A Short Hike to A Pretty Waterfall On a hot day last summer, Mike and I took a short jaunt down the Glen Falls Hike, at the end of Glen Falls Road of Highway 106 in Highlands. It is a bit steep with many steps. We didn’t hike the full trail which is over a…
Fall Color Drive
Fall is my favorite season here in the mountains of North Carolina. The weather is usually crisp and dry with skies as blue as lapis. Once the leaves start to turn, the colors change almost overnight. On Monday, the leaves were green, and by Friday they had almost all begun their transformation. Brilliant yellow, vibrant…
How Low Can Lake Glenville Go
We have had an interesting start to Fall at Lake Glenville. Duke Energy has lowered the lake extra low this year (a planned 16 feet) in order to fix up the Pines Recreation Area at the northern end near the dam. Lake Glenville is always lowered after Labor Day, but this is the lowest the…
Kayak on Lake Glenville
Mike and I went out to kayak on Lake Glenville the other evening. It was the first time we have been out so far this year, and it was spectacular. The weather has been pretty hot during the day, well, hot for us, high seventies/ low eighties. But the evenings are just right for a…
Wildlife Wednesday–Find The Grouse
Grouse are remarkable at camouflage. This NC spring they are quite plentiful if you know where to look. I have a friend who works for the Forestry service who says he has seen at least 20 this spring. My Dear Husband was out and about this week around Lake Glenville and found a grouse waiting…
April Flowers at High Falls
It is time for early spring flowers in the high mountains of Western North Carolina. The warmer weather means that we can get outside. A short hike down from Lake Glenville to High Falls is just the thing. It is too early for the trees around Lake Glenville to have leaves, but a faint red…
The Barns of Cullowhee Mountain
Although the Glenville and Cashiers, NC areas are a tourist destination, some local residents still farm and raise cattle. Today I photographed some of the barns (mostly abandoned) on Cullowhee Mountain Road. This road goes from Lake Glenville down to Speedwell and Cullowhee, home of Western Carolina University. NC barn architecture is quite varied. Some…
Wildlife Wednesday–River Otter
River otters are elusive creatures, but they do live at Lake Glenville. I took a short walk to the dam in 8 inches of snow, quite difficult without snowshoes! After admiring the snow covered hills and mountains as well as the lake shore I started trudging back home through the snow. I decided to walk…
Yellow Mountain Views
Several friends had been telling me to take a hike up to the top of Yellow Mountain, so when the weather warmed up for a day we did. Wow, was it worth it! The 360 degree views from the peak are spectacular. Yellow mountain is 5127 feet tall, making it one of the tallest mountains…
Is It Spring?
Spring must be just around the corner. Today I saw robins foraging and daffodils peaking up out the ground. I took a stroll in the Kara Leigh Pulley Park, Village Green, in Cashiers. The boardwalk through the marsh was still silent, waiting for the frogs and insects of spring. I turned the corner into the…