Wednesday, April 4, 2018

Adventure Tourism Round 2 & 3

So because I'm the worst, this is going to contain Adventures 2 & 3. But I'm also excusing myself due to it being the last three weeks of school, and I've gone down the rabbit hole and the burning light is near and all those cliches. So anyway...ADVENTURING!

Last week was probably the most adventurous, bravest moment of my entire life. Not the hiking part. The hike was beautiful. We traversed 2.5 miles from Rainbow Lake, which is mossy and spectacular, all the way up to Edwards Point, a huge cliff at the tip top of Signal Mountain. The trail up to this place is super rocky and muddy, so I do not recommend for people with bad joints or bad balance (yes, I include myself in that category, which is why my ankle is now slightly messed up). However, the view was absolutely, 100% worth it. We could see into Chattanooga and the river bend. Absolutely lovely. But here comes the adventurous part. I repelled down the cliff. Yep, little old me went over the edge. I don't live life on the edge, guys. I live over it. Ha! I will say, it took me a VERY long time to convince myself to do it, and granted, I did not do it well. I got over the edge just fine. It was the holding onto the rope and controlling my speed that got me. After 3 surgeries on my right wrist, I don't have too much grip strength in my right hand. But here's a tip--lean back more than you think you can. Leaning forward just makes you go free falling down the cliff, which I did. But I did it, and I'm extremely proud of myself. Probably will never do it again. But I recommend doing it at least once in your life time, at the very least for the free falling adrenaline.

Then today, though I thought we were going climbing, we actually ended up canoeing down Nickajack Lake, which is actually not a lake at all but a reservoir with train tracks running through the water. It was quite windy and freezing this morning to be out on the choppy water, but again, it was beautiful and a lot of fun. I sat in the front for the first half of our ride, and believe me, I feel it in my shoulders for sure. But we paddled to these sloping cliffs where people typically Free Solo Climb and then leap into the water safely without fear of hitting any rocks. We would've done it--I would've done it (badly)--but it was ridiculously cold so the class unanimously passed on that opportunity.

On the way back to the dock, in our boat of friends, we competed with the rest of the boats on who was going to win, though they didn't know that. We definitely cut a few people off several times. Even though I was sitting in the middle at this point and wasn't supposed to be paddling, I paddled anyway so that we came in a strong second place in a competition that only existed in our minds. This was probably the best day by far.

(Fun Sidenote, one of the leader's boats started pulling out a net and a life vest, and we are 50% sure that there very well might be a body at the bottom of the lake..............)

So who knows what's going to happen next week! But I hope you continue along for the last two weeks of my adventures (that includes college as a whole...what?!?!)

Happy Trails,
     HER 

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