Skip to main content

Hard Labor Creek Adventure

This past weekend, I trekked out to Hard Labor Creek State Park, stopping at my aunt's house along the way. My university's Astronomy club arranged a camp out by their observatory located in the park.

Hard Labor Creek is one of the darkest places in the state--perfect for looking at the stars. That's exactly what we did. Everyone was able to witness the ISS fly over. I saw some globular clusters and nebulae through the telescopes. There were even some shooting stars!

tumblr

For our stay, we trekked out into the middle of the woods. It was an unmarked site, so it was technically trespassing. It was the first time I've ever been "roughin' it."  We set up out tents and built a campfire where we told stories. Throughout the night, nocturnal creatures lurked. There were some owls and even coyotes...perhaps even ghosts! Ghost Hunters once investigated Camp Rutledge, a nearby site, for their episode titled, "Camp Fear." I'd like to go back to the campsite one day, perhaps for an investigation.

Camp Rutledge

While at my aunt's house, here are the pictures she took of my crush, Ryan, and me. She did some crafty photo editing on the second one (which was supposed to be a silly zombie-like pose).  




Summer is approaching, and I'm looking forward to warm nights spent by a fire, camping, or gazing longingly up at the stars.

On a less related note, some days can be very difficult. I often find myself wondering how I make it through or why I'm even here. Then, there are those rare and cherished times where I'm glad to take the next breath. I found an inspirational quote I quite fancy. I'll share it in the hopes that it will resonate with any of you who may be reading this:

"Everyone who terrifies you is sixty-five percent water.

And everyone you love is made of stardust, and I know sometimes
you cannot even breathe deeply, and
the night sky is no home, and
you have cried yourself to sleep enough times
that you are down to your last two percent, but

nothing is infinite,

not even loss.

You are made of the sea and the stars, and one day

you are going to find yourself again. " 
Labels:

Comments

  1. AsylumAliceApril 10, 2013 at 9:46 AM

    The campsite looks like a gorgeous place! I love to look at the stars but even in the mountains where I live, they are often blocked by the lights of houses and businesses. My dad tells me the stars are amazing in South America. I hope you have a wonderful summer, and feel better. I've been feeling a little the same, what with my first year of college coming up, I've had to make some big decisions and oftentimes it all seems pointless. Something that has helped for me is trying new things. I've taken up the violin again even though I haven't played since I was very young. Never be afraid to be a beginner again!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. OddGhoulOutApril 10, 2013 at 12:11 PM

      I'm very much hoping to go to South America one day. I've been thinking about doing the Peace Corps in Peru before I go back for grad school. trying new things helps my depression as well. I'm wanting to pick up better survival skills through camping. I hope the violin goes well! I took piano a long time ago, and I miss it.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

My Thoughts On The Term, " Ghost Hunting"

Many people may not know, but I rarely use the term, 'Ghost Hunting.' Usually I prefer to use 'Paranormal Investigating,' 'Paranormal Research,' or simply 'Investigating.' There's actually a specific reason for this. I feel that the term is inaccurate to describe how I perceive the field. The word, 'Hunting' is defined in the as "The pursuit and killing or capture of game and wild animals, regarded as sport." 'Hunting' is obviously an aggressive word, and I do not associate it with what my group and I do. 'Ghost Hunting' may accurately describe the 'investigating' style of the Ghost Adventures crew. If you have seen this program, you know what I am talking about. The team, especially Zak Bagans, are what ghost bullies would be. They aggressively confront and hunt down whatever entity may be on location. This, unfortunately, seems to be the style nowadays with many groups. This makes it that much harder fo...
6 comments
Read more

Devil's Turnaround

Noonday Missionary Baptist Church's Cemetery is also known as "Devil's Turnaround." It is located along a little back road in Kennesaw, Georgia, and most of the graves are scattered in the woods. It is easy to miss, but some of the gravestones are visible from the road. The cemetery has graves from the 1860's. I wouldn't doubt that some of its occupants were slaves at one time. Many say the land is haunted by malevolent spirits who hurl objects and make physical contact--shoving, scratching, and even biting visitors. I could understand why any lingering spirits might be upset: These grounds have been terribly neglected. Much of the graves are broken and toppled over. Some are barely visible through the overgrowth of ivy and weeds. People also say the root of the haunting may be related to rumored cult rituals performed on the property. Located right by the cemetery are huge power lines (high voltage transmission lines). I could hear them b...
7 comments
Read more

The Obituary Challenge

I've been working in The Writing Studio at Georgia State today, when a worried student came in for some assistance. She was assigned to write an obituary for her Journalism class. This obituary was to be written about the professor of her course. I'd never heard of anyone assigning something like this (probably because it's morbid), but it's very practical to learn for Journalism. From there, I had an idea. I thought what a good tag/challenge it would be for fellow bloggers to write an obituary about themselves. (not to mention a bit of morbid fun) So, Here's the rules: Link back to whoever tagged you. Put these rules in your tag.  Write an obituary about yourself (it can be as funny or as serious as you like). Write about a paragraph or two (or more if necessary) in length. You may tag up to 10 people, and be sure to link to them. Have fun, because creative writing is one of the greatest joys in life!   My Obituary:  Katie, age 18, perished on Septembe...
12 comments
Read more