Skip to main content

A Walk In The Woods - part 1

Photo by: Tim Bindner Photography

 

I completed a five-day journey with my dear friend Mark.  It was full of unbelievable sites, checked off a bucket list item, and we got to experience all kinds of weather.  It will stay etched in my memory as long as I have one.  The title is a reference to a great book upon which we cover the same subject (or at least part of it for me).

This post will be split up into many parts due to its length.  There was so much joy, excitement and emotion to recap, I know I cannot do it in one post.  I also know I cannot do it justice but will give it a shot.

Day 1; Mark arrived promptly at noon on Wednesday.  We quickly loaded my gear in his Jeep, I said goodbye to my wife and dog (son was at school), and off we headed.  Our destination for the evening was Newport Tennessee, about 300 or so miles away and a 4.5-hour drive.  The drive was quick as my anticipation grew, as I only had mere thoughts and ideas of what we might experience in the next few days.  Mark and I chatted about things we were going to see and he filled the time go over the agenda and telling geocaching stories.

As we reached Newport our stomachs directed us to a local place called the Giggling Pig.  It was our first of many BBQ meals we would have on the trip and it didn’t disappoint.  This is not a restaurant review, so I will move on to what happens next.  We left, made our way to the hotel, checked in, unloaded our luggage and headed out to our first site.

As we headed down a two-lane highway Mark said “it’s just up here a bit”, which was repeated a few times, but eventually we made a turnoff and pulled into a gravel parking lot.  The creek in front of us was flowing at a furious pace, and as I imagined Greenbrier Creek not only had large and small rocks but some gorgeous blueish, green water.  We crossed the road down an embankment and found ourselves at the edge of the creek.  I am sure I was taking photos with my mouth open like my wife does when putting on eyeliner.  The roar of the water was not loud, but soothing.  I started snapping shots and for me, time stood still.  The only thoughts I had were the wish that my wife could be here with me.  Mark positioned his tripod and began snapping away.  As I moved up and down the creek, I felt compelled to touch the water.  The icy water was almost electrifying but also felt so good.  I took about five shots, then borrowed Mark’s tripod and took a few more.  Anyone who knows me, knows I shoot selectively and pick my shots.  I did here as well.

The rest of the time I stared in amazement at the beauty before me.  After what seemed like only a few minutes (was maybe an hour), we returned to the Jeep and headed back to the hotel.  I was already on a natural buzz from our first activity.

This post will be split into separate parts.

Until next time,

Tim

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Love to get your feedback on what you read!

Popular posts from this blog

Nobody's Listening

  I recently had conversations with two people I know that had experienced a sudden rash of acute anxiety. One was medication related, the other was situational. Both stated that they now had a better understanding of what I have been dealing with. With the recent changes to my medication, Although I still feel anxiety, it no longer takes control of my emotions like it did in the past. However, I know acutely that it still lurks on the fringes, patiently awaiting its chance to pounce on me. During my recent visit to Dr. Erin, she assigned me an exercise where I had to jot down three things each day that I felt I excelled at. This is proving to be difficult for me. The parameters are straightforward and easy to understand. “Anything I do well that day,” she said. As I continued with this exercise, I began thinking of a song by Linkin Par called Nobody’s Listening. I got a heart full of pain, head full of stress Handful of anger held in my chest And everything left’s a wast...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tested

  Life is a series of tests, pushing us to our limits and forcing us to grow. All blessings originate from a God, yet they manifest through different circumstances, encounters, and individuals. Throughout the past six weeks, I have encountered a myriad of these tests. This is part of the reason I have not written in a while - the constant distractions that have consumed my time and focus. Balancing my mental state and warding off anxiety has consumed my attention, leaving no room to articulate my thoughts through writing. My journey began recently when, with the advice of a medical professional, I began taking Trintellix at its lowest dose of 5mg per day. Gradually I increased to 10mg a day and now am at 20mg a day. During this time, my anxiety has lessened quite a bit, but recent events have put this medication to the test. Our initial challenge was to carefully research vans, searching for ones that would be ideal for safely transporting our furry companions. The cramped spac...
Post a Comment
Read more

Waiting for the End to Come

  I have been in a funk lately. I am adjusting to my anxiety medicine, and I feel it is working, but maybe too well. Last week I met with Dr. Erin. She, of course, asked me how I was feeling and honestly, I told her I was not really feeling anything. We dug deeper, and she explained that my anxiety prior to the medicine was like a roller coaster. I had extreme highs and extreme lows. Now with the medicine it is more of a flatter track. I am not hitting the lows; Like I was before (which is good), but also not hitting the highs either. I feel like I am purely existing. Little desire to do much of anything. It’s true my passions are hiking and photography, which I do little of in the summer because of ticks, heat, and snakes. I know fall is approaching and I hope that helps me get out of this funk somewhat. I will also speak to my psychiatrist about lowering my dosage to see if that helps. Even my writing has been affected. I have not had the desire to write. Music, however, ha...
Post a Comment
Read more