Today was the neato-est day yet, geologically speaking. We climbed to the rim of a crater, where a unique AT shelter sits looking over the ancient formation. The shelter itself is an old fire rangers cabin, and one of the few if not only fully enclosed AT shelters with a solid door.
The view from the shelter overlooks Burke's Garden, a 4 mile wide by 8 mile long crater formed by a sinkhole collapse. Recently, in Branson, a sinkhole opened up on a golf course. I think they said it was about an 80 foot radius, and its considered a moderately sized hole. So I guess it's safe to say that this Burke's Garden is freaking ginormous.
The crater is now home to a lot of farms and even has an airport. I hope to remember to research it more in town. I was fascinated by it. How old was it? How big was it before collapse. Do they think it was one massive cave?
As we hiked for about 8 miles of the SEastern rim, we were on the side of a mountain that just wasn't there anymore. Instead, large limestone rocks reached into the sky and just ended. Ended usually with a 40 foot drop to the forest floor that then gently sloped to the farm valley below.
We eventually crossed the rim and hiked below the fall line and through giant boulders that at on time probably were extended arms of the sharply slanting rocks that jutted out from the wall above us.
Then, suddenly it was over, and we descended steeply away from the garden. Again, though we spent most of the day at the same elevation, the hike along the rim was hardly ever flat, and 15 miles was surprisingly hard to complete.
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