Trouble on the trails

Where we are !

Hi everyone!
Hope everyone is happy & healthy.
I would like to tell you about our adventures yesterday.

It started out very cold, it got down to 26 degrees here in Crossville Tenn.but warmed up nicely by 11am so Melinda got the ideal to go to Cumberland State Park to check out the trails.
So the three of us jumped into the truck and headed out, it only took us 10 mins to reach the park.

When we arrived we got a park map from the information office and set out.
Started out on red trail which was about 1 mile long then hooked up with yellow trail again about 2 miles long.

 At the end of the yellow trail you had a choice of trails to follow so we decide to be brave and do the blue trail which is about 6 miles long,so we took off to which we thought would be a beautiful hike like the red & yellow trails were.
Very beautiful trails.

Streams you have to cross over

Melinda ahead of us

Taking a break on the bridge

Upward climb

Across the stream

These trails had streams flowing that you used a bridge or in some spots just rocks to cross over.

(Tucker got wet on these ones) but he was a real trooper and kept going.

Now you have to remember these are mountain trails and being on the blue trail,which we did not know meant going up and down  the mountain side. 

(which is not good for 2 people and a dog who are out of shape!!!)😬😬😬.

It seemed like it was a couple hours of hiking and the end did not seem near, so we kept hiking following the trail for about an hour when we met a fellow hiker going the other way, so we asked him if we kept on the trail in the way we were going does it led out. He explained that yes it does but  we had about 2 to 21/2 hours of walking in the direction we were going and that it would be dark before we got out.

He told us to  follow him, the way he's going would take about 11/2 hours  of trails which would put us at an exit just before dark, so off we go again following this gentleman climbing back up and down the mountain sides over tree limbs, rocks, tree roots, across streams  thinking the end would ever come.

We were both sore and aching wondering how the dog was feeling but kept hiking slowly watching the sun as it was starting to go down behind us.

We finally got out of the woods and back to the truck at the information centre just as it was turning dark, it was 610pm. It stopped being fun about 2 hours ago!

We were hiking for about 6 1/2 hours and I figured we hiked about 10 to 12 miles of trails.

When we got home we took some Advil first !! and had homemade nachos with Hamburger, onions, sour cream, peppers, salsa sauce then laid on the bed (both of us still very sore) didn't take Melinda and the dog long to fall asleep so I watch Law and Order about 4 episodes until the Advil kicked in.

We couldn't thank the gentleman enough who helped us out of the park.We don't even want to think about the possibility of hiking on those trails in the pitch dark.

Today we are still sore and taking it easy (No trails). Made a trip to the pet store for some dog food and a toy for Tucker. And if your wondering about Tucker, he was raring  to go is morning as soon as we let him out he took off after a squirrel!😏

Talk to you later !