Up Close and Personal

I've been itching to do another hike for awhile now.  Friday seemed like the perfect day to be outside so Mathis and I decided to head out to McAfee Knob.  I can't believe we've only done this hike once, and it's almost been two years since then.

The hike is about 8 miles to and from the Knob.  We set off with our camelbacks, snacks, and Jimmy Johns sandwiches for an afternoon of adventure. :)  Nearly the entire trail is shaded by trees, and it's absolutely beautiful.

We only stopped about once or twice on our way up -- I am in such better shape today than I was two years ago when we first moved here.  Mathis and I had some great conversations along the way, and it wasn't long before we arrived to this incredible view.  McAfee Knob is the most photographed spot on the Appalachian Trail, and I think you can see why.

We set up the timer on my camera for this photo, and I think it turned out okay.

Mathis took this next one for his Mom. Good grief...

I much prefer this one where he's safely standing back from the ledge. :)

For a long time we were the only ones up on the knob.  We ate our lunch and took in the beautiful views.  There was a cool breeze up at the top, and it felt wonderful!

We eventually decided to make our way back down the mountain.  We took a different trail going down that was wider than the first.  My legs were really starting to feel it by this point.  Like mile 20 feel it (not that this was as difficult as the marathon, but the metaphor still fits).  I eventually got my second wind, but it was still tough.  Every now and then we'd hear something rustling in the bushes.  It was often a gecko or squirrel.  At one point we heard a VERY loud noise.  Mathis assured me that it was probably just some other hikers.  All of a sudden the noise got even louder, and we looked to our left and saw a black bear.  I was so freaked out at first!  My first reaction was to keep walking down the trail, but Mathis assured me the bear was running away from us.  Once I knew that I wasn't in any immediate danger I watched the bear from a safe distance.  It was crazy!  We even caught a glimpse of a second black bear further away.  These bears were really close to the previous trail that we had hiked on our way up.  Of course we're scrambling for the camera, and these are the best pictures we managed to get.

Pathetic, I know.  We had a much closer view than this fuzzy picture shows, but I just thought I'd include the pictures for good measure.  I realize that this could be a large black rock for all you can tell.  Trust me it was a bear.  I'm from Baylor and I know my bears. ;)

I still can't get over the fact that we saw these bears up close and personal.  It was really cool watching them move about even though it was such a quick encounter.  I've known there are a lot of bears in the area, but wikipedia says that seeing them on the Appalachian Trail is rare for hikers.  It was such a highlight to have seen this, and I'm so grateful for it.  The day itself was so great, and this verse was on my heart the whole time... "Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made" John 1:3.