Yeah, we’re watching Hurricane Joaquin — not just because we’ve got a house and a bazillion friends in Norfolk, but also because we were planning to roll there on Tuesday.
Our current home does not float. But given the right circumstances, it could fly. And since neither flooding nor air travel are desired outcomes, we’ll stay put here in the mountains an extra day or two if need be.
Stay tuned…
Today’s hike: See where the P is to left of Mooney Falls, kind of in the center there? That’s where we parked. Hiked down to Big Laurel Falls, then back up and around to the Timber Ridge Trail (#20), which we hiked to where it intersects the Appalachian Trail, and then back to the truck.
The weather held, and we even got some sunshine! Took 4 hours to hike about 7.5 miles, so we were too tired to go to Big Butt afterwards (look near the pink line). I do not know if it was named by the same people who came up with Smackass Gap. Apparently North Carolinians are fans of the rear end.
One of our landmarks was the Back Country Information Center. Silly me. I was expecting a *building*, with maybe a ranger in it?
Lots of winding roads in these parts, and I swear by my magic bracelets. They prevent the nausea and dizziness caused by motion sickness. They do absolutely nothing to prevent the anxiety of being on twisty one-lane roads in a BFT however, so Tim still has a little bit of me to deal with.
We took Lola with us. Here’s a tip: When hiking with your dog, it’s best not to rely on touch alone when reaching for the trail mix.
My trail name: The Grayboy Bunny
Did both!
I think we’d like this guy.
Found me a lucky chestnut. There were no others on the ground near it, so I rather suspect it was once some other hiker’s lucky chestnut.
She’s such a good hiking dog. Trots about 15 paces ahead of us, and turns back frequently to make sure we’re still there.
From one of the many unique gift shops in historic downtown Franklin NC
We’re off to do some hiking, so don’t worry if we’re off the grid for most of the day. It’s been raining here for a week, with more to come, which means we’ll bring a fair amount of the grid back home with us.
Parked for a full week, with a beautiful back yard here at the River Bend RV Park on Highlands Road. I bought appropriate beer.
Noccalula Falls Campground
