Autumn Hike at Cherokee Ridge

Hike: North and South Loop Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail, Kowliga, AL, Sat., 10/27/2012, 10:00-12:30
Distance: approx. 5 miles  Rating: 5/5
Difficulty: Easy to Moderate
Conditions: 58 DegF to hi of 69 today.  Wind: moderate to brisk with chop on the lake and waves slapping the shore-line.  Trails in good shape with a few blow-downs.
Thoughts/Observations:
My kind of hike this morning -- hiking amidst the colorful tapestry of GOD's forest.  I was immersed in a world of color as brown, yellow, and red leaves cushioned my feet and enveloped me on all sides.  Autumn has always been my favorite time of year -- I just can't get enough of drinking in the depth of vibrant color that GOD has splashed throughout HIS Creation.  The firmament certainly shows forth HIS handiwork.

The peace I feel while hiking here is palatable.  Very much needed and appreciated.

Gear List:

• Gerber Prodigy
• MountainSmith Lumbar pack (w/ Emerg & 1st Aid Kit)
• 1 L water
• Merrell Chameleon trail shoes
• dSLR
• Hiking stick
• SPoT

Wonderful Hike @ Swayback - 10/9/2012

Hike: Swayback Bridge Trail of Legends, Tuesday, 10/9/2012, 09:00-12:20CDT
Distance: 7 miles  Rating: 4.5/5
Difficulty: Moderate due to distance
Conditions: Just about perfect!  Glorious blue sky with a smattering of puffy white clouds.  Temps starting in low 60s working up to low 70s at hike's end.  Light, variable breeze.  Trails dry & in good shape.  Encountered one blow-down.
Thoughts/Observations:
Exactly what I needed!  The parking lot was empty when I arrived at the trail head and I only encountered one mountain biker at the end of the hike.  Except for the occasional sound of a passing car on the road and the whistle from Jordan Dam I was surrounded by the sounds of the forest.  My companions were the ubiquitous gray squirrel and his cousin the chipmunk along with some colorful passerines. The peace and beauty of the forest were palatable.  I stopped several times to just "Be Still and Know..."

6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. 7 Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon. 8 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. 9 "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10 "For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it. 12 "For you shall go out with joy, And be led out with peace; The mountains and the hills Shall break forth into singing before you, And all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. 13 Instead of the thorn shall come up the cypress tree, And instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree; And it shall be to the Lord for a name, For an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off."
Isaiah 55:6-13 (NKJV)

Dream Walking - 10/8/2012

10 “Be still, and know that I am God! I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.”
11 The Lord of Heaven’s Armies is here among us; the God of Israel is our fortress.         -- Psalms 46:10-11 (NLT)

The cool and crispness of an early Dixie Autumn evening beckoned me outside.  I should have gone hiking this afternoon, but I finished up a little yard work instead -- finding free time in the midst of a Total Mill Outage is a challenge!

Lately I have felt the "squeeze" of time-demands on my life.  I seriously need to get outside, to "get away" from the noise and 'busy-ness' of our culture, and to spend some quality time with GOD in the midst of HIS Creation.  An early evening "urban hike" (that is a walk through the neighborhood) was good to get me focused, but it really just whetted my appetite.

I had my eyes on the heavens hoping to see a few Draconids and my heart/mind on GOD seeking a deeper fellowship.  The evening traffic and street lights conspired to hinder any views of meteors as well as distracting my concentration.  The clarion call "Be still, and know that I am GOD!" (Ps. 46:10) kept ringing through my mind.  How many of us are so "distracted" by the noise and speed of our daily lives that we are never still nor considering GOD?

Tonight would have been a perfect night to lie under the tall, Long-leaf Pines of the Conecuh National Forest and contemplate the CREATOR of the heavens.  The contrails of any flaming Draconids would have been jeweled streaks on a black velvet canvas -- declaring the glory of GOD.