Russian Women Conquering Appolachian Mountains, Day 1 :) Photos and Journal

[Irina Cher]

I was right about going for a hike in Appalachian Mountains on Friday instead of the weekend because it was quite, peaceful and made me and my friend Olga feel as close to wild nature as the first Appalachian tribes felt once. In fact, the only other human being we met after 3 hours of steep hike was a man from New Hampshire who said that we’ve been going to a wrong direction all the way from the start! No wonder we never found West Mountain viewpoint or a Nuclear Lake where we planned to have a lunch!

Still, we didn’t feel discouraged at all because everything we saw was spectacular, beautiful, wonderful and we loved every minute of it. And I think the quite spot in the mosses under the tree suited for lunch just fine! Especially that on the course we had a curried chicken and almonds salad and a warm vegetable stew I made last night. Who said sandwiches are more convenient for a hike?

All the way up and down the hills me and Olga were singing and talking loudly, but not just because we like to do it. The first thing I’ve read about Appalachian trail was a guide about what to do if you encounter a bear. Coming from Siberia I think I’m destined to associate woods with big furry animals which are – I think – very beautiful, especially when you watch them on Discovery Channel.

Anyway I’ve learned that singing, talking and making noises is the best way to avoid the stage described as “if the bear approaches very fast and looks aggressive lay down flat on your stomach and wait till the attack is over”.

I think Olga was laughing at my obsession with bears as much as she did about me bringing t-shirts of three different colors to change once in a while. I don’t find its funny though, you never know where you meet your bear charming… I mean prince charming… Oh well...

Being luckily ignored by bears of East Coast we were happy to meet other inhabitants of the mountains such as a young curious deer who followed us and looked at us through the bushes, and a flying frog who loved posing for the photos (you can see how good she came out!)

You can looked at photos we made on the trip here:

http://russiangirlinthisworld.com/20...ian-mountains/