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Kevin Bae: I am at Fort Yargo
State Park is March 14 people

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calling it Pi day wanting to get
on with the nerds. I was here a

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couple of years ago, two, maybe
three years ago. With my dog by

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the way, this is the first time
I'm going on a hike without my

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dog Godfrey. So I don't know how
this is gonna go. He usually

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keeps me entertained, if not
annoyed, but you know, what am I

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gonna do? But anyway, they built
this bridge across across the

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water near the visitor center,
which I didn't know existed. So

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I'm kind of I should have walked
across that bridge, and instead,

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I'm walking down the road. But I
don't know, maybe I'll check out

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the bridge when I'm done. So the
reason I'm without Godfrey is

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that I was dropping my wife off
somewhere in Winder, Georgia.

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And it's about 40 minutes from
our house. So I just told her I

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was like, Well, if you want to
hang out at the place that she's

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going, you know, I can always go
on a hike. This is just 10

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minutes, not even 10 minutes
away from where I dropped her

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off. And this loop that I did a
few years ago, about six miles

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long. So it should only take me
a couple of hours at best. I

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don't know I don't know I've
since I've never been hiking

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without Godfrey. I don't know if
I will hike faster or slower

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it is a perfect day. For a hike
though right now. It's gonna end

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up being a little bit warm. For
me. I like it when it's colder,

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but it's about 60 degrees. Not a
cloud in the sky. And as I

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remember from a few years ago,
this trail is rated moderate,

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but it's easy. It's a walk in
the state park. So without

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Godfrey, you will hear no
barking. No shaking. No random

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weird stuff from him. It's brand
new bridge, that's for sure.

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Looks beautiful.

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I just walked a little ways out
on it. I don't have to come back

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to it. I've seen it. It's nice
bridge. Looks cool. It's the

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time for me to mention that this
is a value for value. Podcast. I

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need a modern podcast app. To
take part because things like

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that I'll show I'll have
pictures that will show up in

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the podcast in Chapter images if
you're using a modern podcast

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app. So you can go to the casual
hike.com And I'll have some

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links to modern podcast apps, or
go to modern podcast apps.com.

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Check those out. So you can
clearly hear I think it's loud

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enough. This is one one week
before the first day of spring.

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So last week of winter. And you
can hear the birds a lot more

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life. Even more spider webs even
here. So I guess I can expect

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that over the next couple of
months when when I get back out

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with Godfrey. We head back up
into to the north Georgia

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mountains. So this loop goes
around this little lake. It's in

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the middle of the State Park.
People camp here overnight.

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There are a yurts can also be
Rent campsites pitch a tent so

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it's sort of like camping light
pouch I should probably watch

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where I'm going right now look
down at the map

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so it's more like camping light
because you're near civilization

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you know you've 510 minutes
outside of a town but it's state

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parks pretty big. It's fairly
rustic. So it's it's kind of

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nice especially if you've never
been backpacking hiking is a

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good place to get your feet wet
with it don't know if I'm on the

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blue trail or the Gold Trail So
anyway, the reason I didn't

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bring Godfrey I forgot to
mention I mean he's not here

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obviously. Is that I like to go
hiking with him earlier in the

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morning because he doesn't like
other dogs. And if I'm hiking

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later in the day, there are more
people out on the trail in

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general and you know they're
allowed to have their dogs

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because I'm allowed to have mine
there's just less commotion when

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I go super early in the morning
now if they were all allowed off

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leash he would have no problem
because you know he would just

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kind of go go his own way he
might bark at him or something

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but he just pretty much just
ignores them and leaves them

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alone because he doesn't he just
wants to keep going on the

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trail. But you know in places
like this where

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you supposed to keep them on
leash? He hates being on leash

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doing that they just don't know
what it is drives them nuts

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so I left them at home because
I'm out here later in the day.

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It's like I think it was 1030
when I started probably maybe

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Heart Attack Hill this is called
the me I don't remember anything

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I think these are all new signs
don't remember this let's see

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can I get this at an angle where
you can read it

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how's it going

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there's another reason for not
bringing Godfrey at this hour

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said this trail also use for
mountain biking and while he

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wouldn't have a problem with
mountain biking

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I do let them off leash from
time to time even in places

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where I'm not supposed to so
just make sure we don't have an

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accident well I suppose if I
brought him here at this hour I

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would not let them off leash
just because I know there's so

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many more people well if that
was the heart attack version of

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heart attack Hill you got to be
severely out of shape for that I

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said to say I don't think it'd
be faster without Godfrey

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because I tend to walk at the
same pace anyway and he doesn't

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like to stop so we pretty much
just keep going we'll stop at

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some streams and stuff because
he likes to run through those

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and pick up giant logs but it
may afford me an opportunity to

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stop at some place that might
look interesting or or even take

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a break when I'm with Godfrey I
never really take a break at all

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because he has not relaxed. He
can only relax at home. I tried

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before to take them on hikes and
then just kind Ah linger about

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for half an hour and on location
where we can stop and take a

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rest but he never really lays
down he only did it at one place

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where we went on was the bull
bull moose Babylon bull mountain

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loop where it's like I think was
11 or 12 miles and I took a

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break somewhere in between and
he did settle down for like, I

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don't know three four minutes at
best and he just went right back

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to crying and barking at the
world wanted to get moving so we

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kept moving so that's why I
don't I don't think I'll be any

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faster or slower with or without
I've just

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never taken well i i did take a
hike without him a long time ago

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is one of the first ones I did
when I decided to pick up some

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hiking back when I lived in
Chicago I took a trip out to

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Salt Lake City and you know
they've they've got the

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mountains there the Wasatch
Mountains so I went up into

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Cottonwood Canyon pick the trail
and just went up there which I

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don't know if Godfrey really he
can't do it today. He's too old

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now. He probably could have done
it back then. But I wasn't

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bringing him with me on those
trips back then. We went I went

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to the top of Granger peak so
since the last time I was here,

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they've done quite a bit of work
on this trail I don't remember

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these benches All right now I
find out which is the trail I'm

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actually following I am
following the Gold Trail the

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blue trail goes in a different
direction starting to get warm

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that's another reason why I go
early. I just forgot for you but

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I like the cooler temperatures
of the morning to anything me

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midday especially late afternoon
in Georgia that's when we hit

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the daily highs so 5pm Something
like that we hit the highs where

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that's that's been an adjustment
for me moving from Chicago

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because the heat of the day in
Chicago is around one 2pm and

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then starts to cool off we're
here it's like the coldest part

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of the day seems like it's
around 8am or so. And then the

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hardest part is almost 12 hours
after that you know around five

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6pm So the earlier the better
for me I like a cooler and it

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feels to me like the temperature
probably already went up to 65

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where I'm at yeah some
developments happening just

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beyond the boundary of the state
park I can't tell what it is a

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lot of construction equipment
crews they also put in a frisbee

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golf thing here oh maybe this is
part of the state park that

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they're doing construction I
wonder what it is detour I guess

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this part is newly blazed. How
about I try a little selfie

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video while walking see if I
don't trip over a route kill

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myself so I'm not sure what
there is to take pictures of

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really just the woods. There
remember it was it was a little

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bland. This trail that's why I'm
back. Because once I discovered

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the trails going up into the
mountains. I've been

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concentrating mostly up there
because That's something on

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that's still very new to me and
I'm enjoying walking up in the

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middle of nowhere where there's
no cell service no nothing I'm

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sure you can hear the
construction trucks intermingled

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with the birds but yeah that
construction is part of the park

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so whatever they're doing
they're developing more of this

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park but we've only been in
Georgia for a little over three

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years now and the amount of
development in our area and

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places like here Japan crazy sit
around and talk with my wife and

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you know we talk about that if
we didn't move when we moved we

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probably wouldn't have been able
to because it just the cost

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would have been too high so I'm
glad we did we moved when we did

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we got in at the right time and
you know I I'm doing my best to

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just fit in for Perkins some
people on the trail

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Hello

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Yes, I'm doing my best to just
blend in not change things

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this is a cool little point

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if I had Godfrey with me he
would be taking a swim no doubt

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about it. There's like a beach
here. tiny tiny little beach

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go out to the edge take a
picture looking back

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Yeah, he definitely would jump
in the water there

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you know Godfrey just turned
nine couple months ago so I'm

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not sure exactly how much longer
he's gonna be able to do the

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hikes that we take I just have
to make them shorter I guess

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because while he's he handled it
fine out on the trail but he's

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pretty sore afterwards in the
next day, you know just like

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anybody who gets older you're
just not in the same shape you

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were when you were younger even
though he's he's in pretty good

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shape for a nine year old dog he
certainly has plenty of energy

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All right, we're heading across
a paved road to continue the

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trail

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that's another reason why I like
to go in the north Georgia

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mountains you just kind of
disappear into the mountains

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guess all these things changed

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coming up to some campsites on
my left. People have their

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campers parked.

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The alltrails map says I should
be going a different direction

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but I don't see it. I think it's
because of the construction.

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Big children's playground now
for the campers

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so we're the normal trail route
to where the lake is this new

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path for whatever reason takes
you around that campsite instead

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of walking through it.

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Maybe they closed that part of
the trail off

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that's still open I think
probably could have gone that

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way maybe they just want to keep
hikers away from the campers

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don't know but if you've been
hiking for any period of time in

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the woods you kind of never want
to leave the woods you want to

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stay you don't want to hit the
paved trails

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coming up to other parts that I
definitely remember there's a

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bridge probably the next five
minutes or so will cross that I

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remember when it came with
Godfrey before we came super

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early in the morning it's
probably 7am And there were like

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a high school team of runners
remember that there's like I

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don't know maybe 2030 Guys
that's how you know this is also

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not a particularly difficult
trail that people use it for

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running as well. Oh, there's a
turtle see you I can snap a

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picture of a sunbathing turtle
Nope, he's gone already. I

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didn't get close to him yet. And
he abandoned ship

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there's a guy out there with his
two dogs or a woman it's a woman

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don't want to miss gender people
these days. Although I perhaps I

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would have to ask her what she
is. Or he is I don't know what

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to do anymore. I'm too old for
this crap I'll edit that out so

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I don't offend people

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Good morning Good morning Hello
Nice glasses Thank you

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get some people fishing and some
kayaks which is cool

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you know you could do fishing
off a kayak it shows you what I

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know All right, which way do we
go

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we break left

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this may end up being a short
episode. I don't know I usually

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don't have much to say that I've
got for him. Although I've been

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talking quite a bit.
Contradiction I

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guess I'm just speaking
whatever's in my head. I feel

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like I talk more with Godfrey
around because I gotta yell at

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him. Tell him not to eat stupid
things. Oh, the grass ball he

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coughed up the last time man oh
man just taking a picture of the

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high tension lines. electric
lines that kind of cut through

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here gosh, we could have played
fetch there. I'm going to be

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talking about my my dog that I'm
not with the entire time because

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I'm so used to having them with
me. One thing I like to about

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hiking up in the mountains
versus most of the state parks

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or at least the ones that I've
been to other than other than

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Don Carter State Park. Is that
these The trails are just more

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00:24:31,740 --> 00:24:36,600
friendly to casual hikers. And
there's a lot of open space not

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too much sun.

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Morning

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00:24:59,700 --> 00:25:02,490
everyone wetlands there's just
more shade or trees it's more

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00:25:02,490 --> 00:25:09,360
densely covered so walking
through this area that looks

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00:25:09,360 --> 00:25:16,680
like a tunnel because the way
the tree brush has grown over

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00:25:16,680 --> 00:25:22,110
the trail on both sides create a
tunnel effect I know for sure I

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00:25:22,110 --> 00:25:25,500
took a picture of this when I
was out here a few years ago I

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think I repeat everything partly
why I don't like to hike in the

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00:25:28,770 --> 00:25:29,820
same place all the time

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I'm a bit like a robot where I
see the same things that like

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00:25:38,790 --> 00:25:40,590
the same thing so I'll take a
picture of the same things

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okay, we're sticking to the
inner loop which means we go

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left

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00:26:01,650 --> 00:26:05,610
you know, the funny thing is, as
I was just thinking about what I

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00:26:05,610 --> 00:26:10,950
was saying earlier about they're
more casual hikers because I

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00:26:10,950 --> 00:26:16,410
like to be alone. The primary
reason I like to go hiking is I

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just like to be just out and
away from everything and

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00:26:20,460 --> 00:26:25,290
everybody and my podcast is
called the casual hike. The

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00:26:25,290 --> 00:26:28,980
website is called the casual
hike. Well I don't mean to

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00:26:28,980 --> 00:26:36,660
denigrate other people going on
hikes The reason it's called

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00:26:36,660 --> 00:26:40,170
casual is because I don't do
anything special to go hiking. I

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00:26:40,170 --> 00:26:46,440
use my normal shoes you know
I've just got jeans and a T

242
00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:49,080
shirt on I don't have any
special equipment other than the

243
00:26:49,080 --> 00:26:54,450
backpack with a water bladder
inside it's carry water that's

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00:26:54,450 --> 00:27:00,930
all I have you know I have more
stuff for Godfrey than anything

245
00:27:00,930 --> 00:27:06,540
else because I need to have
emergency stuff for him. If

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00:27:06,540 --> 00:27:10,260
something happens you know I
have a small first aid kit for

247
00:27:10,260 --> 00:27:17,040
myself you know and for him but
in general it's for you know,

248
00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:24,300
for him if he gets hurt, I have
to be able to carry him out you

249
00:27:24,300 --> 00:27:27,420
know plus I carry his water with
me if there's no water anywhere

250
00:27:27,420 --> 00:27:39,360
that he will drink on the trail
and his water bowl so I made it

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00:27:39,360 --> 00:27:42,780
sound like I'm some serious,
hardcore hiker when I don't want

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00:27:42,780 --> 00:27:45,930
casual. I didn't want to be
around casual hikers but I just

253
00:27:45,930 --> 00:27:48,960
don't want to be around people
in general. This is why I go out

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00:27:48,960 --> 00:27:55,410
here I'd rather hear the sounds
of the birds although we're so

255
00:27:55,410 --> 00:28:01,710
close to civilization that you
hear all the airplanes like to

256
00:28:01,710 --> 00:28:07,890
hear the sound of my feet
sometimes the wind through the

257
00:28:07,890 --> 00:28:17,520
trees my feet on the trail and I
do hear that when I'm not

258
00:28:17,520 --> 00:28:28,140
yammering I just cut all the
sections out of for most of it

259
00:28:28,140 --> 00:28:36,030
out of when it's just me walking
with silence If that's something

260
00:28:37,170 --> 00:28:40,380
people would like to hear just
the entire walk it would be like

261
00:28:40,710 --> 00:28:44,580
six miles is gonna be a couple
of hours where most of it will

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00:28:44,580 --> 00:28:52,860
be silent you know or if I take
a 12 mile hike for sure most of

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00:28:52,860 --> 00:29:03,030
that's going to be silent. But
you can hit me up at mail me IO

264
00:29:04,590 --> 00:29:06,360
at the casual height.com

265
00:29:12,150 --> 00:29:16,860
And while you're there at the
site if you like what you hear

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00:29:16,860 --> 00:29:20,760
if you'd like anything to do
with this podcast or the YouTube

267
00:29:20,760 --> 00:29:27,120
videos or whatever I've got a
donate button on that page would

268
00:29:27,120 --> 00:29:33,270
help to finance the hikes not
just and it doesn't cost much to

269
00:29:33,270 --> 00:29:41,670
get out here but the website
space the server space for my

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00:29:41,670 --> 00:29:49,680
mp3 files it does take time to
edit whatever you think is worth

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00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:55,440
you. Would be great a buck or
two fine anything anything you

272
00:29:55,440 --> 00:30:01,710
want. Or get a modern podcast
app and I load up the wallet

273
00:30:01,710 --> 00:30:06,120
with Bitcoin where you don't
have to buy like a full Bitcoin

274
00:30:06,150 --> 00:30:12,780
$70,000 You can buy what are
called Satoshis and those are

275
00:30:12,780 --> 00:30:19,410
just fractions of a Bitcoin. And
using the modern podcast apps

276
00:30:19,410 --> 00:30:25,140
they have wallets built in. They
make it easy to onboard and load

277
00:30:25,140 --> 00:30:29,760
up your wallet. You can get a
head start on some of them and

278
00:30:29,760 --> 00:30:37,710
go to get lb.com A lb y and you
can set up your account there

279
00:30:37,710 --> 00:30:44,400
and you'll be already ready to
go. And then what happens is

280
00:30:44,400 --> 00:30:47,340
while you're listening, you set
up the amount that you want to

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00:30:47,340 --> 00:30:54,750
stream 10 sets a minute you know
it amounts to like a penny penny

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00:30:54,750 --> 00:30:57,960
a minute. And then you could do
something like what's called a

283
00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:01,380
booster gram where you send a
boost and that's where you

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00:31:01,380 --> 00:31:08,850
designate okay. I really liked
what I just heard. So I would

285
00:31:08,850 --> 00:31:13,380
send 1000 sets which even at
1000 sets is not that much money

286
00:31:17,430 --> 00:31:19,260
and then you can include a
message with that and then you

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00:31:19,260 --> 00:31:22,350
just hit boost in the app so
while you're listening you'll

288
00:31:22,350 --> 00:31:25,680
see a button that says boosted
grammar boost something of that

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00:31:25,680 --> 00:31:31,980
nature. Here's our first actual
incline

290
00:31:37,080 --> 00:31:38,880
seems like they shortened a
trail again

291
00:31:46,470 --> 00:31:50,220
instead of going up and around
kind of cutting across

292
00:31:55,410 --> 00:31:57,570
really nice breeze coming off
the lake

293
00:32:12,210 --> 00:32:18,390
now I'm almost directly across
that construction area. And it

294
00:32:18,390 --> 00:32:26,850
really does look like they're
putting in a new beach tax

295
00:32:26,850 --> 00:32:32,760
dollars at work. I don't mind it
for stuff like this. That

296
00:32:32,790 --> 00:32:40,290
everybody can get out and enjoy
their time out in nature. Plus

297
00:32:40,290 --> 00:32:44,400
it probably makes the other
beach less crowded. Be better

298
00:32:44,400 --> 00:32:54,600
for everybody. One lone guy
fishing. I don't know if we'll

299
00:32:54,600 --> 00:33:01,080
be able to pick that up on a
phone cell phone camera. When my

300
00:33:01,080 --> 00:33:05,190
kids were little we used to go
fishing all the time. My father

301
00:33:05,190 --> 00:33:11,970
had a lake house in Apple River,
Illinois. And when my kids were

302
00:33:14,100 --> 00:33:16,440
I think when my son was like
three four years old and up,

303
00:33:17,460 --> 00:33:22,110
which means my daughter was five
and up. We'd hit out there every

304
00:33:22,110 --> 00:33:28,590
weekend. And I take my daughter
fishing. My son was never really

305
00:33:28,590 --> 00:33:32,640
into it. My daughter like to
fish and she could catch the

306
00:33:32,640 --> 00:33:36,630
biggest large mouth bass. She
was always the first one to

307
00:33:36,630 --> 00:33:40,770
catch fish. I would set up her
line and she would put it in the

308
00:33:40,770 --> 00:33:46,890
water and by the time you know
before I was even finished

309
00:33:46,890 --> 00:33:51,660
setting my own line up. She was
already bringing in a fish she's

310
00:33:51,660 --> 00:33:58,410
very good at it she had a good
feel for it was a lot of fun. I

311
00:33:58,410 --> 00:33:59,130
miss fishing

312
00:34:10,110 --> 00:34:15,540
coming up to the dam, the dam
that made this Lake Dam this dam

313
00:34:19,950 --> 00:34:21,390
probably next five minutes

314
00:34:27,449 --> 00:34:31,979
then after that I know there's
some camping areas. Here

315
00:34:31,979 --> 00:34:35,669
remember going through here with
Godfrey before and it was an

316
00:34:35,669 --> 00:34:38,879
area where we could take a break
with him and he could play some

317
00:34:38,879 --> 00:34:40,799
fence because it was an open
area with grass on

318
00:34:45,809 --> 00:34:49,979
the side of the lake is nice.
Not a whole lot of people here.

319
00:34:50,369 --> 00:34:52,199
Nobody wants to walk all the way
over here I guess

320
00:34:58,770 --> 00:35:03,660
this little platform are out in
front of the dam that makes a

321
00:35:03,660 --> 00:35:10,200
sucking sound I don't know what
that is sounds like a vacuum

322
00:35:20,880 --> 00:35:24,540
see it's kind of looks cool and
I bet you I took this picture

323
00:35:24,540 --> 00:35:26,850
before but so what

324
00:35:32,790 --> 00:35:42,150
now it's a long stretch in the
sun to walk the top of this damn

325
00:35:46,500 --> 00:35:47,520
nice breeze up here though

326
00:35:56,940 --> 00:35:59,340
so what they did was no I know
what that is that pumps the

327
00:35:59,340 --> 00:36:04,290
water out or keeps the flow
going out of discharge. It's at

328
00:36:04,290 --> 00:36:06,960
the bottom of the dam on the
other side I didn't see it the

329
00:36:06,960 --> 00:36:13,770
first time I was at the state
park it looks like an industrial

330
00:36:13,770 --> 00:36:21,060
waste outlet what they should
have done instead is create some

331
00:36:22,320 --> 00:36:25,020
space through here with a bridge
over the top and have a nice

332
00:36:25,020 --> 00:36:31,350
waterfall or something that goes
through there it's even get a

333
00:36:31,350 --> 00:36:32,850
picture of the industrial waste
site

334
00:36:41,550 --> 00:36:42,420
it just looks bad

335
00:36:48,719 --> 00:36:51,119
they seem to be doing some
controlled burns or something

336
00:36:51,119 --> 00:36:58,049
here some underbrush. Which is a
good thing. There were some

337
00:36:58,049 --> 00:37:02,219
wildfires last year up in north
Georgia I don't think around

338
00:37:02,219 --> 00:37:06,509
here but over the nice part
looks like they've already also

339
00:37:06,629 --> 00:37:10,319
burning some of the grass here
everything and I've turned that

340
00:37:10,319 --> 00:37:10,949
into woodland

341
00:37:17,760 --> 00:37:20,700
another hiker guy out here. He's
more serious than I am. He's

342
00:37:20,700 --> 00:37:21,180
geared up

343
00:37:27,540 --> 00:37:32,940
definitely burning the
underbrush and also keep any

344
00:37:32,940 --> 00:37:38,850
fires away from campers I
suppose from rushing into

345
00:37:38,850 --> 00:37:46,980
campers. If you clear all that
stuff away they have some of the

346
00:37:46,980 --> 00:37:51,090
cabins here to up on the hill
here or you can rent out

347
00:38:00,360 --> 00:38:03,060
just taking a picture of some of
the controlled burns

348
00:38:18,119 --> 00:38:20,039
still smoldering in some spots

349
00:38:47,309 --> 00:38:48,749
don't know if they'll come out
in a picture

350
00:38:54,179 --> 00:38:57,959
must have just started some of
this morning because still

351
00:38:58,109 --> 00:39:00,539
smoldering over there and you
can smell it here walking

352
00:39:00,539 --> 00:39:06,419
through the woods. Freshly black
ash

353
00:39:12,510 --> 00:39:18,540
those are the sounds of spring
coming up to some of the yurts

354
00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:26,460
count like five of them. Six,
six, I think you can rent out I

355
00:39:28,110 --> 00:39:32,010
think the dogs are allowed
inside the yurts. And then

356
00:39:32,010 --> 00:39:36,150
there's open campsites here
where you can pitch a tent,

357
00:39:36,180 --> 00:39:37,230
bring a camper

358
00:39:42,929 --> 00:39:44,129
and enjoy the lake

359
00:39:49,980 --> 00:39:52,620
means we're going to get off the
trail again and hit some more

360
00:39:52,620 --> 00:39:57,570
paved areas. Through the
campground area. That's what I

361
00:39:57,570 --> 00:40:05,160
remember at least And until we
get back off of it and back on

362
00:40:05,160 --> 00:40:05,640
the trail

363
00:40:12,030 --> 00:40:17,130
this trail I think they move
this trail to I remember being

364
00:40:17,130 --> 00:40:22,530
on a different part coming
through this campground there's

365
00:40:22,530 --> 00:40:26,880
an area up here where it's a
guide for you to get a drink but

366
00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:33,330
I don't think we walked this way
to get there. Butterfly first

367
00:40:33,330 --> 00:40:41,010
butterfly I've seen I must have
taken me through that same area,

368
00:40:41,010 --> 00:40:46,140
there's no other way I could get
around this little code. So my

369
00:40:46,140 --> 00:40:56,610
aging memory is just faulty just
nothing new. Now I'm coming up

370
00:40:56,610 --> 00:41:00,210
to the place that I remember
well this is what I was thinking

371
00:41:00,210 --> 00:41:04,230
of when I was thinking of the
area with the yurts. This gravel

372
00:41:04,230 --> 00:41:07,050
road that kind of cuts through a
campground

373
00:41:12,480 --> 00:41:18,990
this guy's got like the Taj
Mahal of campers called the

374
00:41:18,990 --> 00:41:19,830
solitude

375
00:41:25,860 --> 00:41:31,980
I think that's as big as the
house I grew up in school

376
00:41:31,980 --> 00:41:35,820
squirrels here see far too many
people they don't run away until

377
00:41:36,900 --> 00:41:41,550
you're right upon him. At one
just stood there sat there

378
00:41:41,550 --> 00:41:44,910
eating a nut fill that was less
than six feet away and then he

379
00:41:44,910 --> 00:41:51,750
took off I think this is the
only other incline here and it's

380
00:41:51,750 --> 00:41:59,070
pretty pretty mild. The trail
here across the entire park, all

381
00:41:59,070 --> 00:42:07,710
of it very well worn. Very well
marked and not very strenuous.

382
00:42:09,270 --> 00:42:11,310
So even on some of these
inclines where you might hear me

383
00:42:12,510 --> 00:42:14,610
huffing above I think it's
because I'm going uphill but

384
00:42:15,840 --> 00:42:18,990
compared to some of the other
hikes I've done if you go back

385
00:42:18,990 --> 00:42:24,570
through some of the other
episodes some of those were

386
00:42:24,570 --> 00:42:32,250
pretty steep and pretty rough
that's what makes them enjoyable

387
00:42:32,250 --> 00:42:37,650
really. It's like the challenge
of getting up some of those

388
00:42:37,650 --> 00:42:45,570
inclines. This one here you've
got the incline the steep the

389
00:42:45,570 --> 00:42:51,030
grade isn't that steep but the
trail is like really nice and

390
00:42:51,030 --> 00:42:57,750
flat and even very few routes
and things clogging the trail

391
00:43:04,469 --> 00:43:07,019
so I would say this is the
biggest elevation of the entire

392
00:43:07,529 --> 00:43:14,609
the entire trail near the end
and they put a nice bench up at

393
00:43:14,609 --> 00:43:21,359
the top now. So if you're tired
from climbing that hill you got

394
00:43:21,359 --> 00:43:24,869
a place to take a break Oh
consider it

395
00:43:29,969 --> 00:43:30,749
there's a sign

396
00:43:36,059 --> 00:43:41,039
memory of Dr. Pet Stevens. A
friend of this friend of this

397
00:43:41,039 --> 00:43:49,799
park who worked it wrote it and
hiked it nice

398
00:43:59,429 --> 00:44:03,029
Rhododendron tree sprouting

399
00:44:12,389 --> 00:44:14,669
we came down into a valley and
we're gonna head back up I don't

400
00:44:14,669 --> 00:44:22,349
remember this at all. makes it
worth worth the trip. To know

401
00:44:22,349 --> 00:44:25,319
that you're just not doing a
straight walk

402
00:44:35,790 --> 00:44:42,750
What the heck is going on in my
shoe? I can feel something my

403
00:44:42,750 --> 00:44:50,400
sock bunching up or what it is.
That's making my right ankle. A

404
00:44:50,400 --> 00:44:52,950
little uncomfortable. I don't
know why.

405
00:45:00,539 --> 00:45:05,189
Here's where I have a tired boy
just start feeling it now who

406
00:45:05,189 --> 00:45:10,349
knows, yet less than we are a
little bit over half a mile to

407
00:45:10,349 --> 00:45:18,359
go so I'm not gonna sweat it
well, I'm sweating. I'm not

408
00:45:18,359 --> 00:45:25,679
gonna sweat my foot at this
point the next time I swear I

409
00:45:25,679 --> 00:45:28,739
swear I'm taking Godfrey he
knows when I bring out this

410
00:45:28,739 --> 00:45:33,569
backpack where I'm going so he
was getting all pumped up that

411
00:45:33,569 --> 00:45:36,929
he was gonna go out on a hike
and I had to leave them behind

412
00:45:40,439 --> 00:45:48,599
even knew it when I left my
backpack up in my office and

413
00:45:48,599 --> 00:45:53,219
then took out the water bladder
and went downstairs fill it and

414
00:45:53,219 --> 00:45:56,819
I just filled it up and left it
on kitchen counter. He smelled

415
00:45:56,819 --> 00:46:03,719
the water bladder and knew right
away so I gotta take them on as

416
00:46:03,719 --> 00:46:11,129
many as I can. While he can
still can't so that'll mean

417
00:46:11,129 --> 00:46:15,899
shorter and slightly more boring
hikes for me but good for him

418
00:46:16,799 --> 00:46:21,539
get out in the woods are the
sights sounds and smells

419
00:46:41,190 --> 00:46:44,280
I drink so much more hiking
later in the day

420
00:46:50,010 --> 00:46:55,740
is almost like an early summer
hike. With the temperatures the

421
00:46:55,740 --> 00:46:56,460
way they are

422
00:47:04,050 --> 00:47:08,550
I would say this park offers at
least on this this loop kind of

423
00:47:08,550 --> 00:47:13,230
the ultimate and a casual hike.
You don't have to be of any

424
00:47:13,230 --> 00:47:18,900
special fitness level and you
can walk it coming up on another

425
00:47:19,380 --> 00:47:19,980
hiker

426
00:47:30,300 --> 00:47:37,650
reason I say it can be like the
ultimate casual hike like I'm

427
00:47:37,650 --> 00:47:43,620
on, I'm on a six mile loop you
don't have to do the six mile

428
00:47:43,620 --> 00:47:47,250
loop. I would start like if you
just want to do with some small

429
00:47:48,390 --> 00:47:52,350
portion you can easily do it out
and back. Start off at the

430
00:47:52,350 --> 00:47:56,640
Visitor Center and you start on
this loop counterclockwise

431
00:47:56,640 --> 00:48:01,140
that's the easier portion just
go as far as you feel and then

432
00:48:01,140 --> 00:48:07,410
go back. If you go clockwise
it's the most it's the more

433
00:48:07,410 --> 00:48:13,920
difficult side and again just go
out as far as you're comfortable

434
00:48:13,920 --> 00:48:19,860
and go back you know you can
easily turn it into a two mile

435
00:48:19,860 --> 00:48:32,640
one mile out and back instead of
doing all six that's big dog

436
00:48:33,840 --> 00:48:34,200
Hello

437
00:48:42,540 --> 00:48:47,790
was one of the biggest German
Shepherds I've ever seen I

438
00:48:47,790 --> 00:48:55,470
suppose it was fitting as a tall
woman, tall woman Big Dog I'm

439
00:48:55,470 --> 00:48:57,990
glad I didn't have Godfrey with
me for that because Godfrey

440
00:48:57,990 --> 00:49:01,200
would have barked and she would
not have been able to control

441
00:49:01,200 --> 00:49:10,560
that dog like Godfrey will, you
know will bark at the other dog

442
00:49:10,560 --> 00:49:14,910
and get all agitated. But he's
you know not very difficult to

443
00:49:14,910 --> 00:49:20,670
control. He's not going to get
away from me or be able to

444
00:49:20,670 --> 00:49:28,410
overpower me but she just had
that dog on a standard collar

445
00:49:33,869 --> 00:49:36,479
Don't think I don't think that
dog wanted to charge anybody she

446
00:49:36,479 --> 00:49:37,079
could stop it

447
00:49:50,309 --> 00:49:58,409
comes a trail runner. First one
I've seen today. Thank you

448
00:50:14,790 --> 00:50:17,190
So apparently this is the
stretch for the trail runners

449
00:50:23,520 --> 00:50:25,050
however they might go in the
other direction

450
00:50:40,170 --> 00:50:47,250
fallen trees here I believe I'm
getting close to the end you

451
00:50:47,250 --> 00:50:50,400
can't really tell though. That's
what's also cool about some of

452
00:50:50,400 --> 00:50:53,610
the state parks here in Georgia.
They're not like the ones in

453
00:50:53,610 --> 00:50:57,150
Illinois except for the ones
that are further downstate,

454
00:50:57,420 --> 00:51:01,020
Illinois, in all of Northern
Illinois, they're almost like

455
00:51:02,700 --> 00:51:06,900
Forest Preserves. Like up in the
Chicago area we have forest

456
00:51:06,900 --> 00:51:13,350
preserves. You know it's really
just a manicured lawn with some

457
00:51:13,350 --> 00:51:21,300
woods and picnic sites. Here I
think I'm just a few minutes

458
00:51:21,300 --> 00:51:24,630
from where the visitor center is
and you would never know

459
00:51:32,309 --> 00:51:33,719
just out in the woods

460
00:51:43,349 --> 00:51:49,379
Okay, crop myself out of this
turn take a picture of a bridge

461
00:51:50,099 --> 00:51:54,719
but my shadows in it and I don't
want it but you feel like crap

462
00:51:54,719 --> 00:51:55,649
myself out later

463
00:52:09,719 --> 00:52:16,049
got a tiny little babbling
brook. Now we're about to leave

464
00:52:16,049 --> 00:52:21,839
the wooded trail back to a paved
trail. Which tells me we're very

465
00:52:21,839 --> 00:52:29,759
close to the end. Got this
little pavilion that juts out

466
00:52:29,759 --> 00:52:32,759
into a cove. But yeah, right
near right behind the visitor

467
00:52:32,759 --> 00:52:40,409
center area. Now are these
glamping sites I can't tell. You

468
00:52:40,409 --> 00:52:44,369
want to be glamping sites. I see
the bridge that I initially saw

469
00:52:44,459 --> 00:52:53,039
that he didn't walk over might
be Kevin's Yep, there's the

470
00:52:53,039 --> 00:52:59,249
visitor center off to my right
with the bridge. So we're just

471
00:52:59,249 --> 00:53:05,099
about done. Some of the steps on
this little ramp need to be

472
00:53:05,099 --> 00:53:11,039
replaced. You can hear it
they're dead rotten. And so with

473
00:53:11,039 --> 00:53:14,909
that, we approach the visitor
center and the end of the hike

474
00:53:16,949 --> 00:53:20,849
may remind you to go to the
casual hike.com The casual

475
00:53:20,849 --> 00:53:26,219
hike.com hit up the Donate link
if you want. Send me a note at

476
00:53:26,219 --> 00:53:33,149
mail ma il at the casual
hike.com got any suggestions?

477
00:53:34,259 --> 00:53:38,309
Some other way you want me to do
this podcast? I'm open to

478
00:53:38,309 --> 00:53:48,509
anything. Until the next time
I'm out there with Godfrey go

479
00:53:48,509 --> 00:53:50,369
take a hike away