3/8/07 Get Your Boots Ready...

Hike this weekend! I'm excited. The weather has been so wonderful lately (as you can see by the current temp graph to the right), and I'm itching to get out in it. We're starting with a nice easy warm up hike to Abrams Falls. We did it last year too, but it's a lovely hike along (and over) Abrams Creek, so it's a favorite of mine anyway. It's pretty gentle terrain, and there's a great waterfall at the end, so we're packing a picnic lunch to sit and eat by the falls. It starts at the Cades Cove area, so it'll probably be crowded, but hey, what can you do? I bought a new camera last weekend, so I'll bring it along and see what kind of pictures I can get. You know, it's funny. When I lived here to go to school, I had tons of free time in the afternoons and on weekends, and I never went to the mountains. Then I moved away, and I really missed them. Now that I'm back, I'm taking advantage of them every chance I can get. I'm addicted to nature. Not enough to quit my job and be a park ranger, but enough to look forward to my weekend day hikes. Hopefully the added weekly elliptical sessions have given me enough endurance to be able to actually hike and breathe at the same time this year. The link Great Smokey Mountain Hikes on the right here is Greg's site, and he's the one that coordinates all of our hikes. He keeps a record of where we go and what it's like, so if you're interested, check it out.