Since we first discovered the Lake Conasauga Camp ground and the Cohutta Wilderness over a year ago, it has been our favorite hiking and camping location! There is just something about it that calls you back over and over! Last week we spent one of our longest trips to Lake Conasauga and we carried our great friend April Coomer and her 2 kids with us! We got there early enough in the week to get our favorite camp site right in the middle of the campground and the one right next to it! We had the whole center of the campground for the kids to play in! We spent the first day setting up and the kids hit the trail around the lake and then took the canoe out once I got it unloaded! We spent a great evening around the fire and then headed to bed! That’s when the excitement started! At 3:30, the rain came! And kept coming for 5 straight hours! The kids were in the other camp site with April and her very big, very old tent! She noticed the drops, then the flood of leaks coming down! The boys were in a small tent and it stayed dry! Now I learned my lesson in a huge storm last year so I had hung a huge tarp over my tent which stopped the water from hitting the tent! I had another issue—as the tarp filled with water, about every 15 minutes it dumped the water out with a loud WHOOOOOOOOOSH! Just about the time I’d drift off to sleep, another WHOOOOOOOSH! Every 15 minutes for 5 hours! The kids slept great, but I believe the adults got about 2 hours of non-continuous sleep each! It was a loooooooonnnng night, but we made it! Amazingly, it turned out to be a cool, beautiful morning! We cooked bacon and eggs for breakfast, hung all the wet stuff on lines to dry and loaded up for our first hike!
I took April and the 5 kids on a hike that Phyllis and I had already done! It’s a hike up to fire tower at the very top of the mountain and then back down and around a big beaver pond! It is a beautiful hike and the weather was great! April conquered one of her major fears, heights, by climbing to the middle of the fire tower! (Couldn’t quite make it to the top!) As we prepared to leave, she slid from one step to the next on her rear-end to get down to the bottom, but she made it! One of 3 fears we got her through during the trip! We made our way back down the mountain and rested for a while! I told April I’d take the kids swimming if she wanted to take a nap! She is usually not one to take a break, but I think between the sleepless night and the long hike, we nearly killed her! We swam for 3 hours and I think she was out cold for most of it! I sat in a lounge chair while the kids swam and almost passed out myself! All in all an amazing day!
We did some canoeing, short hikes and exploring around the camp before we took on our next big hike! Phyllis and I were determined to figure out where we went wrong on our hike down the Tearbritches Trail! So we started it in reverse and headed down the Chestnut Lead Trail! It seemed fairly gradual downhill, but we figured out later it was a very steep trail! Not as bad as Tearbritches, but steep enough! When we reached the Conasauga River Trail we went a short way down it and the found a great wading area! The kids had a blast in the water and we enjoyed a picnic lunch and some rest! The hike out was a killer! It was a warmer day, VERY humid, and the trail seemed straight up on the way out! We huffed and puffed, but we finally made it after about 2 hours! One of our toughest hikes I think, but a great accomplishment!
On our last day, I helped April overcome another fear-she is terrified of boats! I talked her into getting in the canoe! She gripped the sides so tight, I thought she might take a chuck out of my boat! She kept her eyes closed across the first half of the lake, but I finally talked her into opening her eyes! She made it all around the lake! She is afraid of boats, but not water, so I told her if she panicked, just jump out of the boat! It must have calmed her, because she never jumped! After a pretty good ride, we headed in and Phyllis helped her out of the boat! Her hands were a little numb from her death grip on my boat, but no chunks were missing and no panic attack! Another fear beaten down!
More short hikes, canoeing and swimming and time with friends, then we headed back down the mountain! The 20 miles of dirt roads are always fun and you never know what you might run into! Phyllis saw a bear on her way up, but we didn’t see any on the way down! We had seen 3 water snakes and tons of other wildlife during the week! When we reached a big turn in the road, 5 guys waved us down! They had 2 flat tires after hiking out from a 3 day camping trip! I had a battery powered pump that helped one tire and I helped them with the jack and my shovel helped with the other! Did everything I could for them and then left them to the hard work! Ironically, when we arrived at the Pizza Hut we always eat at in Chatsworth, April had a flat tire herself! Luckily for us, her roadside service showed up by the time we finished eating! And we finally made it home! We love camping, but nothing is better than that first shower and a nice soft bed after returning from the woods!
We had another great weekend with the kids and our friends! April, Makayla and Chase added a wonderful new element as we got to share our love of Conasauga with them and get to know them even better! April did decide she needed a new tent before she takes the kids on their next outing! I’m going to keep the old one and turn it into a dinning tent when the bugs are bad! Can’t wait for the next adventure!