A damp hike

 Well, the rain did hold off until we had just packed in all the picnic things, checked for ticks that might be riding home with us, and piled into the car.

So the dampness of our 1-1/2 mile hike down to and up from the High Falls was due to the woods as well as our own  sweat. The woods were very thick, with some oaks  and beech and pines, very high up. And many Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron as underbrush.

Then on the forest floor were the ancient leavings of leaves and humus that was inches thick, upon which all kinds of moss and fungus could be found.

I thought this might have been Indian Pipe, a kind of fungus without any chlorophyl...but it didn't have any leaf-like structures.

I initially thought all the little white specks were something caught in spider webs. But no, they are individual heads of tiny little fungi. 

This was a falls you hear as a roar immediately. No trickling sound, just a big waterfall! Not many glimpses through trees at this time of year. I think I'd like to try to see it when less greenery is everywhere.

Teresa and her granddaughter at High Falls.

Myself and Helen. I was so grateful to have my walking stick with me.!

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Today's quote:

"May we not neglect the silence

printed in the center of our being.

It will not fail us."

~Thomas Merton

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The trip to High Falls NC

 

Bee Balm

From the internet, and I somehow am not old enough to do this!

At the High Falls visitor center we enjoyed checking out the diorama/detailed map of the area.

Helen is standing near the Covered Bridge, which is right upstream from High Falls. I really wanted to go to the Covered Bridge, but was voted down. The falls were extraordinary, and I'll try to come back to see the bridge in the fall.

We were standing in the visitor center.

It was good to see most of the falls and the trails were open (following tropical storm Helene 11 months ago). Most of these hikes were not considered easy, and the one to High Falls was listed as either moderate or easy. Lots of more agile people were just breezing by us...proving that this elder needs to work on stamina (still!) But my breathing limitations are caused by a disease process which is incurable and due to get worse over time, so I may be just kidding myself that I can improve.

High Falls, Cedar Mountain, NC

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Today's quote:

“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”

– Albert Schweitzer