#NC2020 The Trails

 Brian and I arrived home safely from our WONDERFUL North  Carolina adventure late yesterday afternoon. To be honest, I am glad to be home among my people, I am sad to be home in storm-ravaged Pensacola. Life has been disrupted by " Sally", and while Brian and I sustained very little damage from the storm, most of the people in our county sustained more damages. 

Rather on " borrowing trouble " { as my priest advises against all the time} I choose to focus on putting into words some memories from our 2020 trip. 

All photos in this essay are the work of either myself  The Pensacola Hippie  or my spouse, Brian. 

This was the trail hair of Daisy Lake Trail at Kanuga Conference Center, located just outside of Hendersonville. We hiked this trail on our final afternoon in North Carolina, and it was our most challenging trail. However, in my opinion, his was the most beautiful scenery we saw. I'm reminded of the hours I spent playing in the Appalachian woods of the Alleghenies while growing up. 

This is an oddly-shaped pine cone that we saw on the Kanuga hike. Neither Brian nor I recall seeing pine cones shaped like this, so I asked our resident botanist to identify the tree. The expert said this is from the White Pine tree. 

Anyone who knows me at all is aware that I am drawn to all things purple. I noticed not only the rich purple blooms, but also the lush green leaves. 

Also at Kanuga, I saw a big boulder stripped of vegetation and I had to pose with the non-Florida geological form. I miss big rocks. 

On Thursday morning, Brian and I hiked the trail around the farm at Carl Sandberg Home National Park. The goat yard and the house itself is closed thanks to COVID, but Brian and I enjoyed a wet let lovely morning hike around the property My heart was so glad to be in the mountains that a wee bit of highlands drizzle did not " dampen" { haha , see what I did there?} my joy at hiking in the Appalachians. 

Here is Brian standing next to an old gate post at the Sandberg farm. As the photos show, both of us hiked the property while wearing raincoats. Thankfully, the hiking boots we brought are waterproof and warm: our feet stayed dry. 

Our adventures on the trails also included a walking trail tour of downtown Asheville. This is a retro theatre that I spied as we hiked the mountain city of Asheville North Carolina. 

We stopped at a local Asheville distillery where we purchased some local gin and sat with locally brewed REAL ginger beer { for me and a peach soft drink { for Brian}. Asheville is home to many small craft breweries. By the way, the ginger beer went down my throat very smoothly! 

This is the huge church that we saw at the beginning of our urban hike. While I am pretty sure that  it is a Roman Catholic church I forget the church's name. 

The leaves on western North Carolina are just now starting to show their alternative colors. This was at Kanuga near one of the historic cabins. For some reason, the Daisy Lake trail had us end up at the main road, and then walking back to the truck on Kanuga Chapel Road. 

At first glance, we thought this to be a pipe, Upon closer inspection, we discovered that it is a tree trunk that had been completely hollowed out. 

There is more to tell, but I'd need to see you in person to share.  Western North Carolina is a magical place and I am grateful that Brian and I have these memories. 

Shalom....

~Sarah