Challenge Accepted

I want to stay here. You guys go ahead without me.

-Yonder Girl at the Best Tree Ever

I have accepted the Alabama Outdoor Adventurer 2020 State Parks Challenge to visit and photograph 15 of 19 eligible Alabama State Parks. Remember my New Year’s resolution to hike 100 miles in 2020? Well this will definitely help me get there. A State Parks Challenge means lots of new-to-me hikes, trails, sights, and adventure! Time to see Alabama and get out on the trail! I’M SO EXCITED!!! I’m going to be singing a lot because we’re going into the UNKNOWN… (hehe Frozen 2.)

This weekend we went to TWO of the nineteen eligible parks: Lake Guntersville and Bucks Pocket State Parks.

At Lake Guntersville, the Cutchemine Trail was an aquamarine, teal, and brilliant blue hike along an arm of the lake that ends at Dry Creek. All 5 miles of it out and back were spectacular! Our hike did not start off well: we trekked through 0.5 miles of wilderness on the faint, easy-to-lose Lower Cutchemine Trail from the parking lot to the Cutchemine Trailhead. We stumbled and crashed through the underbrush like hypercharged bowling balls just trying to stay on the trail, “Is the trail here? Is the trail there? Is that the trail? Do you see the road?” I got pricked 500 times and tripped 10 times. Thank goodness, Daddy walked back to get the car, so we didn’t have to hike through that again on the way out.

Once we got onto the Cutchemine Trail, it was an obvious, wide, cleared path. From the bank, we could see flocks of waterfowl. My favorite spot is the towering Y-shaped oak tree. I could sit in the split and read all day. And sing all day. And draw all day. And hang out with my tiger, Stripes, all day. You know what we forgot to bring that would have made this day perfect? OUR HAMMOCK!

Cutchemine ends at Dry Creek, which is an awesome place for a picnic. the rocks make the perfect place to spread out your lunch and rest your legs.

Bucks Pocket was… well, dark. We did a quick drive-by and mad dash down the boardwalk to photograph the famous tree at the end. We made it just in time to see the gradient, fiery, sunset canyon view. This is actually our second visit to Bucks Pocket. The first time we hiked from the bottom of the pocket to the lookout we visited this time. The hiking trails are currently closed for renovations. I’m really excited to see the repaired trails when they reopen.

Who knows what the other 13 Alabama State Parks will be like? I’m hoping that they will be beautiful, with some mountains and valleys, and maybe even a sandy saltwater beach. Into the unknown. And ever, ONWARD!