Betsy and George at Short Springs State Natural Area. February 14, 2009.
As I mentioned yesterday, Betsy and I did some hiking and waterfalling on Valentine’s Day. It’s becoming something of a tradition for us. In February there tends to be more water at some of the smaller waterfalls and the bare trees make it easier to find a waterfall when bushwhacking.
The longest hike we had on Saturday was at the Short Springs State Natural Area near Manchester, Tennessee. Short Springs has a well-developed trail system which is both well-maintained and well-marked. We hiked the Machine Falls Loop, which got us quite close to the base of Machine Falls.
Most of the time the trail was very moderate, although the descent into the canyon containing the waterfall was very steep. There were several stone steps that would be difficult for my short-legged beautiful bride to climb on the way up. To continue around the loop would be a longer hike, but what would the climb up out of the canyon be like? We didn’t know.
But one of the nice things about hiking is that you meet some of the nicest people on the trail. While we were admiring the stream below the falls, we met a boy scout leader who was familiar with the area. (He’s the one who took the picture above). He recommended continuing around the loop. The ascent up Jesus Hill — so called because he felt that would be where he would meet Jesus when climbing up — was steep but contained no rocks to climb over. We made it up the hill (slowly) and had a nice hike around the rest of the loop.
Most of the time when hiking we have the trail to ourselves, which we very much enjoy — it’s a great way to feel close to God’s beautiful creation. But once in a while we meet another hiker who shows us another aspect of that beauty.
Senior Moments 