The end of fall in the mountains spells an end to the tourist season. But what the average visitor doesn’t realize are the many spectacular secrets that the cooler weather reveals. Crystal clear vistas and hidden views, fall and winter around Lake Glenville are a reward for the off season traveler. Once such stunning cold…
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…
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…
Snow day, yay! Glenville is covered in snow. I love snow with a love untainted by ever living where snow was a regular feature. To me it is special, precious, and rare. I know you are thinking that snow is pretty normal in the western North Carolina mountain. But Lake Glenville is in the southern…
This week, Mike and I hiked Whiteside Mountain. It is a gorgeous hike along the ridge of a exposed rock face that overlooks parts of North and South Carolina. It is one of my favorite hikes for bringing my visitors, and it is only about 15 minutes from home. I have only done this hike…
Difficulty Level ★ ★ High Falls is a spectacular waterfall located in box canyon below Lake Glenville. Until just recently, it was only accessible through private land. Duke Energy recently did a ton of work to create a public trail down to this stunning natural wonder. Part of the reason was to open up…
It is easy to hate winter. It is dark. It is cold. It seems to last twice as long as it should. When the nights start getting longer, and the cold settles in, an extra hour or two of television in the evening and an extra inch on the waistline seem reasonable. We all start…
Well, we had our first snow of 2014, a little less than an inch. Woke up to a white world, unexpectedly, but the birds and squirrel still thought they should have breakfast! The sunflower seed feeder was out, so the titmouse and pine siskins were quite insistent that they get fed. I especially enjoy watching…