Month: January 2019

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Behind the Falls

Panthertown Valley-57

This photograph of my dad standing behind a waterfall was taken in Panthertown Creek near Brevard, North Carolina.  We hiked about three miles and were prepared to turn around, when we ran into a sweet older lady who said, “The falls are really running today.”  We asked for directions, and she pointed us down a side path, which we traversed for about ten minutes until we heard the roaring of the waterfall.  I took many photographs and wanted to get closer.  I found a not so well-worn path, and my dad and I followed it until we found ourselves behind the waterfall.  He remarked that although walking behind a waterfall had not been on his bucket list, it should have been.  It was truly remarkable.  The hike behind the falls had been tough, but it was so very worth it.

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Generations

NCWinter2018-47

I took this photograph of Kemper and my mom as we walked  back to the upper cabin from a mid-morning hike on the property.  The morning has been gray and drizzling and cool, but once the sun broke through the low-hanging clouds, the day brightened significantly.  Kemper, like I did when I was his age, hates walking for the sake of walking, and so we necessarily have to make it an adventure for him so that he comes along willingly.  Once he is out in nature, his wonder takes over, and the complaining ceases almost immediately.

My mother, who instigates most of the walking in our family, dragged Kemper away from the Christmas trains with the promise of large black salamanders in the pond.  She delivered on her promise, and Kemper was too enraptured jumping on the stones that lined the pond and coaxing the amphibians from hiding to notice that he had walked a half mile to reach his destination.  The promise of lunch made the return trip to the cabin just as painless.

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