Getting Outdoors

It is fitting that the new visitor center in DuPont State Forest should be named in honor of Aleen Steinberg.  Originally from Wisconsin and later living in Florida, Aleen Steinberg retired to nearby Cedar Mountain, NC.  A tireless devoted fan of the outdoors since childhood, she took a special interest in our natural resources here in Transylvania County when she moved.  Her family had vacationed here for many years and moved here full time fifteen years ago.

She, along with several other interested people founded the "Friends of the Falls" committed to fundraising and improving DuPont Forest.  The project increased in popularity and is now known as "Friends of DuPont Forest."  (You can link to the Website here)

When our daughter visits, we always take the short trip to DuPont State Forest to see the waterfalls.  On her last visit, we also visited the new Aleen Steinberg Visitor Center.  Inside are topographical maps of many of the trails, along with maps and brochures.  The center is staffed by volunteers from Friends of DuPont Forest.

The Aleen Steinberg Visitor Center

Establishment of the Friends of DuPont Forest has led to many improvements in the area.  Twice each year, the Friends sponsor tour buses to provide access to people who could not otherwise visit some of the waterfalls.  And that is a wonderful thing.

However, in my opinion Aleen Steinberg's greatest project was co-founding a non-profit organization known as "Muddy Sneakers."  (You can link to their Website here.)  The mission of Muddy Sneakers is "To awaken in children a deeply felt connection with the natural world, one that inspires learning, and brings new life to classroom performance."

 Photograph from the Internet, not credited

The program started in 2008, partnered with Pisgah National Forest and Brevard Elementary School.  Fifth graders were taken to a new classroom as big as all outdoors...nature.  Since then the Muddy Sneakers program has spread to four other counties in the NC mountains.

 Photograph from the Hendersonville Lightning

The children learn about native trees, insects, and all manner of flora and fauna.  Day camps are now running during the summers.

Photograph from Laurel of Asheville

How exciting and promising it is to have children learning more about nature and its wonders.  And that's where it must start, isn't it?  With the children.

Glad It's Not Our Turn

Go, Florida.  It's your turn to hear the rhetoric and see the endless attack ads.  Now that the South Carolina Republican Primary is over, the money speaks in Florida for a while.  Unfortunately, none of us will get a break from the never-ending politics.  "News" networks have twenty-four hours to fill after all.

Most of the campaign speeches are regurgitations of previous orations.  There seems to be little that is new.  On the other hand, I have in fact learned a new word.  I heard it for the first time yesterday.  I'm not at all sure how often I might be able to use it, but I'm always happy to learn a new word.

The word is "prebuttal."  Prebuttal is a term used to describe an already-prepared response to an anticipated criticism.  Last evening the President of the United States gave the annual State of the Union Address to Congress and to the American people.  Prior to the speech, dozens of members of the opposing party gave prebuttals against what they thought the President might say.  Afterwards, many of the same people gave rebuttals.  So we had prebuttals before the speech and rebuttals following the speech.  (Would it have been a "buttal" if )someone made a response DURING the speech?"

The airwaves are flooded with misinformation and false accusations as they are in each election year.  They always seem to get worse every election but that might be a perception.  It becomes harder and harder to glean the "half-truths" contained in the advertisements.  (Actually, some of them don't have even half-truths.)  One individual has contributed (legally, thanks to the Supreme Court) five MILLION dollars to a candidate and is prepared to contribute another five MILLION dollars.  In spite of all the money, are these really the best candidates money can buy?

Enough ranting.  Let me just say that the political process has become very much like a sign we see on a trailhead in DuPont State Forest.  I will share it with you:

It pretty much sums up my feelings about politics in America today.  In truth, I am curious as to how the bin gets filled with horse manure.  And what happens to it afterwards?  Smart as they are, I don't think the horses can be trained to use a horse toilet.  I didn't see any shovels around to gather the manure.  And I know for a fact that people don't have to pick up horse manure on the trails.  While I must carry doggie poop bags, I have to walk around the much larger piles of horse manure on the multi-use trails.  (I still don't understand why I can't simply use a stick to get my the doggie poop off the trail.)

So the issue of the horse manure bin remains a mystery.  But I think I might be able to find the answer to that one.  I'll never find an answer as to how so many people can be so swayed by a television advertisement.  I want to shout to them to learn about the candidates, recognize the rhetoric, get informed, and stop letting the very rich buy our political process.

Now the Nation Knows Our Secret

Transylvania County is home to  miles and miles of biking trails.  Bicyclists come from across the country to ride on our mountain roads or to ride off-road on our many trails.  Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Forest together have more than 600 miles of trails designated for bicycles.  Add the winding mountain roads, and back roads, the miles seem never ending.  Most of the mountain trails rise quickly with spectacular descents.  Bikers can ride on rocky mountain trails interspersed with sand and slickrock to make for a challenging ride.  While most of the bikers are very experienced, novice bikers can find some easier trails to ride.

[LATE ENTRY:  The original wording paraphrased from a news release indicated that there are "bicycle-only" trails.  A wise reader (thanks Randy) indicated the trails were actually multi-use.  My husband who does volunteer trail work in Pisgah confirms that there are no trails specifically for bicycles.  Bikes are allowed on many of the trails, along with hikers and occasionally horses.]

One of our "Land of the Waterfalls" brochures features bikers with the promise that

"The only pressure out here is in your tires."

Yesterday the January/February issue of Bike Magazine went on sale.  This highly-read issue includes their "bible of bike tests."  Last October Brevard hosted the staff of Bike Magazine as they spent most of the month testing gears and bikes on our roads and mountain biking trails.  The January/February issue features Brevard and surrounding county and proclaims on the cover "Transylvania County: America's best kept secret."

The cover from The Asheville Citizens-Times

Every business in town is eagerly awaiting the result of the spreading knowledge about our bicycle culture.  It certainly will stir interest in those bikers who have never heard of our county and town.  While Brevard citizens are already accustomed to seeing competitive cyclists in our town we are likely to see even more of them this spring.

I have only one little concern about the bikers.  Most of them want to ride the trails in Pisgah National Forest and DuPont State Forest.  What's my concern?  The road from Pisgah to Dupont goes straight up the nine-miles of steep mountain curves from downtown Brevard to my house.  So when I'm going twenty miles/hour behind a bevy of bikers, I simply remind myself that I'm retired and should not be in any hurry.  Going downhill is not usually much of a problem since the really experienced bikers will descend as fast as a car.

As the county business owners prepare for the increase in cyclists, I will prepare as well.  I will try not to have to go downtown on weekends.  I will take my special freezer packs to the grocery store so the foods will stay fresh on my longer drive back up the mountain.  I will try to experience the beauty of the surrounding mountains while I drive at a much-reduced speed.  And I will be part of the culture that welcomes these bikers.  For the most part, the bikers are quite courteous, they do not litter, they respect the land and the trails, they ride single file on the highways.  So I say a big "welcome" to bikers who come to enjoy our mountains.

[NOTE:  The welcome does not extend to those who ride those super-fast and noisy high-speed motocycles, commonly known around here as "crotch rockets."  They take the curves at dangerous speeds often leaning into the oncoming lane.  They pass cars in an unsafe manner, make so much noise they disturb the quiet and drive so fast they never appreciate the beauty around them.  We can do without them, thank you very much.]

Land Where the Water Falls Part Two

Among our favorite activities we include hiking, especially to the many waterfalls in our area. Recent heavy rains have filled our streams and rivers. We have continued to have around two inches of rain every week since the flooding rains in September. After three consecutive years of drought, the rain makes us happy indeed.

One of our favorite hikes is an easy hike in Dupont Forest. Hiking only a mile, we are rewarded with three amazing waterfalls, Hooker Falls, Triple Falls, and High Falls.

This photograph of Triple Falls was taken in May of 2007. The water level is somewhat less than "normal" because of the drought.



Compare that photograph to the following photographs taken last month after some heavy rains. Note the amount of visible rock below the falls in the 2007 picture. None of those rocks are visible in the September photographs.

The pictures do not do justice to the marvelous falls. To really appreciate them, one must be standing there listening to the roar and watching the spray.

Tonight is the BIG game. The Green Bay Packers are heading to Minnesota to play former teammate Brett Favre and the Minnesota Vikings. [Thanks, Rae, for pointing out my error about the location. Guess I got carried away.] Here's hoping the Packer defense will intercept Brett several times and sack him just as often. Here's hoping the Packer fans will have a happy trip back to Wisconsin. Here's hoping the Viking fans will go to work in the morning tired and depressed at having lost to the Packers. As Vince Lombardi said, "If winning isn't everything, why do they keep score?" And if the Vikings happen to win, I'll be thinking of another Lombardi quote, "We didn't lose the game; we just ran out of time."

HERE'S HOPING...

Waterfall Wednesday

Did you see The Last of the Mohicans? If so, you have seen today's waterfall. Remember the canoe going over the waterfall? That was filmed at Hooker Falls.

Hooker Falls is one of the four waterfalls on the Little River in DuPont State Forest. At a maximum height the water falls about 22 feet. It is one of the few waterfalls in Transylvania County that provides recreation for the public beyond viewing and photographing.

Edmund Hooker ran a mill over the falls in the late 1800s. Back then, it was called Mill Shoals Falls. It is now known as Hooker Falls.





This is Little River before you get to Hooker Falls. The water level is much lower than normal, as are all the rivers in Western North Carolina. In a year with normal rainfall, only the tips of the rocks would be visible.

A bridle path crosses the path to the falls. This is the horse ford:

Looking downstream from the horse ford:

This is from the top of Hooker Falls. With a normal water level, the water streams across the entire area.

This is what makes Hooker Falls recreational and popular. At the foot of the falls is a swimming hole. Lots of people love to swim here in spite of the fact that the water is so cold there are trout fishermen not a hundred yards away.

The best view of the falls is from below. Much to my chagrin, I found a gate across the trail to the swimming area with a sign that read, "Closed from June 2 through June 6. No access allowed!" Bummer! I promise to go back for the "good" picture. Hooker Falls is accessible to the handicapped. There is a paved entrance and a special viewing deck for the handicapped. Here is the view from there.

It was such a lovely day that I soon lost my disappointment that I couldn't get down to the bottom of the falls. As an added bonus, I found what well may be the very last blooming honeysuckle in the area. What a treat.

Waterfall Wednesday

The area now known as Dupont State Forest was originally an operation for DuPont Corporation. When DuPont ceased operations there in 1996, the State of North Carolina began to acquire the 10,300 acres. There are several waterfalls along the Little River in DuPont State Forest.

This is High Falls. At 150 feet, it is the tallest waterfall in DuPont Forest. To give you some scale, you may want to enlarge the picture to see the man standing to the lower right at the bottom of the falls.


At the top of the falls stands a picnic shelter on the old site of the Buck Forest Hunt Club Lodge.

In the right center of this picture, you can see a dying Carolina Hemlock.

High Falls is a cascading waterfall, meaning it mostly stays on the rocks, descending them like steps. It does “free fall” in some places.

Huge boulders line the bottom of the falls as it returns to Little River.

Amazingly, the water ceases to roar and tumble and becomes very placid less than fifty yards from the bottom of High Falls.

A fifteen minute hike downstream leads to another large waterfall. But that’s for another Wednesday.