Early morning's or late evening's are really the only tolerable time to do any hiking at this time of year in Georgia. Tonight, I'm joining a Georgia State Park's Full Moon Hike down into Tallulah Gorge. I'm hoping I'll be able to get a great shot of the moon rising between the tall cliffsides of the gorge, but we'll have to see how the angles work out. It's going to be close.
I arrived about forty-five minute early and decided to head down to see the mighty gorge again before sunset. As always, it's a quite breathtaking site. The surface of the uneven overlook's provide great views, but footing can be a problem. Luckily, the park service has erected a safety fence to keep visitors from plummeting the roughly 1,000 feet to their death in the waterfalls below. I grab a couple of pictures and then head back up to my car. This was also a test to see how voracious the mosquitoes were going to be this evening. Based on the experience, I decided to spray myself down with repellent.
As people were gathering near the visitor's center, I headed over that way and awaited the ranger's arrival. Once she did, she explained the agenda for the evening and then began checking people in. Somehow, I got roped into handing out glowsticks, which served as proof of registration. Not a big deal, but I'm not sure how I was the one she chose to ask for help. Perhaps, I just have a helpful face.
Anyway, we finished getting through the check-in process and began heading down the stairs towards the suspension bridge that crosses the gorge. Though not dark quite yet, it will be soon and better to traverse the stairs with a group this large with as much light as possible. Reaching the bridge, the fifty of us spread out admiring the views of the river far below us. As the bridge gently bounced and swayed under the weight of so many people, I heard a couple of children complain. Their parents explained the nature of the bridge and that it was entirely safe.
Soon with the sun finally down, we turned to the east in anticipation of the moon ascending up over the treeline of the horizon. Moonrise occurred at 7:20 PM this evening, but down in the gorge and with the cliffs and trees obstructing some of our view, it would be another hour before it might become visible. The sky seemed as though it was going to be cooperative this evening with only a few clouds floating about. Actually, that might even make the pictures better. I picked what I believed would be the best spot and awaited the moon's arrival, but the angle of the canyon and the southern cliffside gave me concern.
With darkness setting in and still no visible moon, I began to suspect the angles were going to be slightly unfavorable. What I mean is that the moon's path would take it behind the southern cliffside from this vantage point and we would not see it until it had risen above the rim, which would likely be another hour or more. I decided to try my luck from a higher vantage point and left the group. I head back up the 200+ stairs leading to the rim. I needed a workout anyway. Once there, I kept looking for the right break in the tree tops, but it never came. Though the full moon was now visible to me, there was no way to get an unobstructed shot due to the tree foliage. Once back at the parking lot, I settled for a couple of shots, which I think turned out okay. I have to wonder how glorious it would have been to see the moon rise between the cliffs of the gorge, but that will have to wait for another time when the angles line up better. For now, I'll have to appreciate the experience and the shots that I was able to get while I make my way home.
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