After the storms came rolling through on Friday night, I thought Saturday would be a great day for a hike. I grabbed my camera gear and got rolling just before lunch.
It was a little damp out and overcast and that seemed to be enough to keep the crowds away. The parking lot at Table Rock State Park was not very full for a Saturday afternoon which was a good sight. I was hoping to keep away from a lot of people and to help my odds I chose to hike the Pinnacle Mountain trail. Pinnacle is less popular than it's neighbor, Table Rock.
Once I figured out how to carry all my camera stuff, a tripod, an unneeded jacket, a bottle of water, and an apple, I was moving pretty fast. I only had just over an hour to hike before I had to turn back and get home.
After the Pinnacle trail split from the Carrick Creek trail I slowed down and really took in my surroundings. With no leaves in the trees to be rustled, there were some areas away from the creeks that were silent except for the sound of my foot steps. I took photos of the little bit of color that was near me. This meant a lot of photos moss growing on trees.
A new sound arrived just before I turned around. It was the sound of a hawk or Peregrine Falcon. A moment later I saw him soaring over my head. Thankfully Falcons mostly eat small birds. Seeing the bird reminded me to eat my lunch. No, this isn't the apple that rolled off a cliff a few weeks ago.
At the two mile mark, I turned and started back to the car. During my hike I had my camera out for the whole trip and took over sixty shots. Back at the trail head, I stopped to re-arrange my gear and get my camera put away.
That's when I was approached by an older man that wasn't dressed for hiking. He had a young girl with him that seemed to be his granddaughter. She also wasn't dressed to be going for a hike. The two looked like they had just come from church. That should have been a clue, but I didn't catch on as he made small talk with me about my camera.
A few minutes later he was handing me a magazine about what being a Jehovah's Witness means. He started to talk about schools teaching evolution. I'm not sure if he was trying to bait me into an argument, but I wasn't taking it. I finished the small talk with him and continued packing my stuff. I could tell he was getting the hint. I thanked him for the information and headed to the car.
With lower crowds in the park on Saturday, I encountered very few people on the trails. I guess that also made it easier for the Jehovah's Witnesses to find me.
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