…further up and further in
I uploaded some photos from the hockey game I got to see a couple of weeks ago. My friend Matt from Sojourn is number seven.
The pictures are on Flickr right now with comments and they are backed up on Picasa. Most of them came out okay. They were a little blurrier than I had hoped for, but they weren’t bad for a first effort, really. There’s another game next weekend so maybe I can get some better shots.
I just found out that Flickr only lets you have 200 pictures on a free account, and I’m really bummed about it. And the thought of paying for a pro account irritates me. If it was a one time charge, that’d be one thing. But a yearly fee? Something about it just makes me cringe. With all the freeness out there it seems a shame to shell out $25 for that every year.
It’s too bad, though. Of the photo storage sites I’ve seen, I far and away like Flickr the best. I like the ease of use and the searchableness and the comments and community (even though I don’t get too many comments). I checked out Google’s Picasa and I’m less than impressed. I usually like most of what they put out, but that one doesn’t seem to be in the same league as Flickr.
I’m thinking about keeping the photos on Flickr for a while and then archiving them here on WordPress. It would mean more work for me, though, so that means it probably won’t get done at all.
After the view of the falls, the overnight trail crosses Fall Creek over a wooden bridge. It’s cool looking down with the rushing water only feet below. A little disorienting. Rhododendrons grow along the banks and overhang the water. Here’s a picture looking straight down:
Afterwards, it’s another half mile or so to get back to the Nature Center. Just prior to that there’s another view of Cane Creek Falls from the opposite side of the basin. Here’s a small waterfall I could barely see before, Rockhouse Falls (125′):
And here’s a view of Cane Creek Falls again:
After that, another suspension bridge across Cane Creek, another mile of walking, and I was back at the van for the trip home. It’s always good to be going home after a trip to the woods. It makes you remember the comforts of home with a little more appreciation after being without them, even if it’s only for a night or two. So in honor of going home:
You can see an aerial view of the sites of the pictures on Flickr by clicking on the map link beneath each picture.
See all my pictures from this trip.
Well, I finally got there: the namesake of the park: Fall Creek Falls. The water was going much better then the first time I was there.
The trail from Piney Creek Falls was just as dull as the one that led to it and suffered from the same downed trees and general blahness. The overnight trail borders a road for a while and then crosses it twice before reaching a view of the falls that is off to the right of the main parking area. To see it from the main observation point I had to leave to trail to the left. All the pictures below are from that observation point. There is a trail that leads from this observation point down to the base of the falls. I was too tired at that moment to follow it on this trip. But, I hope you enjoy the pictures I did get…
A wide-angle view of the falls:
A little more narrow view:
Some detail shots:
See all my pictures from this trip.
The ascent from Cane Creek was not quite as steep as the descent to the creek. That was good. My cardio health is not all that great, so the uphill sections are always more challenging. The path wound around and through and over entire fields of large boulders. Many of them had been moved and positioned into a kind of rough staircase. Thankfully, the way throughout was really well marked so I didn’t get lost.
The trees in this area, for the most part, didn’t have leaves yet. But the grey of the bark and limbs set off some other amazing colors:
This picture gives some vague idea of what the trail was like:
After scrambling to the top of the bluff I walked through more of the type of forest I’d seen on the first day. This section was somewhat dull, to be honest. There were many downed trees that had fallen across the path. And the sound of water vanished as I moved away from Cane Creek.
It wandered back and forth — southwest, east, west, southeast — until I eventually arrived at another suspension bridge. This one was longer than the first and spanned across the gorge with Piney Creek at the bottom. The sound of the water was really great. Here’s a picture from before I got on the bridge:
From the middle looking up Piney Creek:
Looking back the way I’d come:
Around the corner from the bridge the sound of the water rushing trebled. It really got loud. And I kept getting glimpses of Piney Creek Falls through small gaps in the trees. So my expectations were really high. But when I got to the overlooks of the falls, both were really kind of blocked by trees. It was a bit disappointing to be honest. Here is the clearest view that I could find:
I spent a great deal of time here trying to find a better view. Unfortunately I never did. I wished there was a trail to the base. There probably was and I missed it.
See all my pictures from this trip.
I got a really early start the next morning because I knew I had a really long way to go that day — at least nine miles from what the park ranger had told me. I had woken up with the sun and and started moving around before it was very bright. But soon the sky welcomed me with a nice colorful dawn. I was on my way before 7:30 AM, but not before a couple of pain killers for my muscle. I went really slowly during that first section until they kicked in.
There was one really interesting “tree” that I noticed as I walked. It was really the dead stump of a tree that had broken off about seven or eight feet above the ground. I caught it out of the corner of my eye as I was walking along and immediately had to do a double-take. It looked exactly like a person in horrible pain and grief, with mouth gaping wide and one arm thrown over the eyes, weeping. It’s hard to explain how that popped into my mind all in a flash like that. I was reminded instantly of the ent Treebeard in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings stories, grieving over the loss of his trees.
Do you see what I’m talking about here:
Soon after seeing that, the trail took a decided turn… straight down. It got really steep as it went down toward the creek. Just before, I got a view across the valley. Spring was on it’s way:
The views across the valley got more scarce the further down the bank I went. But the sound of the creek below me got louder and louder. I’m not sure why the sound of water running over rapids is so soothing. But I walked in constant anticipation of seeing them around each turn.
Soon I came upon a suspension bridge that spanned the water below (the first of several that day). I’m not usually afraid of heights, but when it got bouncy it got a little nerve-wracking. Here’s the view as I approached:
And here’s the view looking back:
It was really beautiful here, and I wish I could have stayed longer. But I still had a long way to go and the dreaded uphill trek was just ahead of me. So, I reloaded my water bottle, thanked God the pain killers had started working, shouldered my pack and kept going.
See all my pictures from this trip.
I parked the car and got on the trail somewhere around 2:00 in the afternoon. I didn’t have very far to go to get to the campsite (only about 3 miles according to the ranger). I had two choices, actually: there was a second site that was about 6 miles down the trail. But this one had access to water… and I tweaked a muscle in the first mile, so the closer one definitely won out.
There really wasn’t much to see in this first leg of the trip. The foliage still hadn’t emerged on the hardwoods and there were many fallen trees. But some of the colors were great. I really liked these two, one of moss and one of a small creek:
And this one gives some idea of what the trail was like:
After trudging along with my tweaked muscle, I finally made it across a small creek and up a short incline to the campsite. I think it took me about two hours to go my three miles. Like I mentioned the other day: Really out of shape. The muscle didn’t help either.
So I went around gathering wood for my campfire. I’m not sure why, but the campfire is always one of the highlights of the camping trip. Without it there’s not much reason to stay up past sunset, and that’s usually around 8:00 (or earlier in the winter).
After I had amassed a nice quantity I went back down the incline to the the creek a couple of times and got water for cooking and for drinking. Then I got out my food, my pots and pans and stove, and my… and my… (sigh) no lighter or matches. I assumed it was with my stuff when I moved it to Louisville, but I must have taken all that stuff out when I put my pack in the apartment building.
No worries, I thought. I’ll just start a fire à la Tom Hanks in Castaway. I’ll get some nice dry wood and brush, make that little crack for air to get in, and start rubbing two sticks together. Easy. Well, an hour later I was a very different, more frustrated person. It just doesn’t seem to work like in the movies (surprise).
So I faced the prospect of no campfire and mere pop-tarts for supper (instead of smoked salmon in parmesan pasta). I wasn’t very happy. But, instead of giving up completely, I decided to start searching the campsite in case someone had inadvertently left a match lying around. Well, I didn’t find a match… I found a lighter! I was never so happy to see litter at a campsite! My campfire and dinner plans were back on.
Can’t you see how happy I am in this picture?
No really. I am happy. Campfires just make me pensive. You’re alone with your thoughts and there’s really not much happening in the fire. So what was I thinking about?
1/ I was thinking about how nice it was to be in the woods and away from everything.
2/ I was thinking about finding that lighter. It was my own sorry fault for not checking my gear before I left home. I had no reason to expect to find a lighter. I actually deserved to be disappointed with no campfire or hot dinner. But that’s not what happened. Despite what I deserved, I got a blessing that I didn’t even ask for. I don’t want to overspiritualize this, but it greatly reminded me of God and what he does for me everyday. I don’t deserve the many blessings he showers on me (sunshine, health, family and friends, purpose, his Word, food, drink, and a hundred other things). I don’t even ask for most of them. How ungrateful I really am! I wish I could say that I found the lighter after I had uttered some amazing prayer of faith and expected God to provide for me. But that isn’t really what happened. I didn’t say that prayer, although I should have. I should ask God to show me his good blessings. And I should thank him for them when they arrive and give him the glory for them. I don’t want that to sound like some kind of prosperity gospel. The point is not that I get a bunch of stuff, but that God gets a bunch of glory for his providence. And that can be as simple as finding a little stick of butane in the middle of the woods.
Also passing through my mind was how like salvation this little event happened to be. I had been working and working, rubbing two sticks together to try to make a fire. But it didn’t happen. No matter how hard I worked it wasn’t going to happen. Fire was impossible for me with sticks. But God gave fire when I stopped trying to work for it and looked for his provision. Salvation is like that. We can’t earn it. We can only accept it as a gift from him. That was greatly encouraging.
3/ Why didn’t I bring marshmallows? Maybe that’s why I look so dour. Okay, I didn’t really think that at the time. I was pretty happy with my thoughts.
See all my pictures from this trip.
