Tom Bevil Trail

Today we decided to hike the Tom Bevil trail at Lake Guntersville State Park. Whoo boy.

We expected a little over three miles, but somehow missed a sign and kept going. I saw a spot that seemed familiar and told my husband to stop, but he, knowing I am the one with a very poor sense of direction, told me to focus and keep going. Then, we passed another spot that I knew I ‘d taken a picture of, and this time I pulled out the map on my MapMyHike app, that was sorta working when the gps had not been lost. That’s when we knew we’d overshot the mark and had to turn around. This is in about 95 degree weather and we were running low on water. AND this is after we’d come across a rattlesnake on our path! My husband hates snakes. He says the only good snake is a dead snake. Well, this guy was about 3 1/2-4 feet long and very much alive. After that encounter we were walking very slowly, about negative one mile an hour, looking left and right in case the rattler had any siblings in the area. Which was another reason that the Tom Bevil nearly did us in. I think it should be renamed the Tom Devil Trail. Just sayin’.

Last time we were on a long hike and struggling, we were with our daughter. She is so wise. She got us playing a  word game that made us think about the game instead of  how long we still had to get back to the car and it worked.  This time, though, hubby was not interested in games. So, I thought of a few songs along the way to distract myself, while he took the lead taking care of all the spider webs ahead of me.

“Every move you make… Every step you take I’ll be watching you”

Wise Purchases

 

I don’t always make wise purchases. Like the time I got gallons of peachy paint only to get them home and realize it would make my house look like Publix.

Or the time I went along with my husband’s idea of buying a double kayak, which he went out in with me maybe three times in the water behind our house. It was too large for me to tote anywhere on my own and we eventually ended up selling it to someone who bought it as a graduation gift for her son.  I don’t remember whatever became of all the peachy paint.

But, I want to tell you about three things that WERE wise purchases and have and still are serving me well.

First is my trusty backpack. I have had it for 15 years and it’s still going strong. It was first purchased for a trip to Ireland, and has been put to use ever since for hiking, carry-on for plane flight, trips with grandkids, to the library, and even to work some days. It’s thin enough to flatten in the bottom of a suitcase it needed. I purchased it from the Rick Steves website, where you can find the updated version.

Second is my Brita water bottle. I’ve had it for about three years, not sure exactly. I actually found it marked down at Publix, but it can be ordered online. It goes with me when I travel. I take it empty through security, then fill it on the other side at a water fountain.  I’ve ordered refill filters via amazon. It’s also used when I hike.

My most recent wise purchase is a hiking stick. I ordered it for hiking, but soon after had knee surgery. I used it to hobble around at work for a short while and now use it whenever I hike up and down any inclines. It’s super lightweight and folds up into its own little bag.

Today I await delivery of what I hope is another wise purchase – a new laptop.  I don’t have a desktop, so it IS my desktop.  My old one (Asus) has served me well but in laptop years I think it’s older than me. If it’s like dog years it’s 70. I use my chromebook (Lenovo now) on a very regular basis, but there are somethings I just can’t do on it, such as edit photos. I’m excited to see if this purchase (Lenovo) will magically improve my writing and photography skills. Time will tell.