A Hike By The River

The girlfriend and I decided to go hiking yesterday on her day off. It was a great idea with lukewarm results. I had surgery five weeks ago, I am not in the best shape I have ever been in and my girlfriend has not been hiking in a while. We were not exactly reenacting the Lewis and Clark expedition but it was some pretty rugged terrain. I estimate it is about a two or three mile hike to the Narrows as best I can remember. Nothing distorts your memory like time.

I had been wanting to go to a place called "the Narrows" in Green River Cove for quite a while now and yesterday seemed like the perfect day to go. My gf was game because she wanted out of the house, it had quit raining, and it turned into a beautiful afternoon. From that aspect, the hiking Gods were smiling on us.

My father and I had hiked this very same trail about 35 years ago and I had this romanticized vision that me and my gf could do this. It was much more rugged back then and I remember it had rained a lot that summer and the Green River was running high. I know Green River has become a big attraction for hikers, kayakers, and canoeists and the Narrows had been used for the kayaking events in the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.

I took my brand new camera, this was a perfect nature photo op, and we were ready to roll. Green River Cove is only about 10 miles from my house but from the top of the road to the cove itself is 3 miles of twisting, winding road and that is an adventure in itself. They have paved the road since my father and I made this same journey and I can't tell if it made it better or worse. It did make the trip down a little bit quicker.

Unfortunately, my romanticized vision did not meet up with my physical abilities. We found the trail easily enough but it was more of a foot path than it was a trail and the going was pretty rough. We made it about a half mile through the woods when my gf called it quits. I probably could have made it to the Narrows but making it back may have been another story. I did get some good pics to at least prove I had been but it was not really the pics that I wanted. I will eventually make that hike but it will be one I have to work my way up to.