renew

Teach this triple truth to all: A generous heart, kind speech, and a life of service and compassion are the things which renew humanity. 
--Gautama Siddharta (563-483 B.C.) Founder of Buddhism.

Above: Roaring Fork Falls.  Click here to learn more about this beautiful cascading waterfall found near the Blue Ridge Parkway (Mile #344) in the Mount Mitchell area of North Carolina.

Happy New Year!

wonder

Wonder is the basis of worship.  

--Thomas Carlyle (1795-1881) Scottish Historian and Essayist.   

the strongest force

Love is the strongest force the world possesses, and yet it is the humblest imaginable.  
--Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948) Indian Philosopher.

Above: Linville Falls

Crabtree Falls

In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.   

--John Muir (1838-1914) Naturalist and Conservationist.  

Above: Crabtree Falls on a rainy autumn day. One of the most beautiful waterfalls in our region, Crabtree Falls is found at mile 339 of the Blue Ridge Parkway (roughly midway between Linville Falls and Mount Mitchell). Click to enlarge and you'll see my friend, Peter, at the base of the falls - which puts this spectacular 70' waterfall in perspective. For more discussion and directions, click here.

rhythms of nature

Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night; and thus he would never know the rhythms that are at the heart of life.
--Hal Borland (1900-1978) American author and journalist.

Above: The Linn Cove Viaduct as seen from Rt. 221 below. The colors were at peak in the area in and around Grandfather Mountain this week. This weekend the leaves were a little past peak in the highest elevations where many trees had already lost their leaves. But as you can see from the shot above, there are still places that could be described as 'peak color.' I've always loved the winding Rt. 221 connecting Blowing Rock to Linville.  

To the left, leaves swirl at the base of a small waterfall found beside the road.

when it's really needed

Love me when I least deserve it, because that's when I really need it. 
--Swedish Proverb. 

Above: Big Creek Falls, a small roadside waterfall found in Yancey County, NC near the NC/TN border. Directions here.

alive

Peter taking in the beauty, the roar, and the mist
of Crabtree Falls in Yancey Co, NC

Measure your health by your sympathy with morning and spring. If there is no response in you to the awakening of nature—if the prospect of an early morning walk does not banish sleep, if the warble of the first bluebird does not thrill you—know that the morning and spring of your life are past. Thus may you feel your pulse.
--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher

illumination

Confront the dark parts of yourself, and work to banish them with illumination and forgiveness. Your willingness to wrestle with your demons will cause your angels to sing. Use the pain as fuel, as a reminder of your strength. 
--August Wilson (1945-2005) American Writer. 

Above: The spectacular Crabtree Falls in the Mount Mitchell region of NC.  More of my photos of this waterfall here.

hold on loosely

I have learned to hold all things loosely, so God will not have to pry them out of my hands. --Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983) Holocaust survivor and author.

stewardship

The ultimate test of a moral society is the kind of world that it leaves to its children.
--Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) German Lutheran Pastor and Theologian. 

Above: Roaring Fork Falls, Yancey County, NC.

to be stronger

Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. 
--John F. Kennedy (1917-1963) 35th US President

Crabtree Falls, Yancey County, NC

looking glass falls

When you are looking in the mirror, you are looking at the problem. But, remember, you are also looking at the solution.
–Anonymous 

Above: Looking Glass Falls located in the Pisgah National Forest near the Blue Ridge Parkway near Brevard, NC -- click here for directions and information.

This quote reminds me of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror". Click the link to watch the video.

first things

Before you speak, listen.
Before you write, think.
Before you spend, earn.
Before you invest, investigate.
Before you criticize, wait.
Before you pray, forgive.
Before you quit, try.
Before you retire, save.
Before you die, give.
--William Arthur Ward (1921-1994) author

Above: Toms Spring Falls in Transylvania County, NC. For more information and directions, click here.

Happy New Year!

the invincible future

Our yesterdays hold broken and irreversible things for us. It is true that we have lost opportunities that will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past rest, but let it rest in the sweet embrace of Christ. Leave the broken, irreversible past in His hands, and step out into the invincible future with Him.
--Oswald Chambers (1874-1917) Scottish minister and teacher, author of the widely-read devotional My Utmost for His Highest 

Above: Moore Cove Falls in Transylvania County, NC.

nature and silence

Nature and silence go better together.
--Astrid Alauda

Click here to learn more about this beautiful cascading waterfall found near the Blue Ridge Parkway (Mile #344) in the Mount Mitchell area of North Carolina.

Experiment.

Don't be too timid and squeamish about your actions. All life is an experiment.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American philosopher and writer

This was a very blah-gray winter photo that I jazzed up (I can't wait for color to return to our world!) The waterfall above is of one of the most visited, and most spectacular in our area, Elk River Falls. It's also one of the most easily accessible falls, click here for directions.

be you

Be who you are and be that well.
--St. Francis de Sales

worship lessons

The happiest man is he who learns from nature the lesson of worship.
--Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) American philosopher and writer.  


This image of Crabtree Falls was taken with a wide angle lens (at 11mm) -- which tends to distort the image. In this case, it made the waterfall look wider than it is. But I like this particular perspective - the way the falls fill the frame. Although the lighting wasn't ideal, I did like how the sun lit up the water splashing at the top of the falls.  Put this one on your 'to do' list if you've never visited before!  :)

Toms Spring Falls

This Transylvania County waterfall is widely known as Daniel Ridge Falls (and occasionally referred to as Jackson Falls), but from what I've read in Kevin Adam's book North Carolina Waterfalls (and from Internet sources), that name is incorrect. Daniel Ridge is located well to the northwest of this waterfall - and this waterfall is not located on Daniel Ridge Creek. The correct name is Toms Spring Falls. But regardless of its name, everyone can agree that this is an awesome waterfall. It might not necessarily show in my photos, but at 100 feet tall this is a 'wow' waterfall. And it's another one in the Brevard, NC area that is easy to get to. Secluded in the woods, it's difficult to photograph, but well worth the effort to see in person.

If you're looking extend your hike, you can take the "moderately difficult" Daniel Ridge Loop Trail to the upper falls, described here.

Directions: From the intersection of N.C. Route 280 and U.S. Routes 64 and 275 outside of Brevard turn north on Route 276 and drive for 5.2 miles, take a left onto F.R. 475 and drive 3.9 miles to a large parking area on your right, immediate after you cross over the Davidson River. Park here. Once on the trail, you'll immediately cross over an impressive bridge, soon after you'll come to a fork in the road, turn right. The grade of this trail is gentle for a reason - it was once a railroad bed. Continue on this trail for 0.4 miles to the falls, which will be on your left (immediately before you get to the falls, you'll pass by the Daniel Ridge Loop Trail on your left). The best place to 'take it all in' is from the trail, but you can also take a side trail that leads up to the falls. Total distance to the falls: less than 1/2 mile.

Slick Rock Falls

From the looks of things, Slick Rock Falls is aptly named. When we arrived, we were startled to find a dead deer at the base of the falls. I suppose it died when it fell from cliff above. Sorry for the disturbing photo, I tried to obscure the deer as much as possible -- I actually had planned on removing the deer via Photoshop, but then I realized that it pretty much tells the story of a place named Slick Rock Falls. To add insult to injury, this was a large buck and some idiot crudely removed the antlers from the animal. Even without the dead deer to work around, it was still a difficult waterfall to capture, the bright afternoon sun doing nothing to help the situation! Click here to see some beautiful, much less disturbing photos taken of the falls under better conditions.

Slick Rock is an easy-to-get-to waterfall near Brevard, NC. This time of year, it can be seen through the trees from the road. A short trail takes you past a kiosk and then the trail splits, the right fork leads to the base of the 30' falls. The left fork, by the way, leads to the base of Looking Glass Rock, a popular destination for rock climbers. During dry months, Slick Rock Falls is reduced to a mere trickle, so this is one you want to visit during the spring or after some heavy rains. I'm also told that this is one of the better waterfalls to visit in the winter to see icicles hanging along the edge of the cliff.

Directions: From the intersection of N.C. Route 280 and U.S. Routes 64 and 275 outside of Brevard, turn north on Route 276 and drive for 5.2 miles, take a left onto F.R. 475 and drive 1.5 miles. Turn right onto the F.R. 475B, which is a gravel road, and drive 1.1 miles to a roadside parking area on your right immediately after a sharp left curve in the road.