Cloudland Canyon State Park, GA

2009-08-16: Though Alabama was not grand in any particular way, I had an afternoon in Georgia to explore the Cumberland Plateau a bit more. I carefully gathered my things and prepared to descend into the canyon itself, uncertain about its specifications or conditions, but ready for adventure, as always. The weather was cooler than it had been, and that made everything more easy. Most exciting was the fact that there were a number of waterfalls in the area. I selected a trail and began the climb downward.

As with the other trails I had hiked here in the south, these too were empty. The canyon became more quiet and shady the deeper I went. Eventually, I found the falls, or rather, where the falls would have been. They had slowed to a thin trickle of water. Still, the stillness of this particular spot made it a special place. When our ancestors told stories of magical places, the abodes of spirits and faeries, this would indeed be the sort of place to inspire them.

The descent had been somewhat tiring, which therefore made the ascent considerably difficult. I climbed stones and stairs at a steady pace and climbed my way out, in time for the early evening. I planned my next day, where I would be traveling to South Carolina's northwest corner to meet a family friend who'd been staying with his parents. After all that had been arranged, it was quite nice to get back to tent camping.