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| Whitewater Falls |
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| Jim and LT |
What a great weekend! Our good friend, LT, came for a visit a couple weekends ago. Not only is he a great friend, but he is also great company! Even though he is "of a certain age" (unlike the rest of us), he is ebullient, energetic, and full of humor! We haven't seen him in awhile, so this was a treat! While he was here we decided to go to Whitewater Falls, which he had never seen. If you are unfamiliar with Whitewater Falls, it is one of the most dramatic waterfalls on the Blue Ridge Escarpment. The escarpment is a craggy, rain-drenched land that marks the fast-falling southern edge of the Applachian Mountain Range. This fast-falling edge sets the stage for the many creeks and streams that are part of the ecosphere of this region to collect into large torrents of water that then cascade over the wilderness bluffs to the Piedmont below. It is not unusual to find falls in out-of-the-way places, but the most dramatic are tourist attractions. Such is Whitewater. Now there is a paved parking lot, and an asphalt path that takes one to the observation area of the falls. You can also descend 151 steps to a lower observation area, but you do have to walk back up! You cannot get to the bottom of the falls, though you can take a rather primitive trail to the Horsepasture River below. When we were in college up here, the path to observe the falls was a somewhat rigorous trek through the woods. Separate foot trails would take you to a place to observe the pure majesty of the plunge of water or to the top of the falls where the glory of the Horsepasture was on full display. After LT took the steps he caught up with Jim and me as we navigated what is left of the old path. We couldn't get to the old observation area, nor could we get to the top of the falls without taking what we deemed to be unacceptable risk, so we wound up above the falls on the Horsepasture...a thrilling sight as the rushing water made its inexorable way to the cliff that was just around the bend. While there, we did notice a young man and his dog sunning themselves across the river. We still don't know how they got over there, but apparently they got wet...notice the young fellow in his tighty whities! It was a wonderful outing, and I keep wondering why we don't do more of it.
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| Horsepasture River Above Whitewater Falls |
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Sunning in the Tighty Whities |
The fall has been very pretty this year, not quite as vibrant as usual, but still nothing to sneeze at. The beauty of this place never ceases to bring joy to my heart. Many people could not live in a remote area such as this, but we count ourselves among the blessed every day to be two of those who can.
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| Fall Colors |
And last, but not least, we have had our first snowfall of the season. We were on the fringes of the effects of Hurricane Sandy. Unlike those in the northeast, our involvement was mild, with only some high winds and some snow and cold. I estimate that we got about an inch of snow. My hope is that the early season snow does not portend a harsh winter. Still, it was pretty while it was falling, and there is always a certain peacefulness that a snowfall brings.
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| First Snowfall |
Happy Halloween! Love to all!
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