It was a beautiful afternoon. The sun was out and the skies were blue. It was comfortable with little humidity. The trail starts crossing a sweet litttle wooden bridge. Stepping into the forest is to step into reminders of the past. There is a large stone sign frame and fireplace along with a water fountain. There was a day when these were in play and I imagine in that day there was a sense of permanency about the constructs of man. Standing in front of the fireplace looking past the stone edifice at the encroaching forest one understands the impermanence of temporal creations. Man is the dominant force in the world until he is not. Nature waits, biding her time knowing that when Man steps aside she will arise and reclaim what was hers. It is humbling.
Mom had a wonderful day. We took our time walking the trail, crossing the creek on several log footbridges. We passed a Park Ranger who was hiking back out after a visit to the Shelter and had a nice conversation. We stopped once to listen to the frogs chirping. Mom said she could feel the change in the season coming. Change, sometimes it is a thing we chase wanting to leave behind where we are today; other times it happens and catches us unprepared and leaves us feeling lost and anxious. I am struggling with change. These walks help me to keep my equilibrium in a world where I have lost my footing. As I walked along with mom we joked about the difference with our last hike. She struggled so much with the steep descent and climb I thought I was going to have to carry her out. Who does that to their mom? She told me that this was so much better. Kephart Prong is 2 miles long ending at the Shelter where it meets Sweet Heifer and Grassy Branch trails. We met other hikers out enjoying their holiday. At the Shelter we had a little snack before returning to the trail head.
The walk back took us a little longer coming back. We would stop and rest and chat as we made our way back to the road and our car. I cherish this time with Mom exploring her childhood home. She said she grew up in the Smokies but never ventured out on the trails. It is so easy to take for granted what is outside your back door, treating your surroundings like the background for your life. Then one day you step out of your life and into the woods and everything changes. Where was I when all this was here waiting on me?
MrsSmithsLifeUnexpected 