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Here's the gateway to a very special place, which shall remain nameless to protect Mother Nature's privacy. Suffice it to say that this lovely spot is in East Tennessee, not far from my home. As we go past the gate, I pick up a small jagged rock and use it to make my mark on the boulder to the right of the gate… |
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It's something I do whenever I come here - it's how I log on to the site, so to speak, and a message to anyone who comes there on the same day that I am on the trail. Since the inscription is rock on lichens-coated rock, the mark is gone within a few days…sort of a temporary tattoo on Mother Nature's ankle. |
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Let's follow Peggy down the trail…. One of the first things we notice is the way the exterior decorator has made full use of the color green. Ferns, rhododendrons, poplars, oaks, maples, dogwoods, and birches let a cool dappled light filter through to touch us with golden green rays. As Peggy leads the way, we approach the first crossing…one of many we will encounter this day, for this trail follows a wandering creek for miles. Peggy and Lisa (another friend who couldn't be with us today) and I have named this place Copperhead Crossing. Why? Let's just say that once we had a close encounter! Fortunately, it was a toss up as to who was more alarmed…the snake or the humans. |
