Birthday hike

Its my birthday!

Yay me!

Hubs and I went hiking for my birthday. We went to Mt. Cheaha, the highest point it Alabama. There are lots of hiking trails to visit, but we chose the trail that loops around lake Chinabee. Its about halfway up the mountain, and at the entrance, there is a trail that leads away from the lake to a waterfall we like to visit during the summer. I've been there many times, and its never boring, but this time I wanted to go all the way around the lake. I knew there was a trail, but never got the opportunity to take it, so today was the day!

We packed water bottles and some snacks and took off. The lake has mostly level embankments on one side, so the first half of the hike was a breeze. When we came to a marshy spot and there were signs teaching you about the wildlife that lives there. On the other side of the marsh, we started a steady trek uphill.

The trail became more elevated than before, showing beautiful lake views. 

We found a split log bench and sat for a minute enjoying how quiet everything was. About the time we reached the opposite side of the lake from the parking area, we came to a dam. Something I never knew was there! I've been coming to this lake on this mountain since I was a kid, and never knew it was a lake because it was dammed up!

So we explored the dam, and a bit below it before we found the trail again. We kinda lost it for a bit there, LOL. Most of our hike was shaded at this point because the mountain was between us and the sun. We continued up the trail a bit, completing the loop around the lake. Now we just had to cross the creek, so we continued up the trail until we found a low point to cross without getting our shoes wet.

I took my new camera with me and got some nice macro photos of all the tiny woodland flowers.