DITTY'S VIRTUAL HIKE

Shhhhh…Don't tell anyone! Come with me and my dear friend Peggy as we head for the mountains on a hot summer day, in search of a shady, cool and secret place where Mother Nature hangs out with her kids…

 

The Gate

 

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.

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…

 

 

My signature

 

 

 

Following Peggy

 

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.

 

 

 

 Through a narrow tunnel of rhododendron forest, we arrive at a lovely spot we call…

Dragonfly Beach… 

Peaceful, isn't it?

Dragonfly Beach

 

 

Frog Bog

A little ways off from the beach, we spot a strange little mud puddle…

VERY quietly, we creep toward the puddle, and then, in one sudden burst, we jump loudly, stomping our feet…

…startling the hoohah out of about fifty frogs who call this mud puddle home…

and we name the place…

The Frog Bog…

 

 

 

Moving on, we come to an open field and find ourselves waist high in wildflowers….ironweed and purple thistle.

Once there must have been a homestead up here, although there are no signs of buildings now…

Just an open meadow, occupied by birds and insects….

The Little Field

 

 

 

 

Snake Eye Crossing

 

Past the field, we come to a second crossing…

We call it Snake Eye Crossing…

What? No bridge? Guess we'll just have to wade in.

Come on in. The water's cold and clear!

 

 

 

Now we've come into a much larger field. The wildflowers, ironweed and thistle, are even higher here, brushing our shoulders and snagging our hair…

The meadow seems to shimmer before our eyes…vibrating colors hover…

The Big Field

 

 

 

Butterflies

 Aha!

Now we can see that a thousand butterflies are the source of the strange shimmering vibrations…

They crowd each other as they move from flower to flower…

 

 

 

On the other side of the field, hidden from the trail by a thick overgrowth of large bushes and small trees, lies the only remaining evidence of man's attempt to tame this place…

The Pond…

 

The Pond

 

 

Past the pond, beyond the apple tree…

let's move on through the path

brushing our fingers through

fragrant ferns to…

 

 

 

Deer Track Crossing

 …where we come to Deer Track Crossing…

located near Snail Beach

where Peggy and I once spent an afternoon watching snails in the water…

 

 

 

 Hmmm…getting thirsty?

Let's stop for a while…

Pull up a log…

Take a load off your feet…

And join Peggy for a cool drink…

Maybe just listen…

Rested now? Let's move on up the trail…

Thirsty?

 

 

 

Knee Knock crossing

 …where we come to the infamous Knee Knock Crossing, where several years ago I stumbled and split my knee to the tune of six stitches…

leaving a scar I carry proudly to this day…

a tattoo…

from Mother Nature…

 

 

 

 

Let's rest a bit with Peggy…

We have a bit of a climb ahead…

But it's worth every huff and puff…

 

'cause it leads us up to…

Resting

 

 

 

Catwoman Falls

…Catwoman Falls

Ok.  Use your imagination here.

Try to see the profile in the large rock in the upper right corner. Can you see her nose, her slanted eyes, her feline jowls?

The waterfall is very high, and crashes down into a narrow gorge…

We can sit up here a while…

Maybe eat a nectarine…

Look down…

See the view that Catwoman sees every day…

 

 

 Sitting high on our perch

We can look down into the gorge

Smell the fresh water

Watch butterflies and dragonflies

Think

Not think

Hear the music

That waterfalls make

 

Into the gorge

 

 

No Name Crossing

Refreshed, we're ready to move on…

The trail takes us up and down through rhododendrons…

Past a beaver dam…

To No Name Crossing

 

 

Climbing up again…

arriving at Power Point

upstream, we see a gentle, quiet space, sheltered from the direct sunlight with overhanging branches of many trees and vines,

quiet…

quiet…

stand silently in the water…

lean over and let your hands drift with the current…

feel her strength…

and power… 

 

Power Point

 

 

 

 Yee Haw!!!

Look downstream from Power Point…

The current suddenly boils and crashes in Mother Nature's jacuzzi…

Get wet…

I dare ya!

 

 Dry enough?

Let's go on…

down the trail now…

we come to a spot where

women become little girls again…

and play in the water

and build cities with strange green rocks…

Lisa is here in spirit with us…

it's her place…

Emerald City…

 

Emerald City

 

 

 

Up the slide

Another crossing…

More climbing…

We come to

The Slide

A large formation of rock and water…

Standing in its center we see upstream

a tumbling waterfall…

 

 

Looking downstream…

we see the waterfall spread its arms…

widen with the rocks…

presenting us with an irresistible

water slide and amusement park…

and a secluded space for picnics…

for skinny dipping…

for basking like lizards…

in the warm sun…

 

I'll need it after…

 

 

Down the slide

 

 

 

On your mark...  

 

 

On your mark!

 

 

Get set...

 

 

 

 

Get Set!!

 

 

 

 

GO !!!

GO!!!

 

 

Well, it seems that we've spent the whole day on our adventure. Gee, it didn't seem that long, did it? And we didn't even get to visit another whole branch of this area we call the Sacred Clown' s Spot…

Maybe next time?



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