Ever since we camped at Alaska for the first time, we were campadditcs (google tells me this is not a word, but I wonder why not...)! Not just that we enjoyed making a list of items to take along, pack camp food and this time, decided to take our puppy, Neo.
Tip: IF you wish to camp on Mt Mitchell you need to book way in advance because there are only limited camp sites ( 7, I think).
Destination: Mt. Mitchell ( > 6000 ft, highest peak in East Coast)
Go there, do that list:
- View Mitchell
- Hike Mitchell (??)
- Camp over night
- Visit a few waterfalls on the drive back next day
All geared up we reached Mt. Mitchell some time in the afternoon and found it was all clouded up, and should I say with a very different feel to them as compared to other mountains. The summit (we drove up there) is very pet friendly, in fact Neo made a few k9 friends there.
 A Compass at the Summit of Mt Mitchell |
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| Mt Mitchell on a cloudy weekend! |
Due to the unpredictable weather we decided to not hike that day...tch tch..excuses excuses :)
We had booked a spot at Lazy J campground to camp that night. Its a pretty cozy campground with decent facilities.
By the way in case I forgot to mention, we absolutely love our tent. Its a Coleman Sundome, which we bought online from Amazon. Pros: Easy to pitch, waterproof, (this was tested when it poured like crazy in Denali, AK), well ventilated, and I love the fly screen. Cons: Its supposedly for 3 adults, but we could only fit 2 adults and a dog).
(No, unfortunately I am not getting paid by Coleman or Amazon for pitching this tent (pun!), but I just wanted to share my 2 cents worth.)
Next day, we started early at 10 am (come on, 10 am is early for a Sunday right?), and took Neo to this open horse farm owned by Lazy J, where you don't need to clean up after your dog (I was getting a sense for why J was Lazy). Neo fertilized the farm and after running crazy for 30 min he was ready to leave.
Warning: Wear boots at this farm! I was wearing open-toed flats and was dodging poop like land mines!
Courthouse Falls, Pisgah National Forest
Pisgah is a 500,000 acre forest encompassing 12 counties. Our plan was to visit some of the waterfalls in the Transylvania County (Courthouse Falls, Looking Glass Falls, Sliding Rock).
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| Pisgah National Forest |
Its a beautiful cool (in spite of it being 95 F) mile (15 min easy) walk/hike to the base of the Courthouse Falls, a gorgeous cliff scooped out into a perfectly round pool at the bottom...very tempting to dive (of course at your own risk).
Note to self: Train Neo to click photos...
By the time we set the tripod up to take this pic, our feet froze...yes, the water is super cold and the moss on the rocks makes it very slippery to stand still. Neo decided to stay warm somewhere up on the rocks...Notice how there is no one here! It was surely a hidden treasure and we enjoyed the serene spot for somewhere before the rain drove us away.
Sliding Rock Falls, Pisgah National Forest
A 60 ft slide with a 7 ft deep pool calls out to every man, woman and child on a hot long weekend. The rock has been made into a recreational spot by US Forest Service which is great because for a dollar or two you can take as many dips as you want with life guards to watch over the over-adventurous ones...yes Rahul, I am referring to you ;)
Needless to say, carry some change, towel and some change of clothes if you plan to take a dip.
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| Sliding Rock Falls: Kudos to all that braved up to the freezing water! |
Looking Glass Falls, Pisgah National Forest
Few miles further South on the parkway on Hwy 276 is Looking Glass Falls. On a weekend, this is one of the easiest to spot because you will see the cars parked along the road. You can actually see the waterfalls from the road, but I highly recommend going to the base (a 3 min flight of stairs).
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| Looking Glass Falls |
If you are in Western NC, this is a must-do trip. Try to at least see 3-4 waterfalls...they are pretty breathtaking!
A tired me, sleepy hubby and happy Neo (coz he snoozed the whole car ride home) reached home at 10 pm. Exhausted, but dying to see the pics I browse through my camera and find this classic expression of Neo...Am I nuts or do you see a hint of a smile on his face? Only answer if you think the latter ;)
A tired me, sleepy hubby and happy Neo (coz he snoozed the whole car ride home) reached home at 10 pm. Exhausted, but dying to see the pics I browse through my camera and find this classic expression of Neo...Am I nuts or do you see a hint of a smile on his face? Only answer if you think the latter ;)
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| "Woof woof, thanks for a wonderful weekend daddy!" |
