Yesterday's long drive landed us in the North Georgia Mountains. We arrived at our friends' cabin (Serenity Pines) around 9:00 and just a little after dark. The location - high in the Chattahoochee National Forest north of Elligay - was a little too much for our GPS so we had to rely on a hand-drawn map for navigation (It was almost a little too much for the hand drawn map!).
But we made it safely, and woke up this morning to 60-degree mountain air. Joy, joy, joy!
Our day proceeded as follows:
- Coffee on the wide deck, overlooking a spectacular mountain vista
- Devotional time with Rebekah, also on the back porch
- Breakfast at the Mainstreet Grill in historic downtown Elligay
- Hiking in the Amicalola (Tumbling Waters) State Park, including a decent climb to the spectacular falls (729 ft)
- Lunch at the park lodge with breath-taking views
- An afternoon of serious work because this is, after all, officially "study leave"
We could have stood by Rebekah's SUV in the parking lot, looked up through the gap in the trees, and said something like, "Look, a cool water fall". But we didn't. We put in a couple of miles of steep hiking so we could get up to the awesome part.
Cue set up here for the following quote: "There are views, I have discovered, reserved only for serious hikers willing to strap a heavy pack and maybe a tent on their backs. Because driving is one thing; walking is something else... [I am] a pilgrim of sorts - making progress unimaginable to anyone not willing to tie their shoelaces, set aside the time, pull out the Band-Aids, grit their teeth, and pay the price...." (The Unmaking of a Part-Time Christian", page 61)
The awesome part does, typically, require the extra effort. Today I am reminded of how spectacular that can often be.
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