One of the very few day trips I took during my break, was to Long Hunter State Park.  I had been living with my parents for almost a month during an exhaustive job hunt, I was single, my friends were living over an hour away (minimum), and I was incredibly stir crazy.  I took a day off from filling out job applications and headed over to Long Hunter State Park.

Long Hunter is right outside of Mt. Juliet, TN and is really big with boaters and hikers. We used to go over there all the time as kids with the Girl Scouts, but I haven’t been back since before I started undergrad.

There are several trails, but the most popular is the 2 mile paved loop around Couchville Lake, which is the trail I took.  I did the loop 3 times, a total of 6 miles.  The first time I power walked, trying to build up a sweat and burn some calories.  The second and third loops, however, I took my time, enjoyed the scenery and took some pictures.

It was the first time I’d been out in nature since leaving the desert, and I reveled in the beautiful weather and all the green.  Living in the desert for a couple years, you get so used to seeing brown everywhere you go, that all the green of a Tennessee state park is almost overwhelming at first.  Don’t get me wrong – deserts are beautiful, and I really miss being able to see for miles, living at the foot of the mountains, and having a perfectly clear starry night every single night –  but there’s something about being surrounded by color while outdoors that makes me so happy.

I’ll definitely be back to Long Hunter in the future – there are still several trails I’d like to try and it’s a generally beautiful locale – but it won’t be for a couple more months most likely.  I’m a big wimp when it comes to the cold 🙂