Mapping the Sheltowee

[sheltowee wanderer]

After spending the night on the beach below the falls I meet my parents at the visitor center the day for re-supply and to dump the data from my camera and GPS. They treated me to lunch at a nearby restaurant. We picked up some new gel insoles for my hiking boots to alleviate the chronic problem that was occurring with my feet. I was dropped off back at the falls just to turn around and be picked up my Maja Cupac, a good friend of mine and recent graduate of Berea College. We ate dinner at the Duponte Lodge and admired some of the local wildlife. (Raccoons) We hung around for the Moon bow that night but it was too cloudy for the moon bow to make its appearance so we went to Somerset where her parents live to give me a couple of days to heal my feet up.

After a couple days of being healed up and enjoying some good Croatian food, Maja and her Dad took me back to Cumberland falls. I quickly took some photos of the area and while making last minute adjustments to my pack, a man from Chicago came and asked some questions about what I was doing so I gave him the web address for www.sheltoweetrace.com like I had been doing throughout the trip. It looks like I should have made business cards with site on it so hand out along my journey. I took off down trail chasing the last rays of light stopping down by the river to take advantage of the unique lighting and the scenery for photography. I pressed on determined to find my favorite spot and noting the large amounts of trash along the side of the river. I could not help but ask my self why others can’t seem to find the time to throw away or recycle trash if I am packing all my trash in and out in a backpack while trying to find a place to throw it way after several days. It is much more convenient for those who are in a car or near such facilities. After what seemed forever and with a failing headlamp I found my favorite spot beside the Cumberland River. Someone had left a couple gallons of fresh water from a spring nearby and made cooking very convenient. After eating a filling dinner of tuna and pasta and green tea I headed down to the large boulders that lined the Cumberland River and took a seat to enjoy the nights show. The moon, which was hidden behind the mountain dimly illuminated the night, which was very clear and cool and allowed for decent lighting for effective
night shots. I was really beginning to wish that I had brought a small tripod of sorts to steady my camera during night shots. Instead, I was using a night cap made of wool as a buffer to keep the camera still for the 30 second shots that I was taking. Although the photos were not of professional quality I was still pleased to see that they were showing the night fairly closely to what I was experiencing and that the stars were showing up clearly which indicated to me that the camera had stayed still enough during it’s extended exposure time. An owl was making it’s presence known somewhere up the river and I called back, closely imitated it’s call, and to my surprise I got a response. Suprising still, a cough was heard just up the bank and reminded me once again that I am never very far from being alone.

The Photo Gallery - Day 7