Day 75 and 76: Canyons and Picnics

The weekend of Day 75 and 76 was one of my most profitable while at school. On Day 75 I walked 9.02 miles (14.5 km) on the beautiful Bluff Trail. This particular part of the trail winds its way around the top of the mountain, staying fairly level the entire time and affording magnificent views. Consequently the trail is heavily populated with both hikers and rock climbers who take to the huge boulders and massive rock formations dotting the mountainside. Along the way I was nearly landed on by one of the rock climbers and made friends with his dog.

The day was cool and beautiful, a wonderful change from the oppressive heat recently plaguing my mountain. The wildlife was out and about and I contented myself with watching the many species go about their daily life. Anything from songbirds, to birds of prey and even woodpeckers flew about along the trail. Chipmunks and squirrels quickly darted away as I approached, and if I looked closely enough I could see mice scrambling about the forest floor for food.

Day 76 brought with it a church picnic at one of the State Parks in our area. Cloudland Canyon State Park is a beautiful canyon trail. We picnicked at the top of the canyon and later hiked out the half mile to the overlook. Once pictures were taken and the view of the canyon marveled at, we played an array of games and gorged ourselves on popsicles.

  (The view from one of the overlooks)

Before we left, we hiked a mile down into the canyon to view the massive waterfall. It’s a hard hike down and back, but our entire group made it and enjoyed ourselves immensely. We spent a good half an hour enjoying the view of the waterfall and exploring the rocky stream and nearby caves. When all was said and I walked 5.38 miles (8.7 km) on Day 76 for a weekend total of 14.39 miles (23.2 km).

(The waterfall)

 

At this point in their journey Strider has found an elf stone at The Last Bridge and, taking it as a token of safety, he and the hobbits have crossed over the Hoarwell/Mitheithel river into the Trollshaws. Once in the new land, hills shut them in quickly and their path becomes difficult. In places Frodo would be obliged to dismount Bill the Pony and struggle uphill on foot. The reader also learns that Frodo’s wound, though appearing healed, is graver than first assumed. Frodo would continue to struggle as the journey progressed. To make matters worse, wet weather sets in as rain pours down on the hobbits and Strider.

I probably shouldn’t take as much pleasure in the fact that it was raining on the hobbits as I am, but it certainly is nice to see that the weather I battle against quite often also makes the going difficult for the hobbits. Looking back over older posts, I find that rain seems to be a constant theme for me. The inclusion of weather conditions is one of the many little details that Tolkien includes to give Middle Earth such a three-dimensional feel to it. The weather, along with other things, lends itself to the illusion that the world is real and resonates emotionally with many readers.

The Road Goes Ever On and On,
~ Daisy Buttons