Leaving the Simple Life (for a few days)

 “To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter … to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird’s nest or a wildflower in spring—these are some of the rewards of the simple life.”- John Burroughs



This is my parting shot for a few days. Chris and are heading down to the land of swimming holes and home grown tomatoes. That is what we plan on doing in Gatlinburg on our days off. I can't wait to jump in the Greenbrier and eat a fresh tomato sandwich. I should add that I will be chasing that with a big ole' glass of iced tea, with a lot of ice. Now you know my indulgences when I go on days off. 

I had mentioned in an earlier post about the crew planning their days off for the winter. Chris and I are planning a trip of a life time. We will be climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, in January. We have some business to start taking care of on our days off. Visas, immunizations, and some gear to pick up. It makes for an exciting winter to look forward to. 

The days up top are starting to dry out. We have not had as much rain lately. It has been so hard to believe that we have received the amount of precipitation we did over the last month while the rest of the country is in a devastating drought. I feel as though I am in my own little microcosm when I am on the mountain. We arise every morning and go about our day no matter what is happening in the world. Life on Mt. Leconte is truly a simplistic life.