The BackWoods Drifter

For the last couple of days I have been working on my camera trying to get it ready for the trip this coming weekend. I just can’t fathom going to the area around Peachtree Falls and not being able to take photos. On top of that I have been needing to update the Bolt Mountain blog.

At any rate, today while messing around with the camera, my neighbors showed up for a small photo shoot.

This doe and her fawn have been a fixture around my house for a little while now. You can’t tell from the photo but the fawn still has some of its spots. I don’t try to get too close to these deer, not wanting them to get used to my presence. This photo was taken from about 75 yards. Sometimes these two bring their friends with them to the field behind my house. One of them is a very nice six point buck. I’m still waiting for an opportunity to get a picture of him.

You can tell my camera still has issues and I hope to get them lined out before the weekend trip. The next photo was taken looking out into the front yard. I think closer shots and panoramic views will work pretty good for the upcoming camping trip.

Since deciding to go hunting for Indian artifacts I have been doing some internet research into Indians and their relation to the Big Coal River area. The following excerpt comes from an article entitled Landscape and History at the Headwaters of the Big Coal River Valley.

–One Indian trail proceeded along Marsh Fork from Jarrold’s Valley and up Drew’s Creek, crossing Cherry Pond Mountain through the Indian Gap. Artifacts and relics related to every period of Native American occupation are still found at sites scattered throughout the mountains, particularly along Indian trails and around the bedrock overhangs known locally as rock shelters or camp rocks.–

I believe the overhang I intend to investigate this weekend is one of these rock shelters. During the time that Indians would have occupied this area the creek up through Peachtree and Drews Creek would have been the easiest way to travel up the hollows. It is actually said the road that passes right by the falls was the original route into the hollows used by the settlers. Being as that is the case it also stands to reason this could have very well been one of the trails mentioned in the articles.

–Peach Tree Creek was named by the first white settlers because they encountered peach trees planted near the mouth of the hollow.–

The articles say that Indians planted the fruit trees from which Peach Tree is named.

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Not very often will I talk about things on this site that are of a very personal nature. Sometimes I do though and this is one of those times.

I have a serious character flaw that has nearly brought me to my knees on more than one occasion. It’s something that I hate about myself and if there was one thing I could change this would be it. I have a soft heart. I feel the emotions of other people in my heart. I get choked up if I see someone in emotional pain whether I know the person or not. I laugh with total strangers as well as cry with them. I’ve always been generous with my feelings which in most cases causes me to be the person that other people turn to when they need someone to talk to. I’ve never complained and was always happy to be there for someone in their time of need. I have found that this is a one way street. When my life is in turmoil there is no one to turn to.

I talk about hiking a lot on this site and one reason I love to hike is because there is nothing expected of me when I am in the mountains. I leave my troubles at the tree line. The problem is that I always seem to pick them up again on the way out. One of these times I’m going to disappear into the trees and never come out again. I’ll finally be happy in a life of listening and never being heard. Sometimes I envy those that can turn a blind eye to the troubles of other people. I think it is sad to wish for a cold heart.

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In the past I have told stories of Native Americans in relation to Peachtree Falls. These are stories that I have heard for as long as I can remember. Just down stream from the falls is a cliff overhang that would have been perfect for a camp all those years ago. This coming Labor Day weekend I plan to go there camping and looking for artifacts. I think I’m going to try panning for arrowheads and things of that nature. The cliff is located far enough from the creek bed that water cannot reach it.

When I was living in Ohio I used to go out into freshly plowed fields looking for arrowheads. It is especially productive following a rain because flint shines like glass when it is wet. I’ve been wanting to look for arrowheads under the cliff ever since a friend showed me a beautiful arrowhead that he found a little further downstream from the cliff. I had never seen one like it before. It was mostly red about three inches long and flawless. That was the first time I had ever encountered red flint.

The cliff is located at the closest entrance into the area of the falls. Anybody traveling to the falls from higher in the mountains would have to pass directly by the overhang en route to the falls unless they came from further down stream. Even in that case they would still pass within 75 yards of the overhanging rock. I very much enjoy looking for arrowheads and finding them under the cliff would lend a lot of credibility to the old stories.

I have been needing an escape anyway and the one night recently wasn’t enough. This blog, which has been sitting pretty much idle, is proof of that. I’ve been having a concentration problem. At any rate, hopefully I’ll have some cool arrowheads to show off and I’ll tell the stories that belong with them. That is if they are there to be found.

Plans for hiking the Appalachian Trail are moving forward at a good pace. I now have a definite start date which is Sunday June 1, 2008. I plan to hike the north to south route starting in Baxter State Park in central Maine. I had a little bit of a tough time trying to decide in which direction to hike. If I were to start in Georgia and hike north then I could have began the hike almost two months sooner but that would cause me to have to maintain a definite schedule throughout the hike in order to make it into Baxter State Park before it closes for the season. Waiting until June will allow me to be a little more flexible in hiking times and I won’t have to be concerned with feeling rushed.

My main concern between now and then is keeping my health in check and making sure I am in good enough shape to make the hike. I’m really anxious to spend this time in the mountains and already chomping at the bit, so to speak. This is just going to be an amazing experience no matter how it turns out.

More to come on this topic…

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My two day camping trip turned in to an evening and one night in the mountains. It was enough for a recharge and a new perspective. I love being in the mountains late at night. If you can’t find peace within yourself during that time then peace is not to be had. I know I said in my last post that I was going to tell you all about this trip but to be honest there is nothing to tell. Life goes on regardless of all the trivial bs.

I’m not too much in to horoscopes but every now and then I like to read mine just to see if and how it relates to the current state of my life. Imagine my surprise when I read todays horoscope…

People may be rather selfish and self-centered today, but this doesn’t mean that you need to be, too, dear Sagittarius. Remind others of the importance of the collective and that we all need to pitch in and do our part to be happy. You have the ability to offer a great deal of balance to the situation, and you should definitely put this to the test today. Do what you can to make the scales tip back to the center.

I’ve done what I can.

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Sometimes it is a good idea for me, when things seem kind of screwed up, to take a couple of full steps backwards and re-evaluate the general direction my life is going in. One way that I like to do that is to go on a camping trip. I like to go primitive camping far away from everybody and everything. Anybody that has followed this blog can attest to the roller coaster ride that is my life. That is not really a bad thing as long as balance can be maintained between the ups and the downs. Therein lies the problem with this drifter, too may downs, no where near enough ups.

It is past time for me to take those steps backwards. For the next few days I’m going to be primitive camping on Bolt Mountain. Basically just to get away from life for a little bit and get in some quality thinking time. There is definitely no lack of prospective camping spots on the mountain that will isolate me from everything. No phones, no people…

If there is one thing I’m good at, it would be dealing with being alone. I think I have gotten to the point where it just really doesn’t matter anymore. It is easier drifting alone. I don’t really know where I am going with this post. So I’ll just stop here and say that I will be back in a couple of days. Then I will tell you all about this little adventure.

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This post has been removed by request… but for those curious, the Jackass I was referring to in the original post was myself.

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