Sat, Jul 6 2024 - Adventure - Swim - Play - Wild Blueberries - Carpools (View Original Event Details)
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Another bad year for blueberries, it was even worse than last year. Depending on the side of the mountain and the spices of the blueberry there were either few blueberries on the bushes or no blueberries. That said, most of us got three or four. The weather was great, as we drove to the hike you could see the sun coming out on I-20 as we entered Alabama. We stopped at the shelter to enjoy the view with a mostly sunny shy. While we were in the water and having lunch, we could see the sky getting darker in the distance. Less than five minutes into our return trip we heard thunder. I increased the pace as we heard thunder from time to time. Once again, stopping at the shelter for protection if needed. This time those that had cell phone reception said there was no lighting nearby and if we got to the parking lot by 2 pm we would be good. The shelter is about 1.2 miles from the parking lot thus we did not worry about the weather. 15 minutes from the parking lot it started raining. By the time we got to our cars at 1 pm we were all soak and wet. At least it was a hot day!
The creek crossing I was concerned about had the lowest water level I have seen in the five times I have done this event. There were only about three people giving us lots of room to put our gear and have lunch. Basically, we had the falls to ourselves.
Next year I think I will try this event on 6/28, a week earlier. Maybe we will have more blueberries.
Thanks to Julie for joining us for her second first AOC event, Pinky for joining us on her third event, and Sandy for joining us on her eighth event.
Due to my phone dying at about 11 am I have lost all the pictures that I took. If I can get the phone to dry out, there is a small chance I might be able to add them later this week.
Mike