"Falling leaves
Hide the path
so quietly."
-John Bailey (Autumn Haiku)
One day, while walking at a local park, I met some ladies that looked liked they were serious walkers. So I introduced myself because walking with someone else makes the time go faster, makes for pleasant conversation, and makes me more accountable to exercise. This was the beginnings of new friends, as well as hiking adventures. My first hike was up Stone Mountain, which was ranked as difficult. When we pulled over to the side of the road to the trail, I thought, "What trail?" Believe me, there didn't appear to be any trail, but a two foot stake in the ground told us that, yes, indeed, this was a trail. One of the ladies, Sharon, is an expert at finding these pretty obscure trail markers.
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| Do you see a trail in here? |
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| See the stone steps on this trail? |
We usually try to hike 3-7 miles a couple of times a week. We have one lady (Sharon), who has an app on her phone that has maps of hiking trails. Believe me, I am so glad for her and the app. Sharon is our wilderness expert who knows about animal tracks, survival, and is a wealth of general knowledge about the area. She would make an excellent tour guide. She brings great supplies that are vital to a safe hike like a first-aid kit, bear spray, knife, and map. We would be lost without her. Literally.
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| left to right: Sarah (for some reason I want to call her Sally), Sharon (our fearless tour guide, first to spot bears, expert on the wilderness), and me (documenter and photographer of our hikes)... |
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| Sometimes we have others join us which is alway fun...left to right: Sharon (another one), Sarah, Me, and Sharon (our guide) |
Some trails are more clear than others...
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| I always like it when we can actually see the trail... |
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| fences are nice...you know you're not lost... |
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| See how large the trees are... |
We always get to see some pretty glorious views of God's creation...
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| View from Blue Ridge Parkway |
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| Sliding rock |
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| Looking glass falls |
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Flowers in November...NC Arboretum
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| Bent Creek...we followed a trail beside this creek... |
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| Even the littlest plants are beautiful... |
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| View from a trail by the Sandburg home... |
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| One of the falls in Dupont forest... |
We find some interesting things on our hikes...
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| I think a forestry worker must have forgotten his tool... |
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| the forest service stacks branches like this throughout the forest... |
Sharon is good to go scout out our trails before we hike them. One day she texted me asking if I would like to go with her to find the mouth of our next hike. I did want to go, and I am glad I did. We took the Blue Ridge Parkway. As we climbed, it got more and more foggy.
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| Drive through Blue Ridge Parkway... |
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| The fog begins... |
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| Getting more dense... |
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| It is pretty thick here... |
Tunnels are cut through mountains to allow traffic to go through. These were particularly beautiful and eerie on this day...
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| Inside one of the tunnels...looks sort of spooky... |
I am excited to be part of these hiking adventures...
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| On top of Stone Mountain... |
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| In front of one of the falls in Dupont Forest... |
November is the month of Thanksgiving. I am thankful for new found friends, and adventures. Be blessed.
1 comments:
Oh my. I am so jealous of your hiking adventures! Beautiful pictures! I know the hikes are wonderful and am thankful you get to enjoy them - and with new friends! YAY! Keep it up!
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