2021

Journaling – I did a lot of thinking and scribbling. Unfortunately, I came away with a lot more questions than answers. 2

Enjoying the view – between interludes of journaling and swimming. I even completed some camp chores.

Day Three – Morning coffee

Breakfast – Biscuits and gravy and a cup of coffee.

Day Two Campfire.

Day Two – Piney Creek lakeside vistas. I never tire of the play of light on the trees here. +2

It’s good to be back – Camped in Piney Creek Wilderness. I was last here on a day hike with Katie and Lanie back in April. It’s good to be back and I’m planning on staying for three nights in a repeat of my visit over Independence Day Weekend last year. One-minute read, +2

First glimpse of the lake – but not my first encounter. I checked the lake level before I left, and it was five feet above standard pool. When I was here this time last year, I think it was eleven feet above pool. Anyway, the lake was high enough to have covered the trail in places on the way in. One-minute read

Leave no trace – How NOT to camp in the Wilderness. Got your own land? Go for it, cut down trees, and make as much mess as you like. Public land? Leave no trace, Let’s not trash the wilderness. One-minute read, +3

‘Top-up Creek’ – On my trips to the lake at Piney Creek I almost always stop here to get water. So I’ve decided to name this feeder-creek ‘Top-up Creek.’

Feeding the obsession – It’s not really an obsession, more of a passion. I like leather journals. I enjoyed my new Field Notes sized journal so much I decided to buy another one. +2

Trail journal – don’t knock my writing. It’s not easy to write neat notes while you are hiking. Note the tiny mechanical pencil I bought just for hiking. I included a normal-sized one in the picture for comparison.

Education for Ministry – I needed a stock picture to illustrate an article. I couldn’t find one I liked, so I threw this together.

Photographs, inks, cell phone, and Buck 110 knife on my monitor stand – and no I didn’t arrange them for the picture. Me, OCD much?

Weekend cleaning – To paraphrase the immortal line from ‘Apocalypse Now,’ I love the smell of gun oil in the morning. Many years of backpacking have certainly taken their toll on the finish of my Beretta.

Blue Jay – Pretty, but not popular as they are bossy, noisy, and drive off the other birds. This one happened to arrive as I was sitting on the sofa in the ‘Sparkle Zone’ cup of tea in hand, and my camera within reach.

Unused pencil and old plans – While the pencil remains unused, the plans at least have been implemented with the completion of the storage area in the garage in 2019. +2

How many journals do you need? I’d say three binders holding a total of seven notebooks. That’s what you can see here, and each has a purpose. 4   3

Tree Frog – it was tiny! Not much over an inch long, laying on one of the wooden boards of the screen on the deck.

Storm clouds over Ozark – checking on the radar, the storm was nine miles away over Ozark.

View to the southeast from the Pilot Trail, and the hike out.

Fire ring and campsite – I showed Ginger a little scenic overlook on a hidden trail. It looks like someone has been making themselves at home on the short trail leading to the overlook.

Journal: Gary & Ginger, a couple of nights at Hercules Glades, June 2021. Journal: 5 18

Ginger disappearing around a corner on the Pilot (Tower) Trail

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