The days are turning to summer in the mountains, but the mornings are still cool and delightful up on the trails. It’s rhododendron season in Appalachian. Such a lush and lovely time of year!
Category Archives: Hiking
Monday Meanderings – Mountain Laurel
Dad’s favorite flower was Mountain Laurel. I’m pretty partial to it as well. Saturday’s hike took us high on the mountain through a laurel hell, which is pure heaven when it’s in bloom! Here are some highlights.
Monday Meanderings
It’s a rare weekend that we don’t take Thistle for a good, long meander through the mountains. So I thought I’d start sharing snippets of our walks with YOU come Monday. A good way to start the week, I think. This is what we call Fairy Tale Trail. If you wonder why, just check outContinue reading “Monday Meanderings”
Hungry for Community
If you’ve been reading my blog very long you know I hike just about every day. I’m lucky enough to live a mile from Pisgah National Forest and have been walking those trails for about twenty years now. Two decades ago the area didn’t have easy access but five years or so ago the forestContinue reading “Hungry for Community”
Appalachian Thursday – A Hard Winter
It definitely feels like summer today in the mountains of Western NC. But even as I sweat, I’m noticing signs pointing toward a rough winter. Last week I saw my first wooly worm. All black. This morning I saw another just the same. Acorns are already falling and the walnuts are abundant this year asContinue reading “Appalachian Thursday – A Hard Winter”
Facing Fears . . . By Accident
Over the weekend Thistle and I headed out for our usual hike. It was a rainy Saturday, but dogs don’t much care about a little wet and neither do I (so long as it’s just a little!). There was only one other car in the parking area and it belonged to a family with twoContinue reading “Facing Fears . . . By Accident”
Appalachian Thursday – Turkeys, a dog, and poetry month
April is National Poetry Month. You probably knew that 😉 I think MOST of my poems fall into the Appalachian category in some form or fashion. Here’s one inspired by a walk in the woods with a dog and some turkeys . . . Sure do miss my Sammy . . . HOLDING BACK He’s anContinue reading “Appalachian Thursday – Turkeys, a dog, and poetry month”
Close the Laptop and Enjoy Some Family Time
My older brother and his family came to the mountains from their home on the coast of South Carolina for spring break. Of course, dogwood winter showed up to greet them with a blast of cold air that pretty well froze their thin, southern blood! Nevertheless, we got out to enjoy a hike with someContinue reading “Close the Laptop and Enjoy Some Family Time”
Appalachian Thursday – Early Spring Blooms
Autumn used to be my favorite season, but as I get older I’m enjoying spring more and more. Maybe it’s the relief from the cold. Maybe it’s more hours of sunlight. Or maybe it’s the wildflowers! As kids we’d keep an eye on the daffodils growing above the house so we could pick them forContinue reading “Appalachian Thursday – Early Spring Blooms”
Appalachian Thursday – Autumn Treasure
I didn’t think we were going to have fall this year. The weather stayed summer so long. I figured we’d get a few mild days and then winter would pounce. And as for the autumn color? The prediction was that we would go from green to brown to gone. Which just demonstrates how bad ourContinue reading “Appalachian Thursday – Autumn Treasure”
