Land of the Waterfalls

Transylvania County, North Carolina is known for its many waterfalls and we managed to take in quite a few of them on this short trip. Below is Looking Glass Falls that is right by Highway 64.

 

Then we later hiked to Hooker Falls and its popular local swimming hole in the DuPont State Forest.

 

Across the way is Triple Falls. It is called that because you may need a triple bi-pass after the climb, if you are a flabby flatlander like me. My calves have just settled down. Here are the three falls.

Here is a look at the upper two falls. (It was VERY bright and hot up there that day.)

This is looking downstream from that same spot.

Another day, we hiked from the Blue Ridge Parkway down (and back up!) to Graveyard Fields Falls and Yellowstone Falls.. Here is the first set. There are some really big chunks of rock that people not from Florida probably take for granted.

 

There is a larger, further one that I did not get a decent picture of.  The hike was about 3.2 miles (but up and down and muddy in places) and listed as a “moderately strenuous” one (almost worthy of putting me in the graveyard!)--- but definitely worth it.

By the way, there is no graveyard. Way back when it was logged, there was a field of stumps that were covered in moss and someone thought it looked like tombstones. A fire took those out, but the name stuck.

At this spot, we found the coldest water of the trip, due in part I’m sure to the altitude. We had begun that hike from the windy parking lot wearing our fleece but by the time we had hiked to this spot a couple of hours later, we were thankful to splash the cold water on our faces and arms to cool us down.

it was on this hike that I learned that I am a fan of the trekking pole. I had not hiked with them before and borrowed one of our son’s. I am not really coordinated enough to use two and when I took pictures, two were in the way, but one felt like just the right amount of support in awkward spots. I’m shoppin’.