Monday, October 1, 2007

Hiking to waterfalls

Sunday was going to be a beautiful day out and I told Chris I'd take the day off in spite of pending deadlines for way too many projects. Between Larry being gone for two weeks, parties, school, remodeling and the upcoming busy season - we were really, really overdue for some "us" time.

Decided to go down to the Wilson's Creek area in Pisgah National Forest, an area neither of us had been to yet. I'd found some info online with great comments, photos and directions call NCwaterfalls.com. When we got there, we started down one trail and realized less than a 1/4 mile in that there was still significant damage from the fires earlier this summer, so we turned back and found another trail.

The one we wound up on was North Harper Creek #266 which was a beautiful mixture of everything - gentle hills, steep climbs, totally enclosed under the trees to sudden, surprising openings that only showed blue since there wasn't a cloud to be seen for miles. Small, quiet streams to loudly rushing water. A time to talk or not, to hold hands and enjoy one another.

Further down the trail, I hit a wet spot and do my own version of water-sliding, bruising more to my ego than my ass - but the jeans did mostly dry out in the hours we were out there.

Eventually we come to one of the slowly trickling falls that drops down into the most still, deep pool so clear you can see to the bottom. Not another soul around for who knows how many miles. One of those moments where the pressure to leave society and it's associated clothing pressures behind as you get back to nature becomes a call of nature, not to be ignored. And you reconnect in such strong form that you only realize how much you'd needed this trip afterwards. Chris was right though (big surprise there) the water really was way too cold for skinny-dipping.

Definitely an area to get some maps and take more time to explore. Both the nature of us and the nature around us. Anything that can inspire all of those emotions along with me quoting poetry is an activity we need to make more time for in our lives.

I would like to be the air
that inhabits you for a moment
only. I would like to be that unnoticed
& that necessary


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