It is no secret that Habersham County is not my forever home. I am thankful that the kids attend a school they love and that is preparing them well, but when they finish I do not plan to stick around. However there are a few things I really will miss. The best thing about living here is our wonderful little church, (I think I love it more every week) and the next best is being so close to Tallulah Gorge. After my last post, where I mentioned being too late to sign up for their Full Moon Suspension Bridge Hike several months in a row, I made it a point to get myself signed up for the August one. It turns out that the maximum group size they allow is 50, which they hit in July, but for August they only had nine people sign up, myself included. These days I am not much of a fan of calling things “meant to be” but not being able to get signed up for the July hike in time may not have been simply fortuitous. Though the experience would have been neat no matter what I cannot imagine it would have felt quite as magical if there had been five times the people there.
The hike itself is simple. It is really more of a walk than a hike, but darkness made the often traveled paths seem unfamiliar and more dramatic. We all had glow bracelets on so the ranger wouldn’t lose us, and a few people had flashlights, but it really was dark. I like walking in the dark. I like the sense of heightened awareness. The air feels different, the sounds are louder, and each step must be intentional.
Once we got to the outlook the ranger told us about how the Cherokee call the August full moon the Sturgeon Moon because that was the best time to fish for them, and how the Chinese called the August full moon the Ghost Moon because it is the time of the year when ghosts are on the move. As we gazed way down at Hawthorne Pool she she told us about Reverend Hawthorne who would lead people down the steep slopes to baptize people there in the 1800’s before he disappeared into it. (I found his story pretty fascinating so I tried some googling it when I got home to see if I could learn more about him but found this instead which was a bummer.)
The group was chatty in a subdued way up to this point, only 2 of us had come alone, but once we started down the 310 steps to the suspension bridge it got much quieter. Descending those metal steps in full daylight requires one to pay attention, but in the dark it took my total focus. I had to keep putting my hand with the glowing bracelet behind my back because it messed with my night vision. The evening was neither hot nor cold making the descent comfortable. And our timing was perfect. Right as we reached the suspension bridge the moon was clearing the horizon. There were some scattered clouds but we could see it clear and orange between the steep walls of the gorge. Eighty feet below the water thundered across the rocks, a light contrast to all the dark rocks and trees around us. Again, I am so pleased that I was with a small group. There was plenty of room for us all to spread out across the bridge and have our moment with the moon.
I just stood and took it all in for several minutes. Sometimes creation is so beautiful, so perfect in color and composition, that is seems almost sacrilegious to try and capture it with a human hand. I had no illusion that I was going to be able to create any great piece of art standing in the dark on a swaying bridge. I got out my sketch book because in the act of drawing something I feel like I am able to perceive it in a deeper way. The experience of drawing something or someone from life is an intimate one requiring focus and attention to detail. it is very different from doodling where the hand is more free to wander and mark as it will. Even though with sketches like the ones I drew Sunday night the finished product is not not important, the intention of trying to capture both the view and the essence of what was in front of me seemed critical. Though my mind wandered plenty on the trek down and then back up those 310 stairs, while I was drawing I was 100% present in the moment I was experiencing. 
Unfortunately the clouds that had parted to allow us such a lovely view decided to come back. As the moon rose the clouds descended until we could only see it glowing faintly behind them. We shifted our attention for a while to the spiders spinning large webs between the cables of the bridge, (spiders are artists as well as engineers) and then we started the climb back up. The youngest in the group appeared to sprint up the stairs, while the rest of us took our time. Everyone’s pace was so different that for the majority of the time I could not see or hear anyone else in our group. I liked that. I stopped at several of the landings to rest and take in the feeling of the night, but still was sweaty and thirsty by the time I reached the top. I had about 10 minutes to sit by the outlook, drink my water and relax while waiting for the rest of the group. I tried to take a few pictures with my phone, but it is not made for night photography. The walk back to the parking lot was quick and we all went our own ways without fanfare. I kept the windows down the whole way home, and about halfway there the moon cleared the top of the clouds and hung huge beside me as I drove. It was a lovely night. If I am not in NC for the September full moon I very well may try and go again.
“You cannot start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading the last one.” – Michael McMillan
