Adventures, Random Thoughts, and A Little Zen

Adventures, Random Thoughts, and A Little Zen
Boneyard Beach, Bull Island, Cape Romain National Wildlife Refuge, South Carolina

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Dog Day Afternoon...

Actually it should be Dog Day Morning, but that wasn't the title of the movie, but then the movie has nothing to do with today, but then I should maybe start over with a title more likely to fit the TV series, "I Shouldn't Be Alive" or "Vacations Gone Bad."  Or maybe I shouldn't worry so much about the title so much.  So lets start anew...


Pinnacle...
–noun

1.
a lofty peak.
2.
the highest or culminating point



Today we planed to take a hike with Bunny and left it up to her what hike we would do.  Tooga, one of our dogs, was recooping from a strain to one of his legs from the previous day and was going to sit this one out while Tuck, our other dog, would carry on without him while we hiked with Bunny and Max, Bunny's dog (her only dog).  Very doggy.  It was decided that we were to tackle "Pinnacle Rock."  The landscape around these parts leads one to believe there are not a lot of flat parts.  The following photos were taken during the hike today to give you a sense of what a culminating point might be like.  Like the golf cart paths at Sequoyah National Golf Club, we don't have golf cart paths or hiking trails like this in Missouri.
Here Bunny and Max are standing in front of a typical
Smoky Mountain creek waterfall, next to me and Tuck,
while we are still fresh on the trail.
The trail is 3.5 miles, one way (yes, 7  miles roundtrip!).
It is an old logging road that is being reclaimed by the mountain.
New growth is slowly encroaching and narrowing the path.
The higher we climbed, we started to see tree damage from the
previous nights storm that blew through the area, leaving our trail
at times blocked, but that would not stop us!  We cleared
what we could as we went.
Here, Tuck is modeling how the trail becomes more
narrow, the higher we go.
As we neared the Pinnacle, the trail narrowed even more
and you had to stoop over to move through the brush as
if through a tunnel.
Here are two photos "stitched" together to show the reward for reaching Pinnacle Rock.  
In the distance is the small town of Sylva, where the concert in the park took place.
To give you an idea of elevation gain for this hike, it would have been like starting out
at the center of this picture in the valley below the shadow and climbing to the highest peak.
Yeah, you should be impressed!
The obligatory summit group shot.
From trailhead to summit, there was much to take in, so here are a few highlights.
One of a few different kinds of mountain flowers still blooming.
Another photogenic stair stepping waterfall.
Yet another.
A spot of color that caught my eye off to the side
of the trail.  Gives you a clue as to what fall must look
like around here.
A drink and a quick splash to end the hike...
well deserved!
This was Tucks first real brush with the wilderness and steep terrain.  He made all canines proud, even though he was not allowed to explore every smell and sound that drew his attention.  Good dog Tuck!

P.S.  Bunny's electricity went out due to last nights storm and she found out that it would not be back on for 3 more days.  Think about that for a minute and what that means...

Well for us, it meant meeting John and Kate, friends of Bunnys.  They had freezer space available for Bunny and an invitation for dinner for her and her guests...US!  It included, among other taste treats, burgers that were to die for and for desert...ice cream covered with homemade chocolate syrup.  We've encouraged Bunny to call her other friends looking for freezer space while we are here.
















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