The Joys of Backpacking 2

At the last minute, Daniel & I decided to go hiking before the trees lost their leaves. Unfortunately, he was only able to take Friday off, and we wanted to be back for Fall Festival. This meant that hiking in on Thursday night was our only option. Never ones to let sense stand in our way, we decided to go.
We had forgotten about the race going on that weekend in Talladega. After driving along with some really "interesting" traffic, we stopped at Subway for some supper. More "interesting" people. Daniel realized that we were almost out of gas, so we had to back-track up the mountain to get a cell signal. By the time we got to Lake Chinnabee, it was completely dark.
Now if hiking along cliffs in the dark (while the predators are out) isn't your idea of fun, stick with me. We added two Yorkies to the mix! I affectionately called them "bear bait." I'll admit it: I had the heebie-jeebies pretty bad! I kept trying not to imagine eyes in the darkness, watching me go by. I thought more about carnivores in those two hours than I have in the last two years! But at least the scenery made up for it. :-)
Daniel suggested stopping at some of the previously-used campsite we passed, but I really wanted to get to the shelter (3 miles). After all, I knew I'd sleep a lot better with a chain-link fence between me and "the wild." After a couple of hours walking, we came upon the shelter. The three-sided shelter. With no front. A la nothing between me and ______(fill in with scary, forest animal). Oh good.
There was really nothing to do at this point (about 10pm), except pitch the tent and hope for the best. We bedded down, and went to sleep. Until 1:45. That's when I woke up sick. Daniel was a real help. "Stick your head out of the tent." Oh, sure. Kneeling here on the ground with my face shoved through the zipper really helps. Not! Now, being sick at home is rough. Nobody likes throwing up (and other, ahem, discomforts). Try it in the dark, spooky woods! It was a blessed time. I spent the next 2 hours writing a list of my blessing in my journal. Not really. I went back to the tent at around 3:15, feeling a little better. That's when I discovered that the confined smell of two dogs & my husband were just too much. (We'd been hiking, okay?) At this point, I was just too miserable to be afraid. I spent the night outside the tent, with the wind blasting my sleeping bag.
The next morning, I woke up to a really pretty sunrise. The hills came alive with fall color. Daniel made breakfast (oatmeal & hot cocoa), and I enjoyed reading Psalm 96:
"Sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. Sing to the Lord, praise his name; proclaim his salvation day after day...For great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; he is to be feared above all gods...Splendor and majesty are before him; strength and glory are in his sanctuary...Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness; tremble before him, all the earth...Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad...Then all the trees of the forest will sing for joy; they will sing before the Lord, for he comes..."
Mom, Dad, Krista, Jerrel & Patrick hiked in for a picnic lunch with us. Well, Patrick's form of "hiking" was pretty nice- he rode on Krista's back! His boots were really cute, though. After lunch, we all hiked back out. It was really beautiful. I'm glad I went.

I think. :-)