My Hideaway on the Cartecay

Tucked away in the north Georgia mountains sits a small, gray cabin with a maroon horseshoe porch. To me, this plot of land is a diamond in the rough. Although from the outside it doesn’t seem like much, but the true meaning lies within the plot of land surrounding the building. The sloping land is always a lush, bright green, even in the winter, which is unusual in Georgia. At the back of the property, the ever flowing Cartecay River is rushing by. This hideaway on the Cartecay River is the perfect place to get away from everyday society and the place I go to be one with God and the world he created for all of us.

            Arriving to the cabin is, at first, quite deceiving due to the fact that you must drive through a run-down trailer park before you get to the road, West Rivers Edge Drive. If you’re pulling up West Rivers Edge Drive in the early morning, you are most likely going to see a few Angus cattle lining the back fence of their property and the smell of cow manure will fill the car momentarily. My father, who grew up on a farm calls that smell, “the smell of money.”  As you continue to drive down West Rivers Edge Drive, you have to drive cautiously or else you might hit one of the twenty or so feral cats that call the nearby land their home. These cats will blur by you in shades of orange, gray, white and black fur.  As you drop down a hill to the wooded area near the brink of the cabin’s driveway, always keep your eyes peeled for the white tailed deer that occasionally run across the road. When you finally reach the top of the driveway, you always have butterflies fluttering in your stomach you get the feeling of suspense as if you were reaching the top of a rollercoaster that’s about to drop. The excitement and beauty of what is to come is overwhelming. 

            Wearing shoes is optional, but I always run through the cool grass barefoot. The feeling of the soft blades between your toes and the fresh, earthy smell that fills your nose makes you feel like you could stay in that moment forever. The things to do there are endless and always tons of fun. The usual weekend retreat to the cabin includes swimming in the Cartecay, floating down the river in a tube, fishing off the bank and playing corn hole in the backyard. There’s never a dull moment at the cabin. At night, our campfire is always glowing and flickering shades of reds, yellows and oranges. You can inhale the scent of burning wood as it crackles in the flames.  If you’re up for some excitement, flying through the property on the Ranger, which is like a golf cart on steroids, is the best thing to do. It’s always a blast having the wind whip your hair in every direction and flying out of your seat as you go over the dips and bumps throughout the yard.  The cabin has so much to keep you entertained and having fun all day long, but the best parts for me don’t involve the material items that most people enjoy. My favorite things about the cabin are abstract.

            The excitement and fun activities to do are fantastic, but in the mornings when the grass is still wet with dew and the sun is barely peeking out is the best time to be outside. These beautiful, cool mornings are there to remind me that God is everywhere I look. These quiet mornings, where the only sound is the Cartecay running only feet away from the swinging bench you’re sitting on, are what make the cabin seem like the cheesy saying, “a slice of heaven.” Even though it seems corny, it’s so true for me. I never thought the cabin my family bought only two years ago would mean so much to me. Whether I’m sitting on the swing reading my Bible or fishing off the sandy bank while the sun is starting to rise I know that I’m with God. These mornings, that I’m blessed to be a part of, I can think about all the wonderful things God does for not only me, but the world in general. He has so many precious gifts in nature that in today’s technology obsessed society are easily overlooked and forgotten about. During my early morning devotionals, everything around me is present to let me know not only how God is everywhere I go, but how fearfully and wonderfully I’m made. It’s a lot like the poem called, “Footprints,” which I read for the first time at my cabin on a canvas what was left by the previous owners, describes how God is always there for you. I think about that poem on these mornings. I think about how when I only see one set of footprints through my life, that God was there carrying me through it. He will never leave my side.

            The cabin is a wonderful place. Some people can drive by a place like this and not think twice, but this spot is my secret hideaway on the Cartecay River. When I’m here I can escape from the society I live in and focus purely on my surroundings. You can simply feel God’s presence and build your relationship with him just by sitting by the water. God is everywhere, which means he’s even there when you’re constantly texting on your phones, but you can feel him with you and appreciate all he’s done for you when you set the phone down and enjoy nature.  It’s amazing how such a small cabin and with a plot of land can make such an impact on life and your walk with God. All it took for me was an hour drive from my house to the North Georgia mountains and my relationship with God became stronger.