building the new

The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new. 

--Dan Millman (b.1946) author.

butler bridge

It is a mistake to look too far ahead. Only one link in the chain of destiny can be handled at a time. 
--Winston Churchill (1874-1965) British Prime Minister. 

Above: Butler Memorial Bridge over Watauga Lake (built 1948)

bleeding heart

How else but through a broken heart may Lord Christ enter in?
--Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) Irish writer.

travel light

If you wish to travel far and fast, travel light. Take off all your envies, jealousies, unforgiveness, selfishness, and fears.
--Glenn Clark (1882-1956) author.

Above: American Wintergreen plant growing on Unaka Mountain.

Pine Ridge Falls

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world. 
-- Albert Einstein

Above: Pine Ridge Falls. To the left is a photo of the forest service road through Clark's Creek. And below, a photo of Blue on the trail to the falls. Click here for directions and a full description of the hike. Occasionally I've seen this waterfall referred to as Longarm Branch Falls.

fear not

The greatest mistake you can make in life is to be continually fearing you will make one.
--Elbert Hubbard

Above: Lower Higgins Creek Falls (detail)

choose your path

Know well what leads you forward and what holds you back, and choose the path that leads you to wisdom. 
--Buddha 

Took advantage of the warm temperatures yesterday by going for a hike along the Appalachian Trail on Unaka Mountain. As the sun was setting I met two south-bound thru-hikers with the trail names of "Tonic"(from Massachusetts) and "Bright Spirit" (from Texas). They both got a bit of a late start on their 2,190 mile trek and hope to avoid heavy snows as they complete the remaining 350 (or so) miles to the southern terminus of the AT on Springer Mountain in Georgia. 

Click here for a helpful Appalachian Trail distance calculator.

autumn wisdom

I like spring, but it is too young. I like summer, but it is too proud. So I like best of all autumn, because its tone is mellower, its colours are richer, and it is tinged with a little sorrow. Its golden richness speaks not of the innocence of spring, nor the power of summer, but of the mellowness and kindly wisdom of approaching age. It knows the limitations of life and its content.
-- Lin Yutang (1895-1976) Chinese author.  

Above: Seeger Chapel on the campus of Milligan College.

imagination

Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
--Albert Einstein  

Here are some recent photos from Rocky Fork State Park. The transition to a state park is making good progress on this huge tract of land in southern Unicoi County. It looks like the parking area is nearing completion (but not open yet) and trails are now named and marked with signs. Hiking the Flint Trail, I came across a lovely meadow (left) after crossing the interesting footbridge you see at the top. The bridge was made from a tree that had fallen across the creek.

autumn road

Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid.
--Frederick Buechner (1926-2022)

Above: Autumn Road near the Nolichucky River, Erwin, TN.

shine

 

People are like stained-glass windows. They sparkle and shine when the sun is out, but when the darkness sets in their true beauty is revealed only if there is light from within.
~Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

The view from Horseback Ridge on Unaka Mountain looking toward Erwin, TN.  The autumn colors are beginning to appear at the highest elevations. Click here for directions. Below is the view looking out toward Buffalo Mountain in the distance -- in the foreground is Stone Mountain and the ridge behind it, Little Mountain.

Pain, Rain and Maine.

No Pain, No Rain, No Maine.
–Appalachian Trail saying. 

 
Talking with those AT thru hikers that pass through this region in early spring, there are days they wake up to knee-deep snow or weeks when the rain just won't stop. Still the hardy and determined (and possibly insane) trudge on, though the weather will thin their ranks. I appreciate what they do and admire them, but I like my comfy bed and hot shower too much to ever do what they do. Six months is a long time to sleep out of doors. And 2,180 miles is a lot of miles to walk. I often ask them why they're out there. It seems you can put the thru-hikers into two camps: those who say they do it for the bucket-list-worthy, physical challenge of the trek and those who've come to clear their minds and get back in touch with nature. For both groups the pain and rain on the way to Maine is an essential part of this challenging and cleansing experience.

Above: The Appalachian Trail as it crosses the summit of Unaka Mountain in eastern Tennessee. 

light and shadows

Never fear shadows. They simply mean there’s a light shining somewhere nearby.
--Ruth E. Renkel

Hiked up to the summit of Unaka Mountain yesterday around sunset. Such an eerily beautiful place. No majestic mountain views, just spruce pines as far as the eye can see. When the fog and mist move through the trees, it's one of my favorite places to visit. The hike back in the dark was a little treacherous but made for a fun adventure. :)  Pictured here is my friend Peter Nelson hard at work -- visit his gallery here.

For directions and a description of the hike, click here.

point of view

 

If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from that person's angle as well as from your own.
--Henry Ford (1863-1947) American industrialist.

Above: Rhododendron Gardens Overlook, Roan Mountain.

sacred in the ordinary

 

The great lesson…is that the sacred in the ordinary, that it is to be found in one's daily life, in one's neighbors, friends, and family, in one's back yard.
--Abraham Maslow (1908-1970) American psychologist.

Above: Fern illuminated by early evening sun