This past weekend I ventured out to Obed. It’s a Wild and Scenic River, part of the National Park System, just south of Big South Fork. Both are part of the Cumberland Plateau and all my climbing friends were in disbelief I was going and not climbing. Definitely saw more people climbing than anything else while I was there.
I met up with a river guide friend of mine and although we had hoped to take his shredder down one of the creeks leading into the gorge, water levels turned this into a hike and swim trip. We camped at a primitive campsite where we only had to walk a few yards to be on the river bank. It was such a gorgeous scene each morning, watching the light dance on the water.
I guess I should say a little something about my pup, since you’re getting to see him for the first time in this post. He’s almost a year old now and we have been camping and hiking since I first got him. We’re gearing up for a great fall backpacking trip once he turns a year and is ready to carry enough weight.
He’s still building his confidence swimming and we did make a little progress this trip….never would’ve thought it would be work to get a lab to love the water! You’ll start seeing more of him as I continue posting current trips.
All three of us went to Lilly Bluff for a bit of hiking and playing in the water. We did a short 4 mile hike to get some great views up on the rim. Looks like a great spot to see the fall color change and even from up top the water was so clear you could see the riverbed.
After we finished getting hot and sweaty hiking, we got to play in the water. There are some pretty cool swimming holes just near Lilly bluff if you don’t mind getting past some algae covered rocks.
As I said before, the water was crystal clear and this made for great fish watching. Wish we had brought goggles….or a fly rod! We saw such beautiful fish in the shallow parts. I can only imagine what we might have found in the deeper pools.
This is definitely a trip worth taking. Would love to go back to fish, climb, and float down the river.
Aspen's Adventures 