Fri, Sep 24 2010 - Hiking, Paddling & Camping Weekend at Beautiful Dauset Trails + Optional Mtn Biking (View Original Event Details)
|  |
Folks trickled in on Friday as their schedules (and Atlanta traffic) allowed. For most their first order of business was to organize their sleeping arrangements—some setting up tents while others rolled out their sleeping bags in the "turkey roosts" that adjoin the nearby creek, conveniently situated just beyond the second campfire ring. The three roofed "turkey roosts" provide great cover and can sleep about 20 comfortably on their six flat wooden decks. They're fine for sleeping in open-air sleeping bags but can also accommotate small to medium-size self-standing dome tents with sleeping bags inside.
Later Friday afternoon Tom and I debated whether to spend some time on the pond or start preparing dinner, so we did both—in that order. There are 2 nice grills located right next to the pavilion—Charlie fired up some charcoal in them and everyone put them to good use that night. We had a great cookout followed by hours of getting to know one another, games and fun. That night the cool air and huge moon lured quite a few people into paddling on the big pond. From across the field we could hear their distant laughter as we drifted off to sleep.
Saturday morning, after a hearty breakfast of everything you can imagine from fresh fruit and pastries to pancakes hot off the griddle, some folks went on bike rides while others did some hiking. A couple of groups went for a lengthy walk along the Animal Trail, through the Barnyard Exhibit, Woodland Garden and Reptile House, around the Lotus Pond...well, you get the idea. We walked all over the place! It was a gorgeous day—warm and sunny. The only reason we all headed back to our campsite was because everyone was starving for a late lunch.
On Saturday we had a huge spread of delicious leftovers as well as chilled salads and plenty of stuff for sandwich making. There was more than enough to choose from to revitalize us all. The pavilion was filled with huge coolers that revealed all sorts of tasty treats, and everyone was generous with their provisions. All weekend long there was a lot of food sharing, and it made the already jovial atmosphere even more convivial. Everyone was happy to trade a chicken breast for a beef kabob, a doughnut for a granola bar, this for that.
Late Saturday afternoon a bunch of us caravaned by car to the nearby, small, charming town of Flovilla (a.k.a. "Indian Springs"). After touring the "Whimsical Botanical Gardens" and wandering through some antique stores, "Mrs. Lee's Stagecoach Sweet Shop" was the perfect stop . Our tummies were full of the Sweet Shop's homemade ice cream when our car pools made the short trek back to camp. (Banana pudding and strawberry shortcake were the special flavors of the day!)
Saturday evening there was another delicious dinner feast followed by some thunderstorms which kept us under the pavilion playing cards for a couple of hours. As the rain let up to a light drizzle an intrepid group gathered around one of the fire rings for songs and storytelling. As the skies cleared, and the stars came out, we all felt more alive watching the fire's glow and letting all our cares slip up into the night sky.
Sunday morning a few people lingered after another hearty breakfast. Some folks had to get back home to other obligations, but a few of us stuck around - hanging on to the last bits of a precious weekend - reluctant to go back to the world we had happily escaped for a couple of days.
As we all shared accommodations, time, food, games, activities, etc. we could actually feel our faith in humankind being restored as the atmosphere refreshed all of our sometimes cynical souls. There's nothing like wonderful camaraderie on a camping trip to bring the human spirit back to life.
Thanks to Charlie and Bobby for leading such a terrific adventure. Please check out our attached photo album.
—Respectfully submitted by Courtney Harjung
Calendar of Events
Event Places