Boyd McCleary's Travels Now and Then : July 2017

Georgia - June 10-17, 2017

In lieu of a more traditional post, I am including a poem I wrote that is dedicated to Cassie Ley, my stepdaughter, friend, backpacking buddy, and the the person most responsible for reawakening in me, my love of backpacking adventures.

Appalachian Trail Baptism

She sold her dream

At family gatherings

A wouldn’t it be great

Collection of nattering’s

Cassie’s bold vision

Of a graduation gift

Loosed upon those

Who could give it a lift

Recounting tales

Of hiker lore

Adventure’s spark

Lit Boyd’s inner core

Upon graduation

We all agreed

Would be the time

To complete this deed

Summa Cum Laud

Was her graduation prize

Then off to REI

For a pack just her size

High tech gear

Right off the rack

High fives all round

With just the right pack

Bought some food

You know the kind

Dehydrated stuff

Sans water to bind

Packs got loaded

Drew them down tight

On to the scale

With hopes they were light

33 pounds

You got to be kidding

Boyd was so sure

He had done Cassie’s bidding

Poop shovels and books

All were included

Left nothing behind

Oh how deluded

Packed up her car

With lightness of heart

The adventure begins

Springer Mountain our start

The soft trail began

With fairy dust twinkling

What was before us

Not more than an inkling

Over footbridge and brooks,

Through fields of wild fern

We wended our way

Talking in turn

Eleven miles of hiking

Just one summit more

To Sassafras Mountain

Lord our bodies were sore

Exhausted yet happy

Weary unto our core

We set up our camp

On God’s forest floor

Embracing the downpour

We climbed up Blood Mountain

For all the world

Like hiking a fountain

Timber Rattler on trail

With Cassie at lead

Jump back girl

He’s a big one indeed

That’s one pissed off rattler

I’m here to say

Just couldn’t leave him

In everyone’s way

Trudged through more rain

To Blue Mountain Shelter

Weaving through rocks

Just all helter skelter

Naked as Jay Birds

We entered out tent

Upon Leveland Mountain

We were dry and content

Dicks Gap came upon us

Way way too soon

As this was only

Friday at noon

Storm was a coming

Food running lean

Half mile to the hostel

Where we could get clean

A cabin was rented

Warm showers were had

Civilization it seems

Wasn’t all that bad

And yet the next morn

As hikers got started

Cassie and I

Just stood broken hearted

Our souls were baptized

Upon that long trail

We who sustained

All hearty and hale

Dedicated to Cassie Ley, a daughter not of my blood, but of my soul. Boyd T. McCleary June, 2017

Here is a video Cassie put out on YouTube from our 70+ mile hike of the Georgia section of the Appalachian Trail: https://youtu.be/wT4O-yWhnDc

Below are some pics we took along the way. I can't wait to get back out on the trail!

Boyd & Cassie at beginning of hike, Springer Mtn.

Fire Weed along the trail

Just Boyd taking a breather

Celebrating finding some water to drink

Cassie catching the raindrops

Morning instant coffee from Starbucks

Fire weed and blue St. John Wort

A Luna Moth bright against the trails dark earth

Boyd's fire to dry socks and hiking boots

Warmth and heat after cold thunder showers

Boyd's dinner in cooling mode

Happy but exhausted

Lot's of rain to contend with

Post rain antics to keep up our spirits

Mountain Laurel

Plenty of mushrooms sprouting from the forrest floor

Happy time by one of the brooks

The 5' Timber Rattler Cassie almost stepped on and I cleared off the trail

Cassie, entertaining me along the way

Cassie on trail with wild Azaleas

Yup, Cassie smelling the flowers

Boyd by trailhead for Blood Mtn.

Cassie with gear at Blood Mtn. Shelter

Cassie atop Blood Mtn. Summit

Cassie & Boyd atop Blood Man. post thundershower and soaked

Cassie and Boyd glad to be dry in tent

Boyd in one of the many panoramas to absorb

Cassie erecting our Hubba Hubba two-man tent

In our cabin at Top of Georgia Host

On Saturday June 17th, Andrea drove up from home and picked us up at Top of Georgia Hostel, and we went for a great hike altogether to Raven Cliff Falls, about a five mile hike not too far from Helen, Georgia. We later enjoyed a relatively luxurious overnight stay at a lodge in Young Harris, Georgia before driving back to pick up Cassie's car which we had left at the top of Springer Mountain back on June 10th. Here are just a few more pics from our time with Andrea.