Boone Fork Trail in the Summer
On the sunny, hot day of July 12, 2020, I took a nice wooded hike on the Boone Fork Trail in Price Park, Watauga County, NC. The most notable event was that due to recent rains and abnormally muddy trail, at one steep location I slipped and skinned my…
Roan Mountain Blossoms
Roan Mountain, TN, and the grassy balds for several miles to the north contain the biggest collection of native growing wildflowers of which I am aware in the Appalachian Mountains. Each year in mid June is the peak season of the blossoms of rhododendron, flame azalea, mountain laurel, bluets and…
Grandfather Mountain Recuperation
On the last day of May, 2020, I took a hike on Grandfather Mountain. The route was on the Profile Trail from NC Hwy 105 most of the way to Calloway Gap at the top of the mountain. This trip was my first real mountain hike in several years. Due…
New River Kayaking
People from Florida like to come to the North Carolina mountains in the summer because it is cooler and there are fun things to do, like river kayaking. The long weekend of July 20, 2019, Deena Thomas’ grandchildren Mileena, age 13 years, and Tre, age 9 years, came to visit…