the trees off to the side for suitable tent locations.

I found only two small spots that were level and clear, but two spots was all I needed. The ground was sandy dirt with fine gravel mixed in, so I figured that was the place tents were usually pitched. It was a bit of trouble to pitch the tents myself, since that's usually Billy's responsibility, but with some family help to watch the kids I finally managed to have a credible camp set up. We settled in for a relaxing first evening in camp.

Before long the campground manager came around in his truck. He stopped at my site, and thus began the first of several unintentional confrontations with the park staff on this trip.
"You have to move those tents", he said.

I was surprised. "I do? Why?"

"The rules state that all tents must be on the gravel tent pads."

"Right, but this site doesn't have a tent pad", I pointed out.

He looked. "Doesn't matter," he said, "you have to pitch your tent on the gravel."

I was incredulous. "On this?", I asked, indicating the driveway. "Really? I can't pitch my tent on this!" I looked around to see if I'd missed the spot for tents. I couldn't see any place that would work. "There is gravel under the tents now", I added, "it's just fine gravel and it's mixed with sand." He looked incredulous.

"Here, I'll show you", I offered hopefully. We walked over and I pointed out the fine gravel that was visible at the edge of the tent. "It's all the same underneath. That's why I thought the tents should go here."

He made a face. "Noooo, I think that's pushing it", he said. "Tents must be pitched on the gravel."

"That's not gravel?" I asked.

"That doesn't count. It has to be on the gravel tent pad. Here." He indicated the driveway. "You have to move your tents."

I couldn't believe it. "But where?" I asked.

"Anywhere here." He indicated the driveway again.

"But we park there! And the only level spot is smack dab next to the fire ring! The rest is washed out. Surely you don't expect me to pitch the tents next to the fire. And besides, this is rough gravel- this isn't fine gravel like parks put on tent pads. It might even damage the tents, not to mention being very uncomfortable."

He was looking impatient and belligerent at this point. I don't like causing trouble, especially for staff at state parks. They are underfunded stewards of some of our few remaining natural recreation areas, and (theoretically) they share many of my own core values about nature. However I was honestly flabbergasted that this was even an issue. I wondered what could possibly be the reason for the rule. Threatened species of plants or insects? (I was pretty sure that wasn't it.) Erosion control? (Possible, but not likely a problem with my tents in those specific spots.) Maybe there was a good reason I'd not considered. "WHY?", I asked again. "Why can't I leave them there?"

"If I let you do it, then other people will want to, too." he said, as if that settled the matter. His body posture suggested clearly that he was absolutely not backing down and no logic would ever scale the walls of his certitude. I couldn't believe I was having this conversation. I decided to switch tactics.

"PLEEEEASE don't make me move the tents", I pleaded pitifully. I really liked the spots there under the tree branches, and the thought of trying to redo the whole camp without Billy's help and with the three boys running around was daunting to say the least.

He sighed. "I get that a lot." (I wondered if, just maybe, this might indicate to him that rough chunky gravel driveways are not very good for tents, but if such a thought had occurred to him he apparently didn't care.) "Nope, you have to move them."

I sighed. I was getting nowhere. "My husband is arriving tomorrow. Can't I wait until I have his help to move them?"

The campground manager nodded reluctantly. "OK. You can move them tomorrow. But I'll be back to check." With that, he climbed back into his truck and went looking for more lawbreakers.

The rest of the evening passed pleasantly enough, though I was still simmering over the tent troubles. (People who apply rules for the sake of rules, without the leavening influence of logic, tend to piss me off.) The kids were having a blast though, and a nice cold beer (also against the rules, which I have an easier time understanding), enjoyed discreetly, helped bring the day to a pleasant conclusion. The fireflies were out in magical profusion, making the woods sparkle. My brother, sister-in-law and her husband were good company. The boys had trouble going to sleep in their excitement- giggles and rustles (and plenty of fart jokes) spilled from their tent well after dark. Finally, everyone was sleeping comfortably and I was able to drift to dreamland while looking up through my tent's screened roof into the moonlit pines.

(Sorry for the lack of pictures- I was busy!)

Chicken with Sundried Tomato (for Camping!)

I tried a new dinner on our last campout, and it was a delicious success! I got the idea from my brother. So here it is, ready for your next car camping adventure. Unfortunately I have no measurements for you, because I just eyeballed everything and I've only made it once. Start with just enough chicken for your family, and measure out the other ingredients accordingly. Don't let the long explanation scare you- it's super easy!

Chicken with Sun-dried Tomato and Cous Cous

- frozen boneless skinless chicken, partially thawed
- olive oil
- sun-dried tomatoes
- fresh herbs (I had thyme, but rosemary would also be great, or another fresh herb)
- fresh garlic
- salt and pepper
- a box of ready-to-prepare flavored cous cous (I used parmesagn flavor)
- a small (about 1 cup?) container with a tightly-fitting lid
- a large zip-lock bag

Prep at home the night before you leave:
-Snip the sun-dried tomatoes into 1/4 or 1/2 inch pieces, and soak in very hot water for about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the garlic cloves very thinly, and snip herbs.
-Drain tomatoes. Put tomatoes, garlic and fresh herbs into the small container. Fill container with olive oil, and close tightly. Pack with camping supplies.
-Cut chicken into bite-size pieces, and dump into zip-lock bag. Make sure it's closed very securely, and put it in the cooler on ice.

At camp:
(You will need a camp stove, a good skillet, a saucepan with a lid, a measuring cup and spoon, and a heat-resistant utensil like a large spoon.)

-Follow instructions on the box to prepare the cous cous, using a Tablespoon (or whatever is called for) of the olive oil from your container instead of butter. Meanwhile, heat the skillet.
-Drizzle some olive oil in the skillet, and dump the chicken in. Then dump the tomatoes, herbs and garlic (and the remaining olive oil, if it's not too much) on top of the chicken. Salt and pepper to taste, but remember the cous cous is already seasoned so don't go overboard.
-Cook, stirring, until chicken is done. Dump the chicken into the saucepan with the finished cous cous and mix well. Voila!

You can serve with a veggie, if you wish. Raw veggies for munching are simple, like baby carrots or sliced bell peppers. I had some kale that needed to be eaten, so I sauteed it lightly after cooking the chicken. It was an easy, healthy, delicious camp meal.

Camping with the 5 Bears

(photo by a friendly bystander)
We've just returned from a 4 day camping trip in the North Ga mountains. We arrived at Unicoi State Park on Wednesday, and got home Saturday night. Sharing the experience this time were my good friends from our homeschool group and their children (and dogs)- it was a great combination! Everybody got along really well and helped out.



The weather went from gorgeous, to wet and chilly, back to gorgeous. It was colder than I expected, but we managed just fine. The kids had a blast, of course! They ran all over the place, played in the creek, rode scooters and the trike, played ball, and had secret adventures in the woods with a "bear trap". We roasted marshmallows every night over the campfire. The older kids helped watch the younger, and though camping with kids isn't really a relaxing experience, we certainly found the trip to be a rejuvenating one. I'm looking forward to planning the next one. :)

(photo by Billy via iPhone)

Wednesday was warm and gorgeous. Everyone arrived and got set up, and before we knew it we were relaxing around the campfire with full tummies and plenty of happy, excited kids. Thursday dawned cool, grey and misty. Billy got our big tarp up just in time before rain began to fall, and it continued lightly off and on all day. After breakfast the older boys all went to play in the creek. They were having a great time building a dam, when just before lunch someone accidentally dropped a large rock onto Littleman's hand. The results were surprisingly gnarly, and after some hurried triage Billy took Littleman to the nearest ER.

(photo by Billy via iPhone)
Littleman ended up with 8 stitches, a bandaged splint and antibiotics to prevent infection. It was rough on him of course, but he was a real trooper and bounced back quickly.

The rest of us hung out around camp in the light rain, relaxing (OK and maybe worrying a bit) and playing Mancala and Canasta while the younger boys played or read comic books. Billy and Littleman got back in time for our big shared dinner: a traditional Low Country Boil. It was delicious! Billy and I were the last ones awake as the skies opened and dropped a ton of rain. We had fun rushing about to batten down the hatches before turning in for the night.

Friday morning:

(video by Billy via iPhone)


Friday we drove up to Anna Ruby Falls for a short hike. The double waterfall was looking pretty spectacular from the previous night's downpour!



Everyone had a snack before Papa Bear and Brother Bear took one of the dogs and joined Billy, myself and Babyman for a 4 mile hike back to camp. Mama Bear bravely took charge of the remaining 4 boys and one dog, and went back to camp for the afternoon.

The hike was wonderful! It felt amazing. I carried Babyman, who napped most of the way, so I'm pretty good and sore right now! It was just what I needed.

(video by Billy via iPhone)

Saturday we packed up and said goodbye to our friends, with promises to plan this again soon! Billy and I took the boys into Helen so we could visit our favorite rock shop and eat at the Troll Tavern. We stopped at the hospital for an Xray on Littleman's hand before heading on home that night. Whew! What a great trip! And now, it's back to chipping away at the resulting mountain of laundry. (FYI, Oxyclean does a fantastic job on bloodstains.) ;)



P.S.- Find Mama Bear's excellent account of the trip here:
Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, and Day 4