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.

aim high

If you set your goals ridiculously high and it's a failure, you will fail above everyone else's success.
--James Cameron (b.1954) Canadian filmmaker and explorer.

Above: Appalachian Trail on Round Bald in the Roan Highlands

sidekick

Success and failure. We think of them as opposites, but they're really not. They're companions - the hero and the sidekick. 
--Laurence Shames (b.1951) author.

Above: Blue and my shadow on the Appalachian Trail. This is the view from Round Bald looking out on Jane Bald and Grassy Ridge.

B&W Photography

To see in color is a delight for the eye but to see in black and white is a delight for the soul.  – Andri Cauldwell (b.1982) photographer.

I always turn to working in black and white at this time of year when the colors of our world are still at their lowest ebb (at least in higher elevations). An accomplished landscape photographer was asked why he preferred to work in color. He explained that color photography is akin to non-fiction, while black and white photography is fiction -- and he preferred to capture the world as it is. There's an honesty to color photography. Black and white gives us an artificial, 'unreal' way of viewing the world. I think for many, that's the allure of it. It's seeing the world in a  unique way -- and in the process we notice new aspects of a scene that were hidden or obscured by color: light and shadow, texture, lines, shapes, repetition -- all become more prominent as we remove the distraction of color.

Above: Appalachian Trail near Round Bald in the Roan Highlands.

healing nature

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul. 
--John Muir (1838-1914) Scottish-born American naturalist, author, and early advocate of conservation of U.S. wilderness.

Blue hasn't had many adventures since his knee went out last November playing frisbee. It's been a long, slow healing process. This was one of our first "long" treks since his surgery -- a hike up Round Bald down to Engine Gap and then back to Carver's Gap. He did great and enjoyed being out on the trail. :)

new heights

Failure is not fatal. Failure should be our teacher, not our undertaker. It should challenge us to new heights of accomplishments, not pull us to new depths of despair. From honest failure can come valuable experience. 
--William Arthur Ward (1921-1994) American author, pastor and teacher.

It was a lot colder than it looks. And colder than I was expecting atop Round Bald yesterday. Forty-five and gusty kept me moving fast in an attempt to stay warm. But it was all worth it to see the sun break through the clouds and light up the path before me. Note to self: Always bring the heavier jacket to Roan.

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.

happiness

 
Derive happiness in oneself from a good day's work, from illuminating the fog that surrounds us. 
- Henri Matisse (1869-1954) French artist.

'Twas a chilly, windy morn yesterday upon the Roan. With 90+ degree weather down below it did not dawn on me to prepare for 62 degree, windy weather on the mountain. Clear as a bell below, and foggy and misty above. I really should know this by now! Of course, as we drove off the mountain, the fog lifted and the sky became brilliant blue. :) The Rhododendron Festival this coming weekend is well-timed to catch the Catawba Rhododendrons on top of Roan at their peak.

a daring adventure

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. Security does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than exposure. 

--Helen Keller (1880-1968) Blind & deaf author and educator.

I started to say that we ran into some interesting thru-hikers up at the Overmountain Shelter. But "Interesting Thru-Hiker" is an oxymoron. You never meet a boring person on the trail. Each has a story to tell and a reason for undertaking the arduous six-month-long 'walk in the woods.' Two of these hikers are from Minnesota (Crusty and Little B), one from Louisiana (Grahams), and the final hiker from Virginia (Cheerio). We decided to take some chocolate 'trail magic' with us to the shelter, expecting that we would run into some hikers in need of some sugar. We enjoyed hearing their about their backgrounds and experiences along the trail. 

The view from the shelter is fantastic - so remote and tranquil.  It's one of the most unique and loved shelters along the 2,200 mile trail. Click here for more photos of the shelter from a previous visit and for directions to "The Barn."

limitless possibilities

Most people are not really free. They are confined by the niche in the world that they carve out for themselves. They limit themselves to fewer possibilities by the narrowness of their vision. 
--V. S. Naipaul (b.1932) author.

Above: Expansive springtime view from Round Bald in the Roan Highlands (click image to enlarge).

Congrats to those graduating from Milligan College this weekend! :)

Remembering Fred Craddock

"If you're wanting me to give a name to the way you feel I would say that you are searching for God. I know you're not surprised by that word because the whole human race is searching for God. It is the one common quest we all have. With some people it comes, it goes, it rises and falls, it haunts the edges of their minds all the time. With some it's as quiet a quest as a monastery, but with others, like a clap of thunder, dramatic and loud and cataclysmic. But for all of us it's the same; sometimes clear, sometimes very vague and ill defined, but even so, it's there.... 

If you are asking me how to find peace of mind, I would say to you: Let God find you. After all you're not the only one searching. You're searching for God, that's true, but God is searching for you. That is also true. 

When our parents, Adam and Eve, left the garden of Eden, God whispered in their ear, 'I will come for you.' They didn't understand that as a promise; they thought it was a threat and so they ran. And they've been running ever since, hiding in the midst of tears, hiding under running laughter, hiding in shopping sprees, hiding in travel, hiding in the upward spiral of strength and power, hiding in bad relationships. Sometimes even hiding in churches. ... Let God find you. ... 

[T]he life you seek is not in knowing but in being known, not in seeking but in being sought, not in finding but in being found."

--Dr. Fred Craddock (1928-2015) Minister, Professor and Author (From his sermon, "Seek and You Shall be Found").

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I never met him. Never attended his church in Georgia, but I've been profoundly influenced by his work. Hardly a week goes by that a story or a lesson from him isn't called to mind. When I go for long drives, I often will listen to a sermon or two of his. Dr. Fred Craddock has influenced two generations of Christian ministers with his work and writings, and will no doubt continue to do so for years to come. His books on preaching remain required reading in seminaries. He didn't fill stadiums or have prime time TV specials or meetings with heads of state. He didn't lead a mega church or a worldwide movement. He preached. He taught. He wrote. Though only 5'5", he was a giant. The power of his influence was in his quiet example, his humble living, his serious scholarship and in his powerful stories. His sermons were profound and simple, eloquent and folksy, hilarious and touching. You'd be hard pressed to find any sermon of his that followed the typical 'three point' sermon. No, he respected his audience and his craft more than that. His sermons pulled you in, and made you wrestle with faith and scripture. His most effective method was to tell stories. Funny stories, serious stories, sometimes strange stories. People will forget the bullet points, but tell them a story and now your message has a handle that people can grab hold of and carry with them.  You didn't get a lot of 'The five steps to effective ministry or to a successful marriage or to find happiness.'  The advice and admonition were there, but he didn't brow beat or bible thump. It wasn't a laundry list of imperatives, oughts, musts and shoulds. Weaving scripture and story, Craddock led his listener to the edge of conclusion, but didn't force it. He trusted that his listener would reflect, wrestle and make application, and that in that space, the Holy Spirit would work and speak and intercede.

Here's a sermon of his from back in 1986, "Though One Rise from the Dead." (Luke 16:19-31)

The next video is a good demonstration of how he could take a seemingly boring list of names from scripture (Romans 16) and bring it to life.

Here's another one, delivered late in his life in 2011, in which he gives advice on sharing one's faith, "Tell It".

Here's one even more recent, a reflection on "The God of Hope."

Finally, here's a wonderful article written about Dr. Craddock soon after his retirement from full time preaching in October of 2011.

Rest in peace, Dr. Craddock. You will be missed.


Photo Above: The Appalachian Trail on Roan Mountain after a snow.

mountain remedy

Accidents in the mountains are less common than in the lowlands, and these mountain mansions are decent, delightful, even divine, places to die in, compared with the doleful chambers of civilization. Few places in this world are more dangerous than home. Fear not, therefore, to try the mountain-passes. They will kill care, save you from deadly apathy, set you free, and call forth every faculty into vigorous, enthusiastic action. Even the sick should try these so-called dangerous passes, because for every unfortunate they kill, they cure a thousand.  
–John Muir (1838-1914) Naturalist and Conservationist.

Above: The view from Roan Mountain.

adventure

When you're safe at home you wish you were having an adventure; when you're having an adventure you wish you were safe at home.  
--Thornton Wilder (1897-1975) American writer.

A photo from last fall of my friend Peter taking photos of a misty morn on Round Bald. That day our adventure involved an early morning hike out to Grassy Ridge.

give thanks

When you rise in the morning, give thanks for the light, for your life, for your strength.
Give thanks for your food and for the joy of living.
If you see no reason to give thanks, the fault lies in yourself. 
--Tecumseh (1768-1813) Native American leader of the Shawnee.

Above: Roan Highlands Morning (taken this past September).

Happy Thanksgiving to you!

veiled beauty

Poetry lifts the veil from the hidden beauty of the world, and makes familiar objects be as if they were not familiar.
--Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822) English Romantic Poet.

Above: View from Grassy Ridge in the Roan Highlands.

a moment of clarity

Keep your head clear. It doesn’t matter how bright the path is if your head is always cloudy. 
--Unknown. 

A shot of the the Appalachian Trail on Round Bald in the Roan Highlands. It was such a misty, foggy morning, but occasionally it would all clear away and bring a moment of clarity to the mountain. :)

wherever the trail may lead

It's a dangerous business, Frodo, going out your door. You step onto the road, and if you don't keep your feet, there's no knowing where you might be swept off to.
--J.R.R. Tolkien (1892-1973) English Author. 

 Above: The Appalachian Trail on Round Bald in the Roan Highlands.

mountain blooms

The finest qualities of our nature, like the bloom on fruits, can be preserved only by the most delicate handling.
--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher.

insight

Certainly, travel is more than the seeing of sights; it is a change that goes on, deep and permanent, in the ideas of living. --Miriam Beard (1876-1958) American historian.

The rhododendron and flame azalea are nearly in full bloom at Carver's Gap and on the balds in the Roan Highlands. This weekend would be the perfect time to hike out to Jane Bald to see them in all their glory. I didn't make it up to the gardens, but it's usually a week or so behind. This year's Rhododendron Festivals are on June 21-22nd in Roan Mountain, TN and June 20-21st in Bakersville, NC.

jump right in

To do anything in this world worth doing, we must not stand back shivering and thinking of the cold and danger, but jump in, and scramble through as well as we can. 
--Sydney Smith (1771-1845) English Clergyman and Essayist. 

Not sure why I was surprised I had Round Bald in the Roan Highlands to myself yesterday in 15 degree windy weather. I actually expected to find more adventurers taking in the beautiful winter landscapes.