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A Taste of Fall Part 1

at Monday, October 25, 2010
Cherokee National Forest|Fall|Hiking|Letterboxing|
Comments Labels: Cherokee National Forest, Fall, Hiking, Letterboxing
In the Fall, Brenn and I try to take a day trip to the Cherokee National Forest. The Cherokee National Forest (CNF) is located in east Tennessee along the North Carolina border. The forest is actually divided by the Smokey Mountains. The CNF has a total of 640,000 acres packed with hiking trails, beautiful views, and thousands of species of plants and animals. I just discovered the beauty of this area a couple of years ago and I have to say I enjoy the CNF more than the Smokey Mountains. During the summer, the CNF is crawling with whitewater rafting enthusiasts. In the winter, the CNF is crawling with bear and hog hunters. No, strike that last comment. The bear and hog hunters strap a GPS device on their dogs and send them into the woods to hunt. The "hunters" meet up at various locations in the forest and sit around sharing stories while holding out hope that their dogs will happen to find something…they call this hunting with technology. I call it cheating. It would be like me sending my dog on a hiking trail while I sit in the parking lot. Based on the same idea I could say I went hiking.

Ok, back on the topic at hand…

A couple of weeks ago we were able to make our Fall day trip to the CNF. This year, Brenn was able to take a friend, which made the trip even more fun. Because my child is 10 and gets bored easily, I have to make the trip about more than hiking. Many years ago, we discovered a fun activity called Letterboxing (http://www.letterboxing.org/). Basically, it's like treasure hunting. The CNF is full of letterboxes, so that's what we plan every year.

Our day began with a visit to the Tellico Plains Ranger Station where we picked up a free map and other materials. We then ate lunch at the picnic area. The first letterbox is located in that vicinity, so after lunch we started our letterbox hunting. (Brenn reading the clues to the first letterbox)

The downside to letterboxing is that sometimes the boxes are no longer where they're supposed to be. Letterboxing isn't a widely known activity, so people who accidentally happen upon a box will often take it. We never found any of the 4 letterboxes we searched for that day. Not a very productive letterboxing day, but we still had an awesome time.

Stayed tuned for part 2… Goodbye Twenties

at Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Comments Labels: Birthday, Twenties On this last day of my twenties, I would like to take a minute to look back at the past ten years.

My twenties brought a newborn baby boy and a decision to raise him the best way I knew how in a Christian home.

My twenties brought many, many, MANY dumb decisions in the relationship department.

My twenties brought a new passion for hiking and backpacking.

My twenties brought a great new job

My twenties brought a newfound love for my church family.

My twenties brought a decrease in my auto insurance.

My twenties brought many new friends.

My twenties brought a yearning to hike the Appalachian Trail one day.

My twenties brought a determination to finish my education.

My twenties brought a a renewed love for my family.

My twenties brought many great vacations to places like Gettysburg, Orange Beach, Gatlinburg, Atlanta, Cherokee NC, Charleston, and Savannah

My twenties brought an understanding of how important my spiritual walk really is.

My twenties brought a love for children's ministry.

My twenties just recently brought a love for single mom's ministry.

There is so much more to remember, but I just can't remember it all. I do know that nothing - my son, my job, my church family, my friends, my family - none of those blessings the past ten years would be possible without God. So, hello thirties. I'm not sure how I feel about you yet, so be kind to me for a little while at least ;) 
Hi, I'm Jennifer!