Click on photos to enlarge them. Hiking Black Balsam Bald was a little different this year. Pat and I were determined to do it and we did, but Anne and Beth were not with us. Too much going on in our lives. Plus, this has been a rough four months for us and [...]
Click on photo to enlarge If you are familiar with the Blue Ridge Parkway, you are usually familiar with Waterrock Knob. It is an easy day visit from Toccoa and you can even hike the trail to the top, which gets you up at way over 6,000 feet! That's the goal, right. From [...]
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 [...]
