don't wait

In life, one has a choice to take one of two paths: to wait for some special day -- or to celebrate each special day. 
--Rasheed Ogunlaru

Above: Late afternoon walk at Carden's Bluff (Watauga Lake).

risky business

To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact, you must give your heart to no one, not even to an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements; lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket -- safe, dark, motionless, airless -- it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable.
--C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) British Scholar and Novelist.

Above: Sunset at Watauga Lake

life's essentials

Three grand essentials to happiness in this life are something to do, something to love, and something to hope for.  

--Joseph Addison (1672-1719) English Author and Statesman.   

Carden's Bluff Campground is open from mid-April till the beginning of November. But while you can't camp there now, you can park at the main gate and walk in and explore. It's a perfect place to walk the dog and take in some wonderful views of Watauga Lake.  For more pics and info, click here. 

go placidly

"Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.

Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.

Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.

Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.

Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.

Be yourself. Especially, do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.

Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.

Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.

Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.

And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be.

And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy."

--Max Ehrmann (1872–1945) American Writer, "Desiderata"

Above: Trail at Sycamore Shoals State Park, Elizabethton, TN

historic homestead

To maintain a joyful family requires much from both the parents and the children. Each member of the family has to become, in a special way, the servant of the others.  
--Pope John Paul II (1920-2005).

The old Miller homestead on Roan Mountain offers a beautiful and fascinating glimpse into mountain living a century ago before the introduction of modern conveniences.  Built in 1907, the house sat on 200 or so acres originally owned by Union General John Thomas Wilder (who constructed the Cloudland Hotel atop Roan Mountain). The Miller family lived in the house until the 1960s, and never had it wired for electricity. It is currently operated by the Roan Mountain State Park and is open for tours.

Click here for my previous post with more photos and discussion.

The Johnson City Press had a nice article about the house with photos this week.

There is an abundance of information about the house and its history found within the application to the National Register of Historical Places.

peace and quiet

Peace is a daily, a weekly, a monthly process, gradually changing opinions, slowly eroding old barriers, quietly building new structures.
--John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) 35th US President.

Above: Blue Hole Grotto outside of Elizabethton, TN. Not as much water flowing at Blue Hole as I was expecting to find. But still a beautiful place to explore. This narrow grotto was a great place to be on a hot, humid day - with the temperature significantly cooler than outside in the sun.

sail away

Well it's not far down to paradise, at least's not for me. 
If the wind is right you can sail away and find tranquility. 
Oh the canvas can do miracles, just you wait and see, believe me. 

Sailing, takes me away 
To where I've always heard it 
Just a dream and the wind to carry me 
Soon I will be free 

--Christopher Cross (b.1951) Singer-songwriter.

Above: Sailboats on Watauga Lake

Hampton Cove Creek

Hampton Cove Creek is a bit off the beaten path. Not often visited, but a gorgeous place to hike. Most everyone comes to Roan Mountain for the balds and the Rhododendren Gardens, but this gem, found outside the actual town of Roan Mountain, TN, is worth looking into. Click here for information and directions.

It's a unique place to hike because the lower part of the hike takes you through a working farm. So you open and close gates as you go and find yourself walking next to cows and horses.

I haven't ever gone all the way to Yellow Mountain Gap from this direction, but that's where this trail (part of the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail) leads. Doing so would put you very close to the Overmountain Shelter (aka 'The Barn').  The trail is not really well marked, so I'd recommend studying the map found at the trailhead (or at the link above) before heading out. Depending on the season, the initial part of the trail can be muddy and weedy.

Click photos to enlarge.

life's rough places

Courage and cheerfulness will not only carry you over the rough places in life, but will enable you to bring comfort and help to the weak-hearted and will console you in the sad hours. 
--William Osler (1849-1919) Canadian Physician.

On the Appalachian Trail near Laurel Falls you'll discover numerous cut-throughs made for the old Laurel Fork Railway. Standard gauged rails were used to haul timber out of this remote area to a Hampton, TN sawmill from 1912-27. This area was dedicated the Pond Mountain Wilderness in 1986. The term 'wilderness' is defined by the Wilderness Act of 1964 as “an area where the earth and community of life are untrammeled by man, where man himself is a visitor who does not remain" and "an area of undeveloped Federal land retaining its primeval character and influence, without permanent improvements or human habitation, which is protected and managed so as to preserve its natural conditions."

booming

Love is the big booming beat which covers up the noise of hate. 
--Margaret Cho (b.1968) American Comedian.

I love the sound of a waterfall in spring when the water roars with full force. This is Laurel Fork Falls outside of Hampton, TN, a 55-foot beauty and one of the most popular hikes in our region. Click here for directions and information. Listen to the roar in this short video:

Effort

The difference between try and triumph is a little umph.
--Author Unknown.

This past October, a new bridge was completed on the Appalachian Trail leading to Laurel Fork Falls from Dennis Cove Road. The new "Koonford Bridge" is in the same location as the older, narrow bridge in the Laurel Fork Gorge. Though considerably wider, I'm glad they kept the handrails on just one side, just like the older bridge. This wasn't just a replacement project -- in order to accommodate the new, wider bridge, volunteers had to first widen and raise the stone support piers. Here is a link to a series of videos showing the dedicated volunteers who made this happen. The new bridge is very impressive both in its scale and craftsmanship. Sixty-six feet in length, it took about two months to complete.

Some of you might remember that back in January of 1998 the central section of the old bridge was washed away in a flood and quickly replaced by a crew of volunteers.  That 'quick fix' held up really well for 16 years.

measuring health

When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body. I measure your health by the number of shoes and hats and clothes you have worn out.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American writer and philosopher. 

Above: This section of the Appalachian Trail near Laurel Falls follows the old Laurel Fork Railway which operated from 1912 to 1927.

winter cheer

In winter we lead a more inward life. Our hearts are warm and cheery, like cottages under drifts, whose windows and doors are half concealed, but from whose chimneys the smoke cheerfully ascends... 
--Henry David Thoreau, 1842.

Stopped by Wilbur Dam yesterday and found Little Laurel Branch Falls (left) nearly frozen over. The hills and trees are beautiful covered in snow. The road to Watauga Dam is gated in case anybody was wondering.

stormy weather

Faith is not a delicate flower which would wither away under the slightest stormy weather. 
--Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian Philosopher.

I haven't gotten out much to shoot lately, so I'm looking through my autumn shots from this fall for photos to share. Two of the prime weekends for fall color this October were stormy. So I have a lot of rainy, misty shots this autumn. At the time I took the shot above, there was a steady drizzle of rain, and I had had it. Hiking in the rain, keeping the camera dry and the lens free of rain drops (while holding a dog on a leash) ... not much fun! But shooting in these conditions can often make for some interesting shots in spite of the frustrations.

The photo on the left shows an old boat ramp entering the western end of lake near Hampton, TN. It makes me wonder where the roads used to be before the lake was completed by the TVA in 1948. Who knows, maybe this was an old road bed that led to the old town of Butler?  I haven't seen any old, 'pre-Watauga Lake' road maps of the area. There is a nice Butler museum in the new town of Butler, TN which is worth checking out if you're ever out that way (open seasonally). It tells the interesting history of the town and the people displaced by the lake.

be curious

Curiosity is the very basis of education and if you tell me that curiosity killed the cat, I say only the cat died nobly.  
--Arnold Edinborough

Firescald Branch Falls

There's not much information out there for this one. Firescald Branch Falls is a series of cascades found in the Frog Level area of Dennis Cove in Carter County, TN. While it's a long drive to get there, the good news is that it's not much of a hike. However, you will encounter thick rhododendrons on the trail, which will make climbing up the falls a challenge (and a workout). But it's worth the effort. I see from the photos linked below that I stopped short of the third tier of waterfalls here, so I'll have to go back out. I went as far as I thought the trail went, but it appears there's one more cascade beyond what I saw.

Check out Wendell Dingus' nice images of these cascades. GPS info here. 

Directions: Drive up Dennis Cove Road to Frog Level. I have detailed directions and a map here. Once at the parking area for Frog Level, look to the left and you'll see a trail closely following the stream into the rhododendrons.  It is probably no more than 100 feet up the trail that you'll see the first cascade. Continue on, pushing through the rhododendron thickets, and you'll discover more beautiful scenes.  This is a fairly small stream, so you'll want to visit after a good rain.

Frog Level

Finally made my way to a remote area of Carter County, TN called Frog Level. It is out there! The people who probably know this area best are the fishermen who wade the many streams in search for brown and brook trout. But there are also many trails to be explored for those interested in hiking and camping.  Visiting for the first time, I had to go to the topo map to try to make sense of all the intersecting trails and streams. I've done my best in creating a basic overview map of all I've discovered in Dennis Cove for those venturing into this wilderness for the first time.

One of the meadows found at Frog Level

Most drive up the very steep and curvy Dennis Cove Road in order to hike to the spectacular Laurel Falls or to camp at Dennis Cove Campground, perhaps also visiting Upper and Lower Dennis Cove Falls. Fewer are aware of Coon Den Falls. And although I had always heard of Frog Level, I rarely came across people who had been there or found much information on the internet. Though it's remote, it's worth the trip -- and the good news is... you can drive within a 1/2 mile of it. :)

Laurel Fork after a rain

The naming or origin of Frog Level remains somewhat of a mystery to me. The area does have a number of creeks and smaller streams. And after a heavy rain (as on the day we went), you'll encounter bogs in the road/trail (wear an old pair of shoes). But Frog Level itself is a pleasant area of open meadow. I saw one reference online that a railroad spur once came through the area to haul timber. Another said these open meadows were where timber was stacked awaiting transport, and are now mowed and maintained by the forest service as a wildlife habitat. 

Small Pond found in Frog Level

Directions: From Rt. 67/321 in Hampton, TN, take Dennis Cove Road for 4.8 miles to the Dennis Cove Campground. From there it is another 1 3/4 miles (road eventually becomes gravel) to an unmarked forest service road to your right (gate should be open) that leads you to Frog Level. This narrow, gravel road is in surprisingly good shape, but I would still definitely recommend a high clearance vehicle for this trip. Although it's only 2.1 miles from the main road to the cul-de-sac parking area, it'll seem longer than that.  Park and you'll find where the road crosses the creek (it's now gated). (btw...If you take the trail to your left, up this small stream, you will quickly come to Firescald Falls).

The old road can be muddy!

Crossing the creek... You can try to rock hop, but you're going to end up getting wet eventually anyway, so you might as well just take the plunge. You'll cross three shallow creeks in rapid succession before coming to the first meadow. Continue on you'll immediately come to a larger meadow after crossing Laurel Fork -- in the far corner of this meadow is a small pond (pictured here).  Here you'll come to a fork with Lacy Trap heading southwest to eventually meet up with the AT in 3-4 miles, and Laurel Fork trail which will continue on to the southeast, eventually ending at Walnut Mountain Road.  Laurel Fork Trail actually runs all the way from Dennis Cove to Frog Level and then on to Walnut Mtn Road, for a total of 7.9 miles. It's just a beautiful area -- and a lot of fun to explore. See the Google Map for the satellite view of the meadows (note the AT is mislabeled).  More detailed trail map is here.

If you continue on a little further on the Laurel Fork Trail, you'll come to Upper Laurel Fork Falls and Campbell Falls. Mike Stillwell has written a nice description here.

With all the creek crossings, this is only recommended as a summertime hike!

I'm still learning about this area! If you have advice or suggestions, please leave a comment and let us know.

let it shine

As we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.
--Marianne Williamson (b.1952) author and lecturer.

Above: A break in the clouds above Watauga Lake lets in some light.

Little Hump Mountain

When I first open my eyes upon the morning meadows and look out upon the beautiful world, I thank God I am alive.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American writer and philosopher.

Here's the view from the top of Little Hump Mountain in the Roan Highlands. This beautiful grassy bald doesn't get nearly the visits that the other balds closer to Carvers Gap do.... which, is perhaps, its greatest allure. :) The day we visited we only saw two other people the entire time we were up on the mountain. It was a foggy, windy day and the 'feel' of the place was constantly changing -- alternating from brilliant sunshine to thick fog.  My edits to the top photo above are a bit over the top, but I wanted to convey the drama of being on this gorgeous summit. This expansive mountain-top meadow, filled with summer wildflowers, offers spectacular views in every direction. Little Hump Mountain is really a magical place.

Getting to this magic can be tough. This place is remote! You feel really isolated (in a good way) when you're standing on its 5440' summit. Of course, the AT through the Roan Highlands is wildly popular with section hikers, who often will be dropped off at Highway 19E near the TN/NC border, and then take two days to hike to Carvers Gap -- or if a longer section hike is desired, they hike until picked up at Uncle Johnny's Hostel next to the Nolichucky River in Erwin. (Read Hiking Bill's account of hiking from Carver's Gap to 19E). I've had many thru-hikers tell me that the section from Roan Mountain to Grayson Highlands in VA is their favorite section of the entire Appalachian Trail. The Roan Highlands are indeed spectacular.

See my post with directions to the Overmountain Shelter to see your options for getting here. To hike in from Carvers Gap or 19E is really too far and demanding for most day hikers. (Click here to read Hiking Bill's account of his one day, out-and-back 14.2 mile trek from 19E to Little Hump). We got there driving to the end of Roaring Creek Road on the NC side of the mountain. From there we hiked up to Yellow Mountain Gap (after peaking in on the Overmountain Shelter), turned right and headed north on the AT to Little Hump. It's a climb! Grueling at times - but always beautiful. Unfortunately we didn't make it all the way to Big Hump Mountain -- so that will have to be another day.  Click here for a topo Map of Little Hump and vicinity. The photo to the left was taken on our way back to Yellow Mountain Gap, if you click and enlarge it, look closely and you'll see the Overmountain Shelter in the distance.

Liberty!

Those who expect to reap the blessings of liberty must undergo the fatigues of supporting it. 
--Thomas Paine (1737-1809) English-American political activist, philosopher, author, political theorist and revolutionary.

Had a wonderful time shooting the final performance of "Liberty! The Saga of Sycamore Shoals" this weekend. As always, I was impressed with the dedication, professionalism and talent of the performers in their reenactment of the settling of this region. Click here for more photos.

To learn more about the drama and how to get involved in next year's performance, click here.