ELDERLY Hiker?

POTUS and FLOTUS vacationed in Western North Carolina this past weekend. Oh...that would be the President of the United States and the First Lady of the United States. On Friday afternoon they decided to do a bit of hiking on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail off the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Karen Russell, visiting our area from Ohio, happened to be hiking on the Mountains-to-Sea Trail on Friday afternoon. Two men "with little pins and ear pieces" approached her, followed by more Secret Service agents.

The agents scanned her (with her permission) with a metal detecting wand and checked her pockets, waist pack, and camera. About that time, the President and First Lady came into view. Ms. Russell was stunned and reacted just like we would have by asking something like, "Are you who I think you are?"

Both photographs from the Asheville Citizen-Times

The Obamas greeted her and shook hands, chatting for a while. One of the agents took Ms. Russell's photograph with the Obamas. They wished her well, told her to have a nice day, and walked on.

Saturday morning Ms. Russell quietly came down for breakfast at the little inn where she was staying. The owner asked her what she did the day before. She told them she went hiking on the Parkway. Oh, she also mentioned that she met the President and First Lady. Needless to say, the guests were suitably impressed.

The meeting was on television with the caption, "Elderly Hiker Meets the Obamas." ELDERLY!!! Ms. Russell is 65!!! I don't know if she took offense at being called elderly, but I certainly did! I must admit, I don't know what constitutes "elderly," but it sure ain't 65!

Skinny Dip Falls

Skinny Dip Falls is a waterfall in neighboring Haywood County. Not widely known by "outsiders," Skinny Dip is a local favorite. It is not listed in most waterfall guides but the waterfall is a short moderate hike from the Blue Ridge Parkway. While not a huge waterfall, it is nonetheless impressive with three separate components to the waterfall, and many secondary falls. The sign on the lookout parking area doesn't even mention the waterfall.

The trail to Skinny Dip is part of the Mountains to Sea Trail crossing North Carolina from Clingman's Dome in the west to Jockey's Ridge on the Atlantic Ocean. This part of the trail leads to the Shining Rock Wilderness area of Pisgah National Forest.

Here is a first glimpse of Skinny Dip. The water falls into deep collecting pools. In summer, the pools are filled with swimmers, climbing in and out of the water.

The water is much deeper than it appears. This shot would not be possible in summer. In summer there would be people jumping from the rocks into the pool.

Below the second pool the water takes a sharp turn, leaving a very narrow (skinny) dip in the rocks. This is the real reason for the name "skinny dip." (What were you thinking?)

The deepest collection pool is just below the curve. A secondary falls drops into the pool like a faucet.

The water is absolutely pristine. Cold and transparent, it is lovely to behold.

Here are the rocks that serve as jumping points to the pool (which is not visible from this shot). The water is VERY cold. Sheltered by the trees and coming directly from the mountain, the water temperature rarely exceeds 65 degrees even on the hottest summer day. Yet many people plunge right in. And yes, some of the biggest showoffs do skinny dip. Perhaps that's an incentive to jump faster.

This is the view from the Parkway overlook near the trail head. Looking Glass Rock is in our county and is a beautiful formation popular with hikers and rock climbers.

Skinny Dip Falls is not terribly well know, although I think it is more interesting than some of the more popular waterfalls. Perhaps one reason is that it is located only a mile away from a very popular waterfall viewing area in Graveyard Fields. The day of our hike was a wonderful day with a nice breeze. The high mountains are beginning to awaken to the green of spring and life is good.

Spring Wildflowers and Another Sign of Spring

There are so many reasons to go walking through the woods. One can always find such interesting things. At this time of year, I am particularly searching for wildflowers. When nothing else is green, these beautiful flowers blossom every spring.

Another important sign of spring! A little garter snake, basking in the sun.

I've always loved garter snakes. A garter snake was my very first gift from a boy. We were ten and on a school field trip. My friend found a little green garter snake. He gave it to me. We decided the best place to keep him from the eyes of the teacher would be in my lunch box. So we stuffed some grass and the snake into my lunchbox.

----------When I got home from school that afternoon, I was excitedly telling my mother about the field trip. Before I got to the best part, she opened my lunch box to clean it. She screamed and dropped the box on the floor, spilling out the grass and the snake. My mother insisted I take the snake (whom I had already named Jake) outside and set it free.

----------The lunch box smelled terrible! Apparently Jake did not like the enclosure and being tossed around as I carried the box. He had secreted his famous foul smell. That was the end of my favorite lunch box.

----------Perhaps if I had introduced Jake under better circumstances, my mother might have let me keep him as a pet. But I doubt it. She was not fond of snakes or lizards and certainly didn't want them in the house. I made certain that my own children had snakes, lizards, salamanders, polywogs, and turtles as pets. We kept them for observation and then released them. Afterwards, the children were certain they could identify the very reptile or amphibian they had released when we came upon them in the wild.

A Hike to Moore's Cove Falls

After several days of welcome rain the sun came out and gave us a marvelous spring day. A perfect opportunity for hiking to another waterfall. We decided upon Moore's Cove Falls, a relatively easy hike in Pisgah National Forest. Moores Cove is a recessed rock cliff and the water free falls with a drop of fifty feet. A shallow cave behind the falls allows people to walk behind the falls.

The falls are fed by a small creek and the flow is variable. In very dry spells, the flow is a mere trickle. Recent rains provided a very good flow.

The recessed area continues in the rocks to the right of the falls.

The water at the top of the falls glistens in the sun.

The trail to Moore's Cove follows the creek that created the falls above.

Huge rocks are found throughout the forest. This one is totally covered in moss and has a small bush growing from the top.

Bushes grow in the limited soil on top of this outcropping.

I love this formation. At the base is a cave large enough for several people.

The weekend weather was perfect for being outdoors after several days of rain. Today, like most of the country, we are expecting a major change with a cold front threatening to bring a hard freeze. We have our fingers crossed that the sub-freezing temperatures are not sufficiently low and sustained to damage the fruit trees. And it seems the TarHeels will be having SNOW for their game tonight! Hasn't this been a wonderful tournament? I can't wait for the game which promises to be a great one regardless of the outcome. Of course, I will sleep better if the 'Heels win.