I reckon it’s time I update y’all again on my whereabouts…
I am currently in Fall Creek Falls State Park, right outside Pikeville, TN. If you have a moment, take it to look up the park and how amazingly beautiful it is. We are staying in a house with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, a decent sized kitchen and a living room. After the first night, Jonathan and I couldn’t take the cramp bunk beds in the room because the loud mattresses creak and groan beneath you if you exhale let alone roll over. We moved our beds out to the living room and now we sleep like babies.
For our project, we are working with the park maintenance and rangers to clear trails and remove invasive plants. Throughout the 3weeks we’ll have some odd jobs like building bridges and cleaning out water-bars on the trails that help prevent erosion. The main person we have been working with so far is Stewart. He is a 40-something year old from TN and when I told him I was a film minor he jumped on that and said “Oh great!! I watch a lot of movies cause there’s not much else to do around here, so maybe you can tell me what the hell No Country For Old Men was about!” …which I could. And I did. Boo yah.
Yesterday we worked with a bunch of the maintenance guys who were either in their 40s or around 60 but looked like they were pushing 80. We rode in the truck with “the boss man” who was one of these latter fellas. He was smoking a black and mild cigar and had maybe 3 teeth in his mouth. I asked how long he had been working here to break the ice in the truck and he gummed a response “Henny Hoo Hears.” Twenty-two years! (in case you didn’t catch what he said… cause I sure as hell didn’t the first time.) Who would have thought that taking the cigar out of his mouth actually maked zero difference in understanding what he was saying… this. is. awesome. Fortunately for me he isn’t the only one who is nearly impossible to understand. There are a few other guys working in the park who mutter every word in what reminded me of living in Argentina where I would nod my head and pretend I understood what the gauchos were telling me. Sometimes it’s a whole different language down here…
He proceeded to tell us how he took night classes 10years back and got his GED and told us to call him the boss man. I was moved by how there are certain things he wanted us to know because he was so proud of them. He earned his nickname and he also worked for that GED and I was happy to see his joy in seeing that we were impressed. The day was spent chain sawing downed trees and tossing limbs in the wood chipper. I also spent about an hour splitting wood with my man arms! I like swingin’ an axe!
Today we removed a bunch of invasive species and burned a bunch of junk/the plants.
As far as exciting incidents thus far, I’d say the runs have been amazing! I saw two bucks this morning and one of them looked like he was going to charge me. He ran along side the road with me and kept getting closer and closer. When I finally passed him he came out behind me and stood watching me go… Whatever, he knew I would kick his ass.
Other than that, the hiking has been amazing, the views and the leaves are beautiful and the fall is upon us! I’m loving it!
PS- Current Leaf Catching Total: 8
10/ 30
The last few days have flown by me like dead leaves in the wind! We spent all day Friday replacing waterbars (6x6 boards that prevent erosion by diverging water down the foot paths). That was pretty fun work but then once those were in we moved, and I mean this literally, 1.5 tons of rock into the areas of the trail that needed to be filled back in from all the erosion. Boy, that work put the rock in my roll for sure!
Then last night we had our “Halloween party” where we ate a bunch of festive foods such as candy corns and apple cider and whatnot. Then we walked out back and had a little camp fire under the stars! It was a great night! (PS- the night before we lay out under the stars and saw 4 or 5 great shooting stars!)
Today a few of us made the long haul out to the Cumberland Caverns for Bluegrass Underground! This is a concert that they hold down in the caverns (333ft below the surface) and it’s in this huge room in the cavern that has a chandelier, a snack shop, bathrooms, and a stage with plenty of seating in front! It was incredible! By far the most interesting venue I’ve ever been to!
Then we came back to the park in time for the Wild Edible Foods dinner! It was Free.99 too!! There was tons of different meats (venison, boar, buffalo, turkey, and squirrel!) And then a plethora of different wild plants!! It was deeeeelish!!
Highlight of the week: I went out for a run on the trails and on the way back through the sun was setting over the gorge. I sat down on a dead tree and enjoyed the gold rays coming through the autumn leaves as I watched the sun go down. Spectacular.
Upcoming Events: Rock Climbing! Hiking! Camping out!! More running!!
Happy Halloween everyone!!
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