Backpacking

Many people do not consider the Southeast to be an attractive terrain for outdoor activities. Well, this probably means that they just don't know what they are talking about. Not only are there many remarkable remains of the past few centuries, from beautiful antebellum houses to war structures and Indian sites, but one can also spend a lifetime discovering the numerous hiking and camping opportunities in breathtaking landscapes.

It is different from the Rockies or the Alps, the relief more characterized by gorges and lower mountains. The abundance of creeks and other streams has created many waterfalls that are always a pleasure to discover. Another very enjoyable way to discover those rivers is to go either rafting or canoeing down their rapids, e.g. on the Ocoee River.

It follows a short illustration of the last trip we took to Laurel Snow Pocket Wilderness, Tennessee, and on the Ocoee river. This was the first weekend of the spring quarter, early April.

We left Atlanta on Friday afternoon, and set up the camp at the start of the hiking trails in the park, just by a water stream that formed pools in which courageaous people went for a swim. Hot Dogs, marshmallows and other spirituous "foods" were the essence of the evening. The next morning we woke up late into the singing of the birds. We then started hiking to the two waterfalls and two scenic viewpoints that are the highlight of the park. The hike was about 11 miles long. The evening was spent at the campground, resting our tired legs around a large campfire.

On Sunday morning, we packed up and left for the Ocoee River, where the adventurous part of the weekend was going to start. We received the gear from the rafting company and hopped on the bus that took us to the boarding point. After that, it was one hour of shaking, screaming, swimming, holding on whatever you could, losing people and retrieving them. In other words: lots of fun!