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Yesterday I went on a super fun hike โ my third trip to the Lost Creek Falls State Natural Area here in Tennessee. My first trip was on Day 24 of this low carb challenge, and the second trip was on Day 40 with my sister.
Iโve been wanting to go back and climb to the very top of the waterfall at Lost Creek to see what was up thereโฆ and where the water was coming from. ๐ So yesterday (Day 87) Joe agreed to go exploring with me!
I started the day with a healthy breakfast of cottage cheese, pecans & strawberries โ my usual โLow Carb Cerealโ which is a great source of nutrition & healthy fats.
I learned the hard way on Day 66 just how bad carbs & sugar can TANK your energy on an ambitious hike! ๐
Before we hit Lost Creek, we did some off-trail hiking at Rylander Cascades.
Neither of us had ever seen the cascades, and since it was close we decided to get in a little extra sweat! ๐
Thatโs a glow-in-the-dark waterproof CaliCase phone protector around my neck.
Once we got to the Rylander Cascades there was tons of fun rock climbing to do! ๐ I find rock climbing and hiking to be GREAT exercise, simply for the range of muscle use required. Plus itโs FUN!!
Of course, getting back down always proves more challenging than climbing up. ๐
We packed a healthy low carb picnic for the day including: cucumbers (w/salt & pepper), almonds, pecans, cheese and salami:
We decided to hike up to the top of Lost Creek Falls and have lunchโฆ with a view. ๐ Thereโs a trail leading up to the top of the waterfall, but from there we hiked off-trail and upstream to get to the very topโฆ
This required navigating HUGE boulders, slick wet mossy waterways, and pretty much climbing and trekking through snake and bear territory โ lol.
We got close to the top and decided to break for a healthy lunch on a big flat mossy rock. It was the perfect spot! We had an amazing view, some warm sunshine, and a cooler breeze โ coming out of what had to be a large cave up above. ๐
Sure enough, we finally get to the top of Lost Creek Fallsโฆ and there is an amazingly huge cave there! ๐ We knew it had to be a fairly good sized cave because it felt like air conditioning coming out of it.
It was a large cave indeed, and it was FULL OF SPIDERS. ๐ฏ lol, eek!
After that we hiked about halfway down and took a break above Lost Creek Falls.
I was filling my water bottle in the natural underground springs along the way, so I tracked my water intake like this:
lol โ Thatโs serious dedication to tracking. ๐ Each mark is 8 ounces of water. I donโt know if you can see all the scratches on my arm, those were from briars. Briars and ticks were the worst thing we ran into on the hike though. ๐
Here I am sitting over Lost Creek Falls, on the edge of a 75 foot drop off to the pool below. Yes that made me dizzy! ๐
On our way out Joe spotted a wild blackberry bush and we stopped to pick a few for a sweet low carb treat. ๐
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The berries are just starting to get ripe here in Tennessee, so July will definitely hold a lot of fun berry picking ventures! These blackberries were especially sweet โ much sweeter and juicier than the frozen blackberries I bought over the winter.
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I had a FUN day and got GREAT exercise hiking and rock climbing. And I finally know whatโs at the top of Lost Creek Falls: a cave full of spiders! ๐ LOL. It was a really cool (and very large) cave to explore though.
I have one more adventure to Lost Creek that I want to make this summer, and thatโs to find the waterfall at the back of the Lost Creek Cave.
It will be a cool & wet hike of a good couple of hours in pitch dark, so weโre saving that one for later in the season when itโs too hot to do anything else. ๐
These are my summer hiking & outdoor adventure essentials:
Iโm totally addicted to my Fitbit. ๐ I use the Fitbit Charge HR and itโs the ONLY thing that finally motivated me to get moving and get more active! I love my new CaliCase Waterproof Phone Case too, which is great for using your phone around water. You can even use it and take great photos while itโs IN the case.
And of course Iโm partial to my Northside Burke II Water Sandals (yes, they make them for men too!). Theyโre the perfect โsummer adventure shoesโ for hiking, walks, creek wading and kayaking. ๐
I hope you enjoyed this fun photo tour of my third Lost Creek Falls hike.
Iโm having a blast on my โlocal travelsโ and fun summer adventures, and itโs really helping me tone up โ fast! Check Google for your local area and search for things like: hiking, state natural area, state park, waterfall, etc (along with your town, county and state) to see what you can find to get into. ๐
Best,
Lynn Terry,
aka @LowCarbTraveler
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I donโt know what I think youโre crazier forโฆ dangling from a 75 foot drop (OK, Iโm being dramatic) or hanging out in a cave with creepy spiders! eek! Be careful.
LOLโฆ all of it ๐ haha. Weโre cautious โ and I would NEVER go out on such an adventure alone. There have been entirely too many bear sightings in our area already this year! #doubleEEK lol
Spiders, bears and snakes? EEEEK! But it looks like a great adventure and great exercise. We spend 4 months a year in Puerto Vallarta and your pictures make me want to explore some of the great hiking there.
It really was a great workout AND great fun. ๐ Definitely explore all you can, everywhere you canโฆ thereโs so much to see in this beautiful world!
I hope your dog is willing to share his name with you. You are slim! Your arms look incredible in these photos.
Thank you Mandi! ๐ Iโve been doing Tricep Dips almost daily and also using the Ab Carver Pro โ which is also a great workout for the arms. ๐
You look great Lyn!
You and Joe are very brave and adventurous
i am worried more about bears than spiders but i hate spiders too. I know you both are cautious but i still worry.
I admire your commitment to low carb eating even while on a hike. I am glad you have a partner for your hiking adventures that doesnโt mind eating low carb like you.
you have inspired me how to eat low carb in any situation
The hotel had a social hour here this past week. One day there was Mexican food and i wasnโt sure how i was going to handle that but i came out sticking to my low carb
plan. I just had chorizo over chopped lettuce with cheese and sour cream on topโฆ..and a few pieces of honey dew melon.
โฆ.i skipped the chips and tortillas
The following night i had brats and krautโฆ..no bread or potatoe salad
i was so worried about eating at these buffets but it really was not that difficult
of course last night was desert nightโฆโฆi just skipped that eventโฆ..No way could i have stayed low carb there. Haha. ๐
lol Gigi โ those spiders were HUGE, and they were ALL over the cave walls! ๐ฏ Yuck! ๐
Joe is great about eating with me, or at least alongside me. He is eating a lot healthier now too, but not low carb. Definitely lower carb now though. ๐ His veggie bag has sweet pickles, jalapenos, cucumbers and something else โ he made mine with only cucumbers because he knew I didnโt eat sweet pickles (for the sugar). Very cool!
Heโs either being extremely supportiveโฆ or really scared Iโll get fat again. ๐ hahahaha
Youโre doing great! Especially considering the circumstances and what you have to work with. Good on you for attending the socials AND keeping it low carb!! How about the pool โ have you been able to get much swimming in? ๐
Oh no!!!!! I am scared to death of those huge spiders. Omg. I would have been running out of there screaming. Lol
I think Joe is just being supportive of you with the low carb woe. He must realize by now what it means to you to not only to lose weight but to be healthy and energetic.
i doubt that you will ever let yourself gain your weight back. I know i refuse to go back. If i see my scale going up I know what to do to get it moving again and so do you.We have come too far to throw in the towe . You even more so than me.
i only went in the pool once. It is an indoor pool. I really do not know how to swim well so i bought a flotation device. I plan on using the pool more now but i will prob only go in there in the daytime when there is hardly anyone there. I am still embarrassed of my bathing suit body . Haha
i wish i could afford some sort of plastic surgery on my abs arms and upper thigh . Because i lost so much weight, my skin looks wrinkly. I hate it. Ug . Maybe exercise will help firm it up a bit. I am older now and my skin is not elastic as it used to be
It is good that you lost your weight while you are still fairly young. Your legs look firm you do not have all that cellulte like i do Ugh. I like me way better fully clothed. Lol.
Iโm really embarrassed by mine too, Gigi. Iโm toning up nicely in the limbs, but my inner thighs still look like cottage cheese. ๐ My midsection is pretty rough too. It certainly doesnโt look the same as it did back when I was this weight before (late 20โs) lol. Ugh.
A good moisturizer, rubs and sloughing are all good to stimulate the skin and the cellulite under the skin, and of course staying hydrated from the inside too. I tried taking a collagen supplement but it made me nauseous. I may look and see what else there is.
I have some more revealing photos Iโll eventually share (when I work up the nerve, lol) but you can see some of the yucky bulge in my recent Spanx review: http://www.travelinglowcarb.com/10043/best-spanx-shapewear/ in the photos of the knockoff comparison toward the end. ๐ Yuck!
Iโve been researching inner thigh exercises that are as easy as the Tricep Dips โ something I can add in to do dailyโฆ ๐
I thoroughly enjoyed your journey!! Thanks so much for sharing the pics and information. I live in Chattanooga and we have plenty of opportunities for outdoor activity. I need to make a โbucket listโ and get started!! Have a blessed day!!
Thank you, Vera! Youโre just over the mountain from me. ๐ Letโs go on a fun hike or outdoor adventure together sometime!! I can get a local group together for a low carb lunch or dinner in Chatt โ and/or a fun group adventure trip. Sounds like fun!
Love following your journey! Love nature! Love your pics. This makes me want to find a place and hike. Your post ready inspire me to get moving.
Thank you, Kathy โ that inspires ME to share more of my fun outdoor fitness adventures. ๐ Iโve had SO much fun getting in shape in the woods this summer, lol. Last night we did a short hike up the mountain to watch the sunset from the top, which was a GREAT thigh-burner. ๐