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!

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.

Return to High Rocks

Part of the view from atop High Rocks.

The impressive view from below.

I ventured out to High Rocks along the Appalachian Trail today -- a portion of the trail I haven't visited for awhile. Thought the rain had passed and I was in the clear. It's a two mile hike on the way back down the mountain from High Rocks. Going up, it seems twice that. Especially the last stretch when High Rocks is in sight and the climb keeps getting more steep -- like a circular staircase wrapping around the giant granite bolder. It's a workout.  The view would be much nicer on a clear day, but as it was, storm clouds were rolling in and sleet started to fall. Time to hurry back to the car.

The sun started to poke back out when I met up with these four thru-hikers (photo below) near the parking area at Spivey Gap. Didn't catch their trail names, but they did tell of the rough weather they endured on Big Bald yesterday and the bag of Oreo trail magic that miraculously appeared today. They're hoping for better weather as they approach the Roan balds. Happy trails!

Click here to see my initial post describing the hike, with driving directions to Spivey Gap.

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.

tunnel vision

Carve a tunnel of hope through the dark mountain of disappointment.
--Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968) Minister and Civil-Rights Leader

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.

success

Success is not a doorway, it's a staircase.
--Dottie Walters (1924-2007). 

Stairs on the trail to Crabtree Falls.

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.

Summer Trail

What saves a man is to take a step. Then another step. 
--C.S. Lewis (1898-1963) British Scholar and Novelist. 

The trail to Crabtree Falls (lined with rhododendron blooms) in Yancey Co., NC.

majesty

There is a serene and settled majesty to woodland scenery that enters into the soul and delights and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations.
--Washington Irving (1783-1859) American Writer. 

Click here for directions to this magnificent waterfall located north of Mount Mitchell along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina.  Of all the waterfalls I've visited in our region, this is my favorite - it's absolutely stunning.  It's a bit of a trek to get there from the Tri-Cities area of TN, but well worth it.  While in the area, visit Mount Mitchell and Roaring Fork Falls and make a day of it.  :)

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

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.

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!  :)

crabbiness cure

The more we are separated from nature, the unhappier we get.
--Unknown

Another shot from Crabtree Falls in Yancey County, NC. I was looking for a new angle for the falls and thought this perspective shooting through the trees looked good. There was a practical reason as well for my climb, I needed to avoid the glaring sunlight that was coming from directly above the falls. Not necessarily the ideal conditions for shooting a waterfall, but I was happy to see some of the warm light on the trees. Here's a short and simple how-to guide to photographing waterfalls.

Persistence

Nothing in this world can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful people with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts. Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent. The slogan "press on" has solved and always will solve the problems of the human race.
--Calvin Coolidge (1872-1933) 30th President of the United States

Above is beautiful Crabtree Falls found off of the Blue Ridge Parkway at Mile 339.5. Click here for more information and complete directions. Located in the vicinity of Mount Mitchell, this is my favorite of all the waterfalls in our region. If you venture out that way, you might want to make a day of it. The drive from Asheville to Crabtree Falls is beautiful and loaded with things to see and do. Here are some places I recommend...

Blue Ridge Parkway Visitor's Center - Located on the BRP in Asheville, this museum is a must see for those who love the parkway.
Folk Art Center - Also located in Asheville along the BRP, the Folk Art Center is part gallery, part store.
Craggy Gardens, BRP Mile #364.4 (This portion of the BRP is closed until May, 2009 - but it's definitely a destination to keep in mind!)
Mount Mitchell, the highest peak east of the Mississippi, BRP Mile #355 (Can only be accessed from the north because of a closure of the BRP south of the entrance to Mount Mitchell)
Roaring Fork Falls - Picturesque cascading waterfall.
Setrock Falls - After a period of rain, this waterfall is gorgeous.
Crabtree Falls - One of the most beautiful waterfalls in the Southeast US.

standing on the shoulders of giants

Each generation goes further than the generation preceding it because it stands on the shoulders of that generation. You will have opportunities beyond anything we've ever known.
--Ronald Reagan (1911-2004) 40th US President

Above: Crabtree Falls, Blue Ridge Parkway, Mile 339.5. Click here for more information and directions.

Deep Thoughts

As a single footstep will not make a path on the earth, so a single thought will not make a pathway in the mind. To make a deep physical path, we walk again and again. To make a deep mental path, we must think over and over the kind of thoughts we wish to dominate our lives.
--Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) American Essayist, Poet and Philosopher

Above: The Appalachian Trail near Spivey Gap in Yancey County, NC

that subtle something

It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit.
--Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894) Scottish Author

Above: A scene along the Appalachian Trail in Yancey County, NC.