Huckleberry Knob Adventure

The next morning of our Robbinsville trip dawned grey and very rainy. We'd expected to hike, so a change of plans was in order. We hunted up a great little bookstore/cafe/wine store (yes, really!) in Andrews, North Carolina, and spent the morning browsing books before enjoying a delicious cafe lunch. By the time we'd finished, the weather had cleared up enough that we decided to go for a hike after all.


We drove up to Huckleberry Knob on the Cherohala Skyway in the Unicoi Mountains. Huckleberry Knob is the highest point in the Cheoah Ranger District, at 5560 ft elevation. It's a nice easy hike with a stunning panorama at the top.

We set out for the first bald, Oak Knob. The views there were already gorgeous, but we noticed some threatening rain clouds moving in. Billy and I decided to press on anyway- we wanted to get to the top!

We hurried to Huckleberry Knob, but prudently decided to skirt the summit and remain closer to the treeline. Lightning can be unpredictable and quite dangerous in that area! We stopped for a quick snack.


Just seconds after this photo was taken, I turned to Billy as we were packing up. "Do you hear that?", I asked. We listened intently for a moment with a dawning realization. "Is that wind in the trees, or is it. . .", and POW! We were slammed with the approaching wall of rain.

We scrambled to get the boys into ponchos and rain jackets as fast as we could. We did pretty well, except we were one jacket short. So I grabbed Billy's BC Australian hat to keep the rain out of my face, and swam through the atmosphere in my jeans and shirt. I was soaked, but it was a blast!

By the time we'd slogged back to Oak Knob, the rain was already leaving us. One horizon sported billowy clouds breaking apart to reveal blue sky behind, and the other revealed a full arch of rainbow, stunning against the retreating grey storm.

We stopped, reluctant to end our outing if the weather was going to dry out.

Soon enough, the rain ended altogether and the afternoon sun transformed the wet grass into a stunning display of scattered diamonds. We dried out for awhile in the sun and mountain breeze, and then decided to try again for Huckleberry Knob's summit.

The view was appropriately stunning. 360 degrees of mountains greeted us, complete with rich cream clouds running over the peaks and puddling into the valleys. Everywhere around we could see the weather changing before our eyes.




We settled in to enjoy ourselves, admiring the views, running and playing, communing with the wind, taking pictures, relaxing and (for Billy and I) making a toast to a fabulous couple of days.


It was absolutely a transformative experience, a time that I will never forget.





Finally, reluctantly, we packed up and hiked out, tired and fulfilled.

* * * * *
The next day would bring a drive home, and a meetup with Billy's Mom and two Aunts for dinner. It was a wonderful little visit. It would be the last time we saw Nora alive. This trip turned out to be an essential repairing and rejuvenating tonic for our souls that helped us to weather the storm ahead.
* * * * *

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Photo Blog: Cloudland Canyon

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

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.

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.