Planning the trip to Tennessee was something unfimiliar to me. I was nervous as any young guy would be who is traveling a thousand miles away from home alone. I thought about how much freedom I have to be able to visit a place undiscovered to me without any hassles. The planning took some time and once the day came I was a bit nervous, dad had a tear in his eye. What dad wouldn't right? I was a boy and was becoming a man by traveling this distance alone. I never hugged my dad as long as I did this...

It's a crisp January evening here in Southern Wisconsin and the moon is full. The stars are out in full force creating a setting that one could call indescribable. As I traverse under the ancient pines I hear the crunchy sound of the snow at my feet. The snow sparkles as the Moonlight bounces off it.

The sound of an Great Horned Owl screeches across the landscape as mice make way to find shelter. The eyes of a doe glow in the Moon struck forest... As I enjoy all this I realize that...

What once was,
What once was the place where I embraced the excitement of a first kiss is now a development..
What once was the place where I could spend quality time with grandpa is now gone...
What once was the place where I could wake up every morning and know that I had everything is now just a memory.
What once was a first love is now a faint memory that still leaves pain in my heart.
What once was an envision of peace and beauty, solitude and personal guidance...

It all started on a cool Autumn morning. The sound of an alarm clock on a vacation wasn’t too enticing, but I knew today I was going to traverse some of the most beautiful land in the country. So as many of my mornings go I slowly woke up and then decided to go down stairs to take a shower and eat some cereal. I wanted to eat light so I wouldn’t be regretting it later when I’m out in the middle of no where and having no restrooms available.
After packing the truck with my sandwiches and lunch...

Ah the fragrance of the spruce trees, it’s a clean, distinct smell. The area is abundant of hiking trails. I couldn’t be any more happy, the calling of the loons on the lake at dawn and the site of a bald eagle make getting up early to hit the trails that much more worthwhile… The lake is like a sheet of glass with the fog rolling off… I can hear a few lone wolves in the distance doing there last morning call.. The moon is low in the western sky and the sun is rising quickly. There isn’t much time...