A Tennessee Weekend: Sunday Hike
And I’m back to (finally) wrap up the series of posts about my (now not so) recent trip to Tennessee. If you want to read any of the previous posts, they are: A Tennessee Weekend: An Introduction
A Tennessee Weekend: Saturday Adventures
Rarely in life is anything truly perfect. I think that is a good thing. At least for myself, I know that if the great and wonderful moments in life were not frequently tinged with imperfection or followed by things less wonderful, then I would spend too much time looking back, wishing to return to that “perfect” moment or day or time rather than living in the present. That is a reality that I appreciate even more as I continue to learn how to fully live in and experience the present, whatever it may be. However, there are a handful of times in my life that I would consider to have attained that elusive perfection - meals or hours or sometimes even days where life was, simply put, transcendent.
My weekend in Tennessee was one of those times. It is no surprise, then, that Shannon and I found the ideal way to end an already remarkable weekend. Sunday afternoon we drove to South Cumberland State Park. About an hour from Murfreesboro, the park was worth every second of the drive. Of course, we could not begin the drive without the necessary supplies, which in this case were coffee and CDs from our freshman year in college.
Two songs in and we were suddenly transported to the many previous car trips that had occurred with the same soundtrack.
Between the coffee and the music, which prompted countless “do you remember whens” and seemingly endless laughter, the drive to the park passed quickly. It didn’t hurt that the scenery was beautiful, either.
Our first stop was the visitors center, where the helpful lady at the desk gave us various information about hiking recommendations and sites we could see.
Given that the reason we had chosen this park was that it was on a list of “Best Waterfall Hikes Near Nashville,” seeing a waterfall was kind of a goal. She also provided us with this lovely and not exactly to scale map.
We only got turned around once, so I would say it was an effective map despite its rather rustic initial appearance.
Shannon and I thoroughly enjoyed our hike. We chose to hike the 2-mile Grundy Forest Day Loop and part of the Fiery Gizzard Trail (at around 13 miles one-way, this is a common hike for overnight hikers) to get to Sycamore Falls. At a little over 3 miles, it was a perfect afternoon hike. Although on any day South Cumberland State Park would be a wonderful place to be, and I highly recommend it (plus, unlike state parks in Texas, it’s free; totally worth a hand drawn map instead of a glossy brochure), on the day we were there it was particularly magical. The temperature was perfect and the light, oh the light. It was like we entered another world - one with waterfalls and trees and a light that made everything glow beautifully as it filtered through the trees. Sadly, the exquisite luminosity was impossible to capture in a photograph. But the experience was enchanting and only added to the already perfect weekend.
We of course could not leave without seeing Foster Falls. Not having time to hike down to the falls (another day…) we contented ourselves with watching a bit of the sunset from the observation deck. Even from a distance, it was breathtaking.
Again, I can highly recommend a visit to South Cumberland State Park. Although we did a relatively short hike, there are longer, more challenging trails designed for overnight hikers. There is also an area that is supposed to be excellent for experienced rock climbing. If we had thought to wear swimming suits, many of the areas below the various waterfalls make excellent swimming holes. I could imagine that being lovely later in the summer or on a hotter day.
By this point, Shannon and I were hungry. We had asked for local recommendations from the friendly lady at the visitors center earlier in the day. Her top choice was the, hopefully not too aptly named, Gizzard Grill.
Although they did, in fact, serve gizzards, thankfully their menu did offer some variety. One of my (flexibly applied) rules for life is that hiking deserves a hamburger and french fries. After hiking is just about the only time I eat such a meal, which is probably somewhat ironic. I am so glad I decided to splurge after this hike; I had one of the best burgers I have ever eaten. It had all the necessary basics for a quality hamburger, but the toppings took it to the nothing-short-of-amazing level.
Enjoying a really good meal in the middle of a random small town in Tennessee just added more charm to the weekend.
As we headed back to Murfreesboro, somewhat more subdued than earlier in the day, we reflected on the weekend and our friendship. Later that evening and early into the next morning, we would continue to reminisce while looking through old scrapbooks instead of sleeping. Times like this weekend are rare gifts. So often, our friendship is characterized by hurried text messages and brief Facebook interactions. We do not often take time for a phone call (and, seriously, we both hate talking on the phone), but we look forward to the times when we can be together. We have lived and celebrated and grieved together, we have loved and supported one another just as we have been frustrated with and hurt by one another. Nothing in life, not even the best of friendships, is without its flaws. But, every once in a while, there exists a fleetingly perfect moment or day or time and this weekend with this friend was absolutely, unquestionably perfect.