Before becoming the Honey Badger, my thoughts of the off-trail experience entailed jaunts in the Smokies, notably Little Duck Hawk Ridge, the *creekwack above Grotto Falls and trips around Anakeesta, not the amusement park but the massive slide on the flank of Mt. LeConte).
The Smokies adventures set the stage for more significant off trail adventures in my sexagenarian years. Encouraged primarily by my cohorts in Team Waterfall, we’ve managed to find ourselves far away from established trails. Having maps to guide our routes and preparation via research of the terrain we would encounter, the wilderness provided a challenge beyond the beaten path.
Rock Sprite Kitty Myers
While photography has taken a more central stage as I have aged, the thrill of being off trail and seeing features that few see is still exhilarating.
In the heat of this summer, Rock Sprite Kitty Myers suggested a *schwack on a creek familiar to neither of us, and the topographical maps provided little clues as to what we would encounter, and that is the joy of it.
Four waterfalls down the waterway made for a terrific day and the promise of more falling water below our last one gave us a plan for a further jaunt downstream, deferred.
Off trailing this summer day provided a great way to cool off. We’re blessed that we can enjoy the beauty of the unknown.
*terms defined
creekwack: staying in the creek during most of the hike
bushwack: staying in the bush during most of the hike
schwack: a bushwack and creekwack combined
Thomas Mabry – Honey Badger Images
Many of the HoneyBadgerImages are on display at instagram.com/honeybadgerimages