Big South Fork

The few days before fall break I was a mess. I had been planning on going home but plans were changed late in the game and I was staying. Everyone on campus already had plans to leave.

I hate being alone.

I was dreading the idea of spending just a few days by myself on an empty campus.

Then, two days before the exodus, I was talking to my friend Anna. I told her how everything had fallen through and I was stuck. "Come backpacking with us!!" she said.

About 24 hours later I was putting a backpack together and packing a tent. I set off to north Tennessee with 8 people I had just met to live for a few days in the woods.



The first day we drove to Big South Fork and began our hike. We went a pretty easy 4 miles before we made camp. The hike was so beautiful and I got to know everyone along the way. That night we sat around a campfire talking. Savannah and I found out about our common love for reading micro expressions. Or pretending to read them anyways...



The next morning we filtered some water from the stream, packed up camp and continued on the trail. We crossed the river around 15 times. The first few times taking a minute to take off shoes but after the 6th or 7th time we just went for it. There was an on running joke about being on the Oregon Trail and each time we crossed the river we lost some cattle. I also got Typhoid fever at some point. We went 6 or 7 miles with good amount of the trail uphill.

With just about a half mile left I was leading the group down a hill. I'm not sure how but I lost my balance and took a tumble. My ankle felt like it snapped. Terrible pain, nowhere close to the pain when I tore my ACL but still enough to bring me to tears. I limped the rest of the way to camp.

Sprained ankle aside, that night at camp was a lot of fun. We huddled around a campfire after making some amazing chili. All of our wet socks and shoes drying by the fire. Some of them catching on fire.



The moon and stars were so beautiful that night. I hadn't seen so many in a while living in the city. Call me cliche but they were breathtaking.

Fearfully and wonderfully made.

The next morning my ankle was the size of an orange. We had an easy day of hiking ahead so I wasn't too worried. We went a mile or so to the Twin arches. Two giant arches made of stone. This was our view from the top:




Couldn't have asked for a better fall break