Last weekend, the wife and I used the holiday to squeeze in two hikes; Jones Gap Falls at Jones Gap State Park and Pinnacle Mountain Falls at Table Rock State Park.
Outdoors
20
Nov 11
Nov 11
Triple Falls At Dupont State Park
Late fall through early spring is my the favorite time to hike in the mountains. The foliage has changed and fallen, there aren’t many people out on the trails, and you can see for miles from the mountain peaks. We got out early on Saturday and drove to Triple Falls at Dupont State Park just over the North Carolina line.
9
Oct 11
Oct 11
Black Balsam Knob Mountain & Skinny Dip Falls
Since it’s early autumn and there were no big SEC football games during the afternoon, the wife and I thought we’d spend some time in the mountains. We recently climbed the Lookout Tower at Frying Pan Mountain in the Pisgah National Forest. Black Balsam Knob Mountain is about ten miles farther south on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and Skinny Dip Falls is a popular area about three miles down the valley from the mountain top.
28
Aug 11
Aug 11
Frying Pan Mountain Lookout Tower
Some days are ordinary. Other days are extraordinary. Yesterday was what I refer to as a bookmark day.
31
Jul 11
Jul 11
Conestee Park
The wife and I wanted to get outside this weekend, but the heat and mosquitoes make it difficult to do too much during the day. So we decided to visit the walking trails at nearby Conestee Park early on Saturday morning. At some point in the near future, the Swamp Rabbit Trail will connect with the Conestee Trails and the area will be filled with bikers, hikers and dog walkers. But for now, the area is pretty dead. The way I see it, that’s a feature and not a bug.
16
May 11
May 11
Recent Travel Pictures
As I’ve mentioned before, I love driving. Most people think of driving or riding in a car as a means to an end. I think of it as an end in itself. I’m so enthralled by all the Americana out there that I always take the long way home (of course, “always” means “whenever the wife lets me”).
31
Jan 11
Jan 11
Paris Mountain
The wife and I are lucky enough to have a well-kept State Park just five miles from our house. The weather was great on Sunday, so we decided to hike some trails at Paris Mountain.
25
Jan 11
Jan 11
Whitewater Falls
As part of our resolution to get out and exercise more, the wife and I went on another day hike. This time we went to Whitewater Falls on the state line. The upper falls are in North Carolina and the lower falls are in South Carolina. The elevation drops more than 400 feet from top to bottom. We parked on the SC side and took the Foothills Trail about a mile to the path down to the lower falls. It was a tough hike, but the view was worth it.
23
Jan 11
Jan 11
Table Rock In The Snow
As regular reader know, the wife and I love the mountains. It seems like we’re up there at least two or three times a month just to get out of the house. We’ve decided to start hiking more as a way to be active in the colder months. We’ve discovered that winter is the best time to go hiking anyway. It’s a little cold, but there are very few people out, there are no bugs, and the vistas from the Smoky Mountaintops are unobstructed. Last weekend, we decided to rid ourselves of snowstorm-induced cabin fever by going on a day hike. We went to Table Rock State Park in South Carolina and hiked the two-mile Carrick Creek loop.
