{"id":11027,"date":"2022-10-14t12:12:21","date_gmt":"2022-10-14t12:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dpetrov.2create.studio\/planet\/wordpress\/reflections-my-day-in-cloudland-canyon\/"},"modified":"2022-10-14t12:12:21","modified_gmt":"2022-10-14t12:12:21","slug":"reflections-my-day-in-the-clouds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/\/www.getitdoneaz.com\/story\/reflections-my-day-in-the-clouds\/","title":{"rendered":"reflections | my day in cloudland canyon"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>it was early. ungodly early. so early that it was&nbsp;still late. the sky was hovering between near-black and deep blue. my neighborhood was quiet, save for a few idling cars. in heaven&#8217;s name, <em>where <\/em>could people be headed right now?<\/p>\n<p>i, on the other hand, had a plan. well, to be more precise, i had yearning. for getting away, for getting into nature. i was going to the canyon. no, not <em>that<\/em> canyon. something closer to home. cloudland canyon, in the northwest corner of georgia, bordering alabama and tennessee.<\/p>\n<p>however, i would have to leave soon if i were to make it in time for sunrise \u2014 it was just after 2:00 a.m. and i had a three hour drive ahead of me. i racked my brain and gathered everything i thought i may need, shoved them into my car, and got on the road\u2014 i would not sleep that night.<\/p>\n<p>my drive was long, quiet, and peaceful&nbsp; \u2014&nbsp;and then i was there. i got out of the car, took a deep breath of green, and began walking to the first overlook on the edge of a cliff. i had the place mostly to myself. distant waves of fading green and amber. singing birds gliding about. i then realized that the main trail of the canyon was the other way, so off i went. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>sitting at the head of the trail was a set of wooden adirondack chairs set up to take in the view.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"two large wooden chairs sit side-by-side in a forest clearing.\" height=\"488\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/img_3442 - chairs.jpeg\" \/><figcaption>a perfect spot to sit and take in the view.&nbsp;(photos by nicolas samuel horne\/university of georgia)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>the wood was soft, chilled, smooth, and inviting, so i plopped down and gazed at the landscape.&nbsp; these chairs sure had a good thing going for them. they faced a&nbsp;tree-spotted cliff with a wooden fence to corral guests from going off the edge. beyond it were&nbsp;grassy hills rolling into the nothingness of the horizon.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image align-right\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"the green valley of cloudland canyon.\" height=\"202\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/img_3432 - hills_0.jpeg\" \/><figcaption>grassy hills rolling into the nothingness of the horizon.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>i sat a long time. i was in no rush. finally, my stomach growled, as i had not eaten all night. so, it was time to head back and&nbsp;find that restaurant i had seen a few miles away.<\/p>\n<p>with some fuel in my stomach,&nbsp;it was time to hike the trails. there was green everywhere \u2014 i would have to come back in autumn to see fall colors. as i went on, i noticed how the opposing side of the valley had another tree covered rock outcrop\u2014like a mirror. i&nbsp; found a large stone ledge i could stand on, unguarded by a fence, that would allow me to witness it all, undisturbed.<\/p>\n<p>i continued, eventually reaching a large natural pool. i waded my legs into the translucent water, flinching at the cold.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"image align-left\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"families play in a natural pool at the base of a cliff.\" height=\"187\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/img_3497 - pool.jpeg\" \/><figcaption>families frolicking in the natural pool.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>i heard a low rumble and looked up to see that the pool was being filled by a small waterfall surging over the cliff. as i grew closer to the fall, the rumble took on specific notes. on some rocks, the water fell in tones of a low rumbling bass, on others, a jolting treble. people were standing on these rocks, using the fall as a makeshift shower of sorts. i joined in, clothes and all. they would dry.<\/p>\n<p>i started back, but when i reached the entrance of the pool, i noticed another trail going in the opposite direction. this trail was littered with debris \u2014 rocks and large tree limbs. i ducked under the limbs, most of which were fallen trees that had gotten stuck between the sides of the cliffs. i crawled, climbed, and maneuvered around the rocks, trying not to fall into the pools of water trapped in their floors. finally, i reached the end. it opened up to water flowing off the edge of a rock. it was beautiful. there was a small snake squirming around. i found a dry spot on the rock to sit \u2014 it was cool to the touch \u2014 and hung my legs over the edge. when i looked down, i saw the same people who were just in the pool with me. i realized i had gone around the back to the source of the waterfall. i sat and took in this view for a while, before deciding it was probably time to head back to my car. back to the suburbs. back home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>leaving ungodly early. arriving at cloudland canyon. walking it openly. join me for an adventure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10206,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4902,4930],"tags":[4795,410,4796,325,4797],"storyfest_categories":[],"class_list":["post-11027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-colleges-education","category-science-communication","tag-canyon","tag-creativity","tag-georgia","tag-nature","tag-reflections"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- this site is optimized with the yoast seo plugin v23.4 - 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