I've been taking extreme advantage of my new weekends off with everything from sleeping in to long mimosa brunches with darling. Last weekend was spent on a 6 hour 8.5 mile trek through Virgin Falls in Sparta Tennessee. I continue to be amazed at the number of places within this lovely state of mine that I have yet to explore. One down. I had to have a pretty serious talk with myself with 2 miles to go. I suppose I should have paid more attention to the sign warning me of the "strenuous terrain". A very true statement that I decided was just posted to scare off the wimps who were used to state park strolling trails. But none the less, I finished, and was pretty proud of myself. We took the pup (naturally) who left us in his dust most of the way. I'm not sure where he finds the energy, but he kept me going. Him, and darling giving me small pep talks every few miles.
We stumbled on a small trail that led to a river about 4 miles in and decided to have a swim. Truly, I was just in desperate need of a rest from all that strenuous terrain, so finding this cool, shady oasis was more than just welcoming. There were huge trees on all sides, and babe found a rope swing that seemed like it was left there just for us, and he took full advantage. Bailey decided that he didn't like the idea of us going too far out in the water, and swam out to guide us back in EVERY time. The water was littered with small fish that took an immediate liking to my legs, and I couldn't seem to stop laughing from all the nibbling taking place beneath the surface.
We meet quite a few people on the trail, and in turn quite a few other dogs. Our first encounter was with a golden labradoodle, and she and Bailey knew right away that they were two of a kind. They literally left us behind and started walking side by side down the trail together. Which was a bit of a problem as the gentleman whom she belonged to was heading in the opposite direction. We managed to separate the lovebirds to continue, and quickly came across another dog. Lela was much less friendly. She was with a group of campers who were taking the trail in chapters and staying the night. We had to pass through their campsite to continue on our way, and this dog didn't like Bailey from the moment she met him. She snapped at him 3 times, each time, Bailey calmly sitting back and taking it in stride letting her get it out of her system. After the 3rd time, being the mama bear that I am when it comes to my pup, I'd had finally had enough of this snotty little dog that thought she owned the place. I wrapped up the encounter pretty quickly and we moved on.
We finally made it all the way to Virgin Falls, and even after our mild altercation with the snippy Lela and being nearly devoured by a tiny pack of small piranhas, we'd made it. And it was worth the aching legs, the battle I would fight with poison ivy the following week, and the overpowering smell of bug spray that lingered for days. More than worth it. Bailey, on the other hand, is still recovering.
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