Still Gravity

The temple mound, the oldest in Georgia - License our images  here . Kolomoki means "white oaks" in the Creek language. This was the spot of an Indian village over a thousand years ago. Seven mounds survived from the Swift Creek and Weeden Island Indians. There are two lakes in this park, the Yohola and the Kolomoki. The camp is by the shores of the second. One night, a lost cow calling nonstop. Every night, screeches of barn owls. Peaceful wildness without phone reception.    Sunset in the Kolomoki Lake. The beauty of a quiet autumn. 

 Our bike bottles work fine for short hikes - License our images  here . No simple answer because there are many factors: terrain, climate, availability of water, time of the day, intensity of the effort, hiker age, and sweating rate.  The consensus on good hydration goes for drinking ~2 cups of water per hour. Using this number, we need half liter per hour for moderate hikes and up to one for the strenuous ones.  The recommendation for desert hikes is to carry one gallon per person per day. We also add a water filter in the pack in case need a refill from natural sources.   Also helps to add some additive to the water. We use Gatorade Thirst Quencher Powder  - the link is affiliate to Amazon. This product contains salt, sodium, and calcium, among other ingredients. If we don't have it, we mix some liquid Gatorade.  Useful conversions: 1 liter = ~4.2 cups or ~33 ounces.  1 gallon = ~3.78 liters or

The amazing colors of the Providence Canyon - License our images  here .         This is Georgia's "Little Grand Canyon". But big surprise, this isn't a natural thing. The colorful canyon is a man-made wonder that resulted from an ecological disaster created by farming practices of the 19th century. The eroded soil uncovered this rainbow of colors. The brochure of the park says of 43 shades intermixed through 16 canyons.  Water flows on the bottom of the canyon making the trails red creek beds. It was muddy, but easy to walk. Down there, we found the biggest leaf in North America.  After wandering through the canyons, we climbed to hike the rim loop trail. This walk is around the two and a half miles. The path crosses abandoned vehicles from the old farms. We took a few pics of these photogenic ghosts. We didn't hike the red-blazed backcountry trail.

Our favorite campsite in West Point Lake, Georgia - License our images  here .         This lake is made by a dam of the Chattahoochee River. Beautiful place spoiled by noisy nights - those frequent trains screaming from a distance. This is a camp of the US Army Corps of Engineers named R. Shaefer Heard. To reach it, we crossed the narrow bridge over the dam. Great views from this point. Our favorites campsites were 97, 98, and 99. Small spots, but the amazing sunsets won us.  One night, the neighbors' dog ran aggressively to our camp. I blinded the beast with the tactical light. Finally, the owners took control. Apologies followed. Some folks have no clue about animals. Dogs are more dangerous than wild beasts because they don't fear us. They know that they are faster.  Could it be that... A dog reflects the family life. Whoever saw a frisky dog in a gloomy family, or a sad dog in a happy one? Snar

The Romanian philosopher  Emil Cioran  wrote many things in aphorisms. He gave a reason for this, saying that "explaining bores me terribly". In  History and Utopia ,  he touched on why liberalism was a hard sell in Russia.   For Russia to adapt to a liberal regime, she would have to weaken considerably—her vigor would have to decline; better still: she would have to lose her specific character and denationalize in depth. How would she manage this, with her unbroached internal resources and her thousand years of autocracy? He added later. Even more than a nation, an empire, if it is to survive and to flourish, requires a certain dose of terror. Can this explain the actions of the Russian government in our times? I hope he was wrong.