I had learned that North Chickamauga Creek Gorge State Park would be closing today, Monday March 23, for about a year as they make changes and improvements to the park. They are adding an ADA creek pier for viewing, a bathroom, paving the parking areas, etc. Information on the closure can be found here. There will be sections open for hiking from different trailheads.
Since I haven't been to my favorite hammock spot in a while, I knew I needed to get there before I couldn't access it for a year. I don't know if the spot will change or not, but not being able to go there for a year (or hike, etc.) is a long time.
Between church and a meeting, I went there. It was already getting full, but it got more full as I was there.
As I walked in, I noticed trillium and phlox. I set up my hammock in the normal spot I found years ago. Then I took pictures of the flowers I had seen on the way in. In addition to the trillium and phlox, I found quite a few little brown jugs.
I spent some time in the hammock before heading to the rocks on the water. I went to a big rock that has a "tiger paw" print in it. I doubt that is what it is, but that's what it looks like. It's one of my go-to rocks. After listening to the water for a while and watching it flow, I headed back to the hammock. I noticed there were people on rocks to the left and the right.
I brought a book with me: Creation's Call: A Lenten Guide to Spiritual Renewal by Teresa Angle-Young and Jessie Squires Colwell. I have read some of it prior, but it was good to be in creation as I read some of it. It has exercises to do in nature, teaches about the connection of nature to God, offers Scripture readings for reflection. I popped around the book. It's an affirmation to what I know and have experienced in creation. Just one quote from the book for now: "In a world that often feels overwhelming, the forest offers us a sanctuary of peace and restoration. The stress-reducing effects of spending time in nature can complement the biblical call to cast our anxieties upon God, who cares for us. As we immerse ourselves in nature, we find ourselves better equipped to truly entrust our worries to the divine." (78)
Nature time calms my soul, restoring peace and calm to my being. There is a physiological effect we get when we are in nature, among the trees, near the water. And that is what I was hoping for during my hammock time yesterday. Though I have several places I like to hang in my hammock, this place allows me to hear the roaring of the creek. It allows me to play on the rocks. Yesterday I even got to see a few kayakers go by. It's known as a good place for skilled kayakers and it is a fun thing to see when they are there.
I spent time in the hammock, listening to the roar of the water, looking up through the tree tops to the sky. At times there were clouds. At other times, it was just blue skies.
- Blooms
- Buds
- Butterflies
- Coolness of rock
- Warmth of sun
- Kayakers
- Sunbathers
- Roar of the water over the rocks
- Little brown jugs
- Blue skies
- Lots of people on this last day prior to the closure for renovations
- Somebody smoking weed
- 78 degrees Fahrenheit
- Clouds flowing, expanding, dissipating
- Fresh air
- Climbing on rocks
- Peace and calm for my soul
- 80 degrees Fahrenheit when I left
- About an hour and a half of nature time
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