We drove through the campground to find our spot, settling on a great site under a tree next to a large field.  We quickly set up camp and then headed to the store.  As we drove out of the park, I was in awe of the beauty of the area.  Suddenly I felt overwhelmed, and the tears started flowing as all of the tension of the last few weeks left my body, giving way to the peace and tranquility I saw in front of me.

After dinner, we enjoyed the campfire.  It was a clear night with a blanket of stars above us.

The Channels

In the morning, we headed to Abingdon to explore The Channels.  I had inadvertently put it in my notes as Abingdon Caverns by mistake. We followed the directions, which took us into Tennessee.  I thought it was strange until we arrived at our location.  When we put Abingdon Caverns into GoogleMaps, we didn’t realize that it redirected us to Bristol Caverns.  Of course, we had no data in the parking lot so drove back towards Abingdon until we had data again.  It took a little digging, but I eventually found the original article I had read and put in the correct name of where we wanted to go.

We finally arrived at our destination after driving over winding, curvy country roads.  We knew we were in the right spot because there was a small sign that said Channels State Forest on the gate we passed through.  We followed the gravel road for about three miles.  Most of the road was in pretty good shape, but there were some bad spots, so we took our time.  The incline was steep, and I noticed that the engine was getting hot.  We quickly threw on the heat for a few minutes, fixing the problem.

We parked when we came to a closed gate and continued on foot.  According to the GPS, we had just under two miles to go.  Chris was ecstatic with all of the chanterelles and black trumpets we found.  We only took what we planned to eat for dinner, but thoroughly enjoyed the vast array of mushrooms we saw.

A Longer Hike Than Anticipated

After almost a half-mile, we came to an intersection.  There was a rock cairn showing which path to take.  After we walked the two miles, we did not see any sign of The Channels.  We had passed a sign indicating The Channels were at the summit.  The GPS showed that it was near us, but we weren’t willing to leave the trail to hike randomly through the woods, up the side of the mountain.  We pressed on.

The trail became increasingly steeper.  A beautiful pair of hawks flew gracefully past us as we hiked.  I started second-guessing myself if we were even on the right path.  Several times Chris turned around and gave me an “Are you sure?” look.  I kept thinking that it must be just around the next bend.  I was almost ready to give up and go back.  The thought of coming all this way and not seeing The Channels because we turned around right before we got there kept me going.

We came to a fence with No Trespassing signs posted.  I almost cried, but then we realized that the path turned to the right.  Undecided if we should continue, I looked at the GPS again.  I realized that the trail turned in the direction of where it indicated The Channels were.  Invigorated by this discovery, we ventured on.  We knew we had to be close when we saw a giant sandstone boulder beside the trail.

The Reward

We finally reached the top of the mountain and were rewarded with a spectacular view.  In just a few more steps, we were at The Channels.  We followed the path, taking a break to catch our breath on the rocks at the top before continuing into the labyrinth of giant sandstone blocks.  Walking through the maze of boulders felt surreal.  It was damp, and we felt a cool breeze as we meandered around.

As we made our way back down the mountain, I noticed huge rocks near where the GPS wanted us to get off of the trail.  I think it may have been the bottom of The Channels.  I still don’t think I would be comfortable traversing the terrain between the path and the distant rocks.

When we returned to the truck, Chris said he wanted to drive out.  At first, I thought it was a comment about my driving but quickly realized that he just wanted to have some fun.

A Nice Surprise

After the slow drive down the mountain, we stopped to switch seats.  I noticed what I thought was a dog across the road.  In my mind, something didn’t make sense.  I looked at the dog again and realized that it was a fox.  While we watched, another fox came out of the woods near the first.  We both agreed that, had our four-mile hike not ended up being seven miles, we would not have been in this spot at this time and would have missed this beautiful scene.

We were an hour away from the park and were both hungry.  Having passed a barbecue place the day before, Chris was in the mood for brisket.  We ordered food from Bone Fire Smokehouse, eating half of it in the car before we went back to camp.

A Strange Sight

Exhausted, we finished our dinner at the picnic table without lighting a fire.  Again, the sky was beautiful.  As we looked at the stars, I noticed what looked like a star moving across the sky.  My first instinct was that it was a plane, but it didn’t have any of the usual blinking lights.  It also looked to be much higher up than a plane would fly.  My next thought was that it might be the space station passing over.  The erratic movement of the light seemed to rule that thought out.  I thought I might be seeing things, but then Chris made a comment confirming that he had seen the same thing.  I have no idea what we saw, but we had a great time letting our imaginations run wild before we went to bed.

The next morning, I went to an overlook to watch the sunrise.  It was incredible seeing the hot pink sun crest over the mountain in the distance.  As the sun rose, the pink gave way to brilliant yellow.  After returning to bed for a little more sleep, we enjoyed breakfast while relaxing under the tree before going on a short hike in the park.

Ponies

I hoped to see the wild ponies, but there is no guarantee where they will be at any given time.  After a short walk, we saw the ponies in the distance near large rocks.  When we crossed paths with them, we were concerned that one was lying on the ground.  We were relieved to see that it was just a tired baby.  When he got up and called to mom, it was evident by the sound that he was very young.

We hiked to the top of the rocks, passing another pony on the way.  The boulders were easy to climb, and the reward at the top was an amazing 360-degree view of the mountains.  I originally wanted to hike to a waterfall as well but, after our crazy hike the day before, our short walk was enough.

We headed to the barbecue spot we had seen previously for some lunch.  As we left the park, a gorgeous hawk flew across the road just in front of us.  The barbecue was not ready yet, so we returned to Sarah’s Restaurant at Fox Creek General Store for dinner instead.  It was the first eat-in restaurant experience that we have had since March.  The food was terrific, as were the owners.

Before returning to our campsite, I drove down the road to the picnic area, intrigued by what the Homestead was.  I was thrilled that we decided to check it out.  In the picnic area, we found a beautiful rock formation.  The best part, though, was as we drove, we came across a field with another herd of ponies.  After enjoying a lovely campfire, we faded off to sleep to the serenade of the cicadas.

Driving back to civilization in the morning, we heard the loud rumble of fighter jets, and then a Tomahawk streaked through the sky right in front of us.  A car fire on the interstate a few miles ahead of us slowed the trip home considerably.  I was grateful that GoogleMaps directed us around most of the traffic.  Just after we passed through Richmond, we had the treat of a very low flying bald eagle coming straight at us.

We both agreed this is the best trip we have had yet.  I’m not sure if that is because we had more time, how spectacular the scenery was, or because the previous few weeks had been so stressful.  Maybe it’s a combination of all three.  Whatever it was, nature therapy was just what we needed.

Cost of trip –  gas $112, camping $83.98, firewood $18.