I found the Boyd Mountain cabins outside of Maggie Valley (near Waynesville, NC) several years ago, but I only stayed here once. As I recall at the time, I was feeling very burned out and wanted to get away for a few days. I talked the owners into letting me bring Cocoa! They have a [...]
If you go to Oconaluftee, you have to see the Elk. I keep seeing them but don't "see" the herds as much as the people, who live in the area. By that I mean, there's a whole group of people that follow the Elk (and now the eagles) around and report where they are at [...]
We were pretty much "earth-bound" on this last trip to Western North Carolina. Rain and then snow fell but our spirits were bright. The Blue Ridge Parkway was closed. Big Sigh from me. I wanted to hike to the upper falls at Graveyard Fields but that did not happen. We did find a couple of [...]
Waterrock Knob holds a special place in my heart. It was my first "real" over 6,000 foot hike after cancer and chemo! Looks like I could have chosen another hike to begin with; but looking back, I feel like this was the place God had for me. Made for the Mountains! . . . as [...]
Obviously, I can't bring myself to say goodbye to the Blue Ridge Parkway this year. I keep returning and that's okay. It seems so odd to think that a roadway as beautiful and well-know as this Parkway will be closed during the winter and inaccessible, but this is what happens. Around Thanksgiving or at the [...]
I can't get enough of the Blue Ridge Parkway that runs through North Carolina and over to Eastern Tennessee. We climbed Black Balsam Knob again on this last trip and I think it is still my favorite hike simply because it is beautiful. It is the one mountain over 6K that we keep returning [...]
Funny thing about Mt. Collins (in the Smoky Mountains): it seems to move around or at least it was very illusive to us. We tried in vain to find its summit last fall before the roads were closed to the area around it. But we took the wrong trail. Or I should say that we [...]
Here's a look at the trail for Frying Pan Mountain. The week before Labor Day Weekend had been full to overflowing. We were tired after packing and leaving behind the Tugaloo River and Sunset Paddle. I asked myself, "How could one week contain so much?" Finally, obligations were behind us, and we headed north to [...]
