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ofearthandstars) wrote2023-01-21 08:37 pm
But first!
So many things I need to write about/catch up on here in this space. But first, I am just going to drop a few photos from our first hike of the year, the Campbell Creek Loop Trail at Raven Rock State Park. Since it's bound to be cold and rainy tomorrow, we decided to soak up some sunshine and fresh air while we could. We looped about 5.4 miles between the Loop Trail and the Lanier Falls trails. It felt so good to be outdoors, at one point I just felt so at peace, so happy, to be spending my day away from the computer and with L. and the dog, that I was almost teary-eyed. (It has been, to say the least, a burn-out inducing week at work.)
Running water, sturdy rocks, a blue sky and cool clean air? What more could you want?
Lanier Falls/Rapids are lovely even in the quiet of winter.
The hidden small waterfall along a rock outcropping deep in the forest.
Trees covered in a fluffy moss stand out against the sky.
More Flickr photos here.
We had to wait about 20 minutes to enter the park due to high capacity, so after travel and hiking time, it took up a good 5 hours of the day. I was testing out a newer set of minimalist shoes (with some updated insoles) and was pleasantly surprised at how comfortable they were, as Raven Rock's trails live up to their name and require about equal amounts of time looking down as around.
There were a number of elevation changes (AllTrails lists it at 600 ft), between the geography of the river and that the park is located along the Fall Line between the piedmont and coast plain. But other than having the trek the last half mile back completely uphill, it was all do-able, and beautiful.
Anyway, I know my hiking photos are sometimes tedious, but it's just so nice sometimes to be in a place where you can just be, no rushing, no pretenses, just you and your own two feet carrying/climbing you onwards. And the wind in the dried leaves of winter, or the babbling creek, or the rush of the rapids - all remind me of how much bigger this world is than the little anxious broken pieces of that life seems to be sometimes.
Tomorrow I am looking forward to a day indoors, listening to the rain and catching up on my reading, and hopefully making use of some leftover spaghetti noodles in a creamy chik'n (soy curl) noodle soup.
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- Erulisse (one L)
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