Up a Clark Creek, With No Paddle

Hey.


It's me.


You know, the one who never blogs anymore.


Here I am ready to blog. I'm ready to blog in full force.


Here I go....


So we're planning our annual trip to Clark Creek tomorrow.


It's a birthday thing for me. And I love it, I really do.

I realize this is three weeks after the fact. But Jason couldn't be there for my actual B-Day and so it had to be pushed back several weeks. So we waited till all the stars could align and three people who made it so awesome last year could be there again (Sally, Anna, and Jason) and we could add new people to the mix (Keever and Bobby).


I'm always really excited the day before. This is natural. It's a big deal this trip we take.

Three hours to get there if we remember to bring the directions this time. We never do. Last year, we ended up on a ferry to St. Francisville and still can't for the life of me figure out how we ended up on a boat. I've never taken a boat to Clark Creek. Ever. But I did, last year.


The year before that, Jason and I were halfway to Baton Rouge before he asked me for the directions. Naturally I should know. He had never been there and I had been several times. All I could give him was a shrug of the shoulders as I sunk down slowly in my seat. Quickly turned my eyes to my window so I couldn't catch his "Oh my God, you forgot the directions" face. I guess you can sense how that went over.


We almost killed each other.

Then, we called every person we knew who would be up at eight a.m on a Saturday morning. I know I wouldn't, if it weren't a Clark Creek day.


We begged them to turn their computers on and google, please google Clark Creek for us.


It was tough. But we made it there. Alive. Still together. In one piece.

And this is just getting there. What happens when your there?


 








Well the first time I brought Jason to Clark Creek, he was exhausted after the first five minutes. You might laugh. But it's pretty intense. I felt the same way. You're trekking across boulders. You're swinging from ropes. I'm sure Indiana Jones trained here before he was Indiana Jones.


You get attacked by sand flies. Prime example, Anna, one year ago. Went out there with freshly shampooed wet hair. The kind of hair that sand flies go gagas for. She was tough, my Anna Marie, fought them off like a trooper.

And the snakes?


Yes they're everywhere. Sleeping peacefully between rocks. Waiting for you to slip and step on them. : )


And the waterfalls?




If you're not careful, you could become part of the waterfall, or slip into the ice cold water miniature lake it makes when it hits the ground .....or be pushed into the ice cold water...prime example, Anna, needed her sister's help. Received a push down, not a pull up and fell right in. Hey, it's survival. 
 Yes, survival.

Am I nervous for our newcomers? (Keever and Bobby) 


Yes :)










Do they know what they signed up for? 


Probably not. :)


Will there be war wounds? 

Hopefully not! but this is nature we are dealing with! See these pictures off to the side?


See Sally with her foot jammed into the quick sand like mud? Yep. It happens every time. It took us ten minutes to retrieve her leg.

And see this picture of Sally, Anna, and me, arm and arm, happily skipping through Clark Creek like it's the yellow brick road. See the excitement on my face. My happy smile. My over enthusiastic expression. Then see Sally's leg and the position its in? This is moments before it comes smashing down on my leg with its cleat-like shoe bottom. I don't have a picture of the agony. But I tell you it was bruised for weeks. 


But it was worth. Worth it for Clark Creek.


I let you know how it goes. :)