Sinclair Trip

On 04/28 I left work and went to Sinclair at the national park. I stopped near Blountsville to sleep because I was tired. I went down the road to Miller's Lake and slept. I woke up and perhaps too soon I started driving. I felt weird when I went down 129 to the bait shop. I got bait and gas then drove on. I put 20.00 in the envelope at the gate. I looked around for a campsite then pulled in.

I set up my tent and rolled out the air mattress. I forgot the plug to hold the air in! I would attend to this later. I put my gear in the tent and gathered firewood. The advantage to spring is that leaves and twigs have fallen and haven't been harvested by other campers.

The older man in the camper near Lot 40 D is neat. He is the caretaker/host for the complex. It keeps him alive to do his work there though I feel bad for him. I probably should see if USFS needs volunteers to work at the sites. I am weak on customer service and security but my nice complex might be a godsend in this case. I went to bed at 12 or so. Rule is that you go to bed at nightfall or shortly thereafter because the only lighting there is God-given. Coleman only lasts so long.

I woke up to go to the restroom at 6:50 and saw some guys sitting and talking and having coffee in the lot two paths down. I felt lazy; these people are on break and getting up early because they still think they have to go to work. I resolved to see if I could get up at 7 or 8AM from now on. For this morning I decided to get some more shuteye.

I woke up at 10 AM and had an el cheapo Hostess apple pie and some MRE instant coffee. I did a poor job even in a hurry when I made sure I had everything. I had forgotten the plug, the coffee, and the tin foil to avoid pine tar smudging on the cookware.

I sniffed out a fishing spot between the pier and the next campsite along the shore of D loop. It had overhanging branches and a brush bed which made for lost fishing floats. Three floats were lost in my failed attempt to catch fish. I was so frustrated that I thought about packing up and cancelling my vacation. I also felt a little lonely and worried about my Mom and Dad. Time made me feel better. It didn't make me hungry.

I put up my fishing gear and drove over to the Twin Bridges Trail entrance on A loop. I went to the restroom on A loop and found that they were actually flush toilets! They didn't have sinks but I was grateful for what I had. The trail was 1 4/5 miles according to the sign. I thought I'd have enough Pepsi in the bottle to sustain me.

I walked and walked and the first part of the trail was overflow from the lake. I saw the sand. Three or more bends were close to the shore and before too long I saw across the lake where there were private houses. Did I go too far? The white spots on the trees and the oddly-spaced brown 4x4 posts with the numbers said no.


I kept going and hoped I wouldn't get back after dusk. I never was that good with calculating distance and time. The stacks of Plant Branch were visible as I got close to the shoreline once again. I saw more footbridges and thought I was looping back but the path was unfamiliar. I kept going out of curiosity and found this parking area. I found out it was a hunting camp. The trail marker on the cosmolite post said 119. I made it to the end! Now I need to make it back.

I needed to rest but still had plenty of oomph. I wanted to see if there was a sign for this strange area with the trash and burnt out campfires. An old Dodge car and trailer, with little sign of recent occupancy, was parked to the side. Since I saw no sign close by- and only a signboard with nothing on it- I decided to expend my energy to return.

I improvised a pace counter and turned on my stopwatch feature on my Wal-Mart watch. The pace counter is used by the Army, probably to make sure the troops dont' waste time walking too far as they get confused in the repetition. I took a tree branch and counted 13 leaves. For every 1000 feet, or 335 paces, I would rip a leaf off. I removed nine. I timed myself at 45 minutes. I walked more slowly on the return trip.

I found bugs crawling on my pants! They looked like little crabs. I decided to wash my pants and other clothing. The caretaker told me the shower was down at the D restroom so I went to the B shower. The B loop is closed but the restroom is still operational (sink has no water due to a glitch). I showered my clothing and myself myself. After stretching some paracord across two trees I hung the clothes to dry. For dinner at 6:00 I had beef stew from an MRE and the good portions of a veggie burger MRE.

I went fishing at the pier. There were only two campers besides me as the weekend was going away. The campers nearest the pier were gone. I had to watch where I went since the pier was only three feet wide. I caught a normal catfish and a bullhead-type catfish. I caught another catfish that was very small but threw it back. The fishing went sour after dusk and when it got cooler. Come 11:30 I had to throw the two fishies back. They still made a croaking sound as they gasped for air so that was a relatively good sign. The normal fish I could not easily remove from the snap of the chain stringer. I forgot to include pliers in the fishing kit. That will teach me to inspect my gear before embarking. So I had to avoid the fish spiking me with its dorsal fin and remove the snap. It went through his skull but wasn't lethal.

I went to beddy bye and woke up at 10:00 because I was too lazy to set my watch. I thought I could nagically wake myself. The gear went back in the truck and I drove off to Eatonton, stopping at the Huddle House to eat. I went to the old part of town and took pictures of the old grammar school (now an art center)and the house where the 10k starts. I ran it in 1987. Running makes people feel so good about themselves. I was sick as a dog and my tummy hurt that day but I loved running that race. Maybe I will run it again next year but I seemed to say something like that several years ago.

I took pictures of the old bridge on Old Macon Circle. Would you believe UGA students traveled down this road prior to the erection of the present bridge in 1967? I saw the ends of the bridge were widened 6' on each side. This must've been in the days of one-lane bridges where one side got the right of way (remember "Ode to Billy Joe"?)

I got home and emptied the litter pan. I was miffed when Dad went to the bathroom. I wanted to decontaminate but realized Dad couldn't help it- he had to go. He hasn't been taking his constipation meds or eating right nor has he engaged in activity to strenghten him. This week he has been feeling better nonetheless.

I work the next five days. I hate to see the store not make money but I enjoy the quiet pace of summer at the store.