Finding Providence

"Wow!" she said. "This is really steep right off the bat" as we descended the slanted trailhead along the 1/4 mile drop into the canyon.

"We made good time" I thought, reflecting back on our early morning drive along the winding country road with precipitous hills and small towns of Southwestern Georgia.

We had arrived at Providence Canyon State Park 30 minutes prior, laden ourselves with our packs, checked in at the ranger station, and started down from the trailhead. It was Jess' first backpacking trip. I had met her a month before and found that she had been hiking and had been camping, but had never done both at the same time. Even though I had wanted to be more than friends as she was attractive, gregarious and smart, I had decided to play it cool and try not to screw it up by being aggressive. I was glad to have a new friend. We got her outfitted with gear and she was chomping at the bit to use it.

The trail exited into a dry creek bed that made up the canyon floor. This was the beginning mile of the 4 mile hike to our campsite located in the wooded hills adjacent to the canyon itself.

According to Wikipedia, "Providence Canyon State Park is a 1,003 acre (4.06 km²) state park located in Stewart County in west central Georgia. The park contains Providence Canyon, which is sometimes called Georgia's "Little Grand Canyon". It is considered to be one of the Seven Natural Wonders of Georgia. Providence Canyon actually is not a purely natural feature — the massive gullies (the deepest being 150 feet) were caused by erosion due to poor farming in the 1800s."

The section of the trail after exiting the creek bed was flat yet winding. There wasn't a lot of wildlife that we could see, but there were the tracks of raccoon, deer and opossum in the loose soil of the trail. After a mile of this glorious December day enjoying the trail through the wooded scrub, the trail took a steep ascent up a seemingly unending 30 degree hill. I had showed Jess how to conquer hills by bending forward and allowing the weight of the pack to "pull" you forward while you push down with your poles to achieve the desired momentum. I had learned this on my trip to Rocky Mountain National Park a few months earlier. We had to stop about halfway up to catch our breath. It was a 600 foot elevation gain in less than a half mile! She was telling me that she was feeling dizzy and then, just like that, fainted. I caught her before she hit the ground of course and made sure she was ok.  She felt like her blood sugar was low so we ate some dried cherries after I had fetched the packs. "What have I gotten myself into?" I thought. Our packs weighed in at 30 lbs each and scrambling up an elevation gain like that can take it's toll on an inexperienced hiker if you aren't ready for it.

After resting for a few minutes, we strapped our pack back on and continued the remaining 2 miles to our campsite. It was located 100 yards off of the main trail and with no evidence of anyone else camping, it appeared as if we were going to have the whole park to ourselves for the 4 day trip. Early December was far from peak hiking and camping season at Providence Canyon. We were blessed with perfect weather and 75 degree temperatures. Our site was perched on a hill overlooking the wooded splendor of the tree tops below.

After setting up our campsite, we spent some time collecting firewood and preparing something to eat. Even though I have had Mountain House freeze dried meals before, we discovered that Backpackers Pantry are far superior and have many different nourishing and tasty meals to choose from. Who would think that you could be dining on Indian curry cashew rice and Pad Thai out amidst the wooded hillside? We ate our grub sitting on rocks overlooking the valley below, enjoying the stillness.

As the sun made it's daily plunge toward the horizon, I started a campfire. We had gathered enough wood to keep it going for the night. We sat on rocks around the stone fire ring talking about life, things we enjoyed, struggle and heartbreak. What a way for me to spend my 38th birthday....with a beautiful woman, in the glorious Georgia backcountry. With not a cloud in the sky and absolutely no light pollution, all of the stars were out in all of their glory. With the perfect weather, great company and amazing scenery, it was as if Providence was giving me the greatest birthday present ever wished for by a common man. This was also the start of something beautiful with a new love.....pressed up against each other inside the tent and stargazing through the mesh roof.

We woke with the first rays of light transferring the dark sky into the splendor of morning. Silent, stillness, the sound of the crunching leaves under my feet amplified 100 fold while I made coffee and Mountain House Omelets. Jess had never experienced the stillness that I had told her about. She stood at the tent door, adding to this wonderful morning, taking it all in. She kissed me deeply as I handed her a mug of coffee, ecstatic about the wonderfulness of the waking backcountry.

We had a job to do after breakfast: Hiking the 4 miles back to the car to pick up water as there is no water source anywhere in the park. Each of us had a 3 liter Camelbak and 3 32 ounce Nalgenes but had to make a daily trek to replenish our water supply not only for drinking but for cooking. After we loaded our day packs with full water bottles, we decided to take the long way back to the campsite and traverse the trail along the canyon rim. Grand views of the "Little Grand Canyon" were pretty amongst the pine trees and oak scrub.....we came upon a section of the trail that was scattered with the remains of several old cars and trucks. Apparently there was a settlement out here before the park was and it would cause too much damage to the environment of the park to remove them, so they just stay there. There are even a few trees growing through them.

We made our way back to the campsite and enjoyed each other and the rest of the day.....gathering firewood and exploring the woods close to our site.

Day 3, we decided to hike into and explore the canyon itself. I remember taking a photo of her with the look of amazement and wonderment on her face when we entered the cut, looking at the red, burnt orange and white mineral deposits in the sand stone that makes up the canyon walls, towering skyward 150 feet above, the cloudless blue sky contrasting with the different hues of the craggy, ancient barriers. The serenity and stillness was with us, daring us to break the beautiful silence. This was why we were here! There were no people to overwhelm the sense of quiet. Most folks don't understand how loud a stillness like this can be. It should be bottled, only to be used when the noise of everyday society threatens your sanity.

We left the park that day to make the 6 hour sojourn back to Tampa, wondering all the while if we could ever find Providence again.....undisturbed, cloudless, beautiful.

We took away with us the start of something unique and beautiful......