Her Side of the Mountain

When I drove all over the US, I got as far out west as Wyoming, Utah, and Arizona.  I was on the road for almost 6 weeks. 

I knew I was closer to home when I started hiking in the Great Smoky Mountains, in Tennessee.  It smelled more like home, because the greenery was more like what I was used to than the plant life out in the West.  I stood on the trail, closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and, for a second, I got a little homesick.  I had been on the road for a month, after all.  I missed my cat, and my roommates, and my friends, and my family.  I missed my bed. 

Then I opened my eyes and remembered why I was having such a great time, and instead of being homesick, I thought, “I can’t believe this trip is almost over!”  Here is that moment of realization:

© Her Side of the Mountain, 2010.