#chances are you probably won't find yourself EXTREMELY in the wilderness in that NF

[quaranmine]

I have never been to a national forest before, but in October, I'm going to Ouachita National Forest... alone. I'm excited, but also, bc IDL has eaten my entire brain, I am nervous. I used to be an experienced hiker/camper, but it has been a very long time since I've done any of it.

OOOH, FUN! Just make sure someone else knows where you are and when you're supposed to check in. I have a lot of childhood memories of my parents taking me to that part of Arkansas, especially the crystal mines and rock shops. We have sooooo many rocks we got from that area. We used to go a lot for quick camping trips with our trailer on 3 day weekends. Also, I viewed the Solar Eclipse from Ouachita National Forest in April (with clear skies, unlike Texas.)

I hope you'll go by way of the Talimena Parkway, where the OK part of the National Forest is. It's a beautiful road and you should have some fall colors. I went at Thanksgiving last year but most of the leaves had already fallen. Right after you cross into Arkansas, at Queen Wilhelmena State Park, there's also nice fire lookout by the road called Rich Mountain lookout. Zero hike, drive right up, and it's right next to the main road. It's not even a detour and looks nearly identical to what I pictured Grian having. I actually took notes on it when I was there (stuff like how many steps etc) even though I was already very far into the story at that point.

But seriously yeah, I totally understand being nervous. I also haven't hiked or camped alone before and would be skeptical of it. I have been camping and hiking a lot, but always with much more experienced family members. It’s not really my intentions with IDL to scare people away from hiking (which I failed at per some reviews lol), just to impress the importance of preparation and planning. Of course at some point, you can't plan yourself out of everything. I say it myself in the fic. You can do everything right and still have something happen. But...that applies in every aspect of life. The only things we can do on our end is be careful and mitigate the risk. In this case, that just means you need to make good decisions about bringing enougj water, staying on trail, and making sure other people know where you are and when you're supposed to be back <3

I'm confident you'll have a great time, and send me pictures!