friday with mountains | crabtree falls | hiking for meditation
Hiking for meditation. A recent “Friday With Mountains” hike in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Western North Carolina.
Crabtree Falls is a 70 ft. cascade on Big Crabtree Creek. The creek spreads over a rock face with many small ledges, giving it a delicate appearance, before trickling into a clear pool at the base. Though there are hardly any crabtrees here now, in the spring, an impressive array of wildflowers abound on the trail, including four species of trillium. By July, ferns fill the forest and soak in the spray of the falls, with rosebay rhododendron in bloom.
The trailhead is located outside Crabtree Falls Campground at mile marker 339.5 on the Blue Ridge Parkway. A trail leads to a footbridge over the creek at the base of the falls. The trailhead loop starts at the parking area just before the entrance to the campground, and is a medium to strenuous hike at just under 2.5 miles in length. The path to the falls is a rugged, downhill 0.9-mile, with a gentler 1.5-mile uphill return following Crabtree creek upstream before looping back to the parking area.
Crabtree Falls information data courtesy of Wikipedia.
friday with mountains
A beautiful day for hiking along the trail at Craggy Gardens off of the Blue Ridge Parkway in Western North Carolina. This photograph was taken from a small gazebo nestled in the forest and overlooking the valley below. A tranquil setting where you can see wildflowers and blueberries that embellish the Craggy Gardens Trail.
INSPIRATION.
your world beginning | piano and waterfalls – day 8
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The video “Piano and Waterfalls” continues the series “Your World Beginning”. It is an exploration of organic nostalgia i.e. a reflection of the beautiful times and places gone by. “Piano and Waterfalls” was filmed while hiking the Graveyard Fields trail to the Lower and Upper Falls located in the Balsam Mountain range in Western North Carolina. This film is of the Lower Falls which one arrives first after a short hike through the barren fields (a fire burned a large segment of the mountain range in the early 1900’s). Then the trail continues on with a more difficult hike to the Upper Falls. I shot various short segments along the way, which I will feature in a number of parts.
This video is also the first film I have produced using new software. My computer upgraded (without my consent I must say) to Windows 8.1 leaving me with an incapable AVID Studio. I loved working with AVID. And after nearly two years of using the software, I was really beginning to fine tune my use of it. I tried without success to find and install patches that would enable me to continue to use it with Windows 8.1, but with no positive results. So I just purchased the Sony Movie Studio Suite. And it is a learning curve all over again. My goal is to continue to produce quality videos that mirror the progression of my previous work. With this first attempt, I am discovering that there are some questions to the quality of the final video production as an uploaded internet movie. Formatting is a key. Especially when I am using my own video footage. This is a technical challenge, which I hope to conquer in order to create the most visually pleasing and technically diverse films possible.
your world beginning | to the distant fir tree
toward a place of subtle things
through fallen leaves
and barren trees
with maps and moments
along the mountain ridge …
your world beginning | we could die together being in love with this moment
every place has its own beauty
its own moment and place in time
in which we can disappear
or begin again ….
variations | a day in the life: hiking at Paris Mountain
I just got the Galaxy Note II and I love the painting software included. For this “variations | a day in the life” series, I will be using either Paint Sketch or Picsart. I will not post daily, however I hope to explore elements such as architecture, objects, personal experiences all within the constructs of my personal vision. This series is the continuation of “images for Android phones” tag. 2013 has been a year of mostly new video work and the “variations” series. I am also in the final stages of completing my 200 page book of digital art. It too will focus on this year’s “variations” series. A book of poetry, prose, and imagery. With all this going on, and with work it has been difficult to keep up with everyone’s blog. Please accept my apology. I do appreciate all the support.
A Rewind: Grandfather Mountain | Hiking in 2002
One of the coolest places at elevation in North Carolina is Grandfather Mountain. It is home of the mile high swinging bridge. At just over 6000 feet it is one of the highest mountain peaks in the state.
New Landscapes: Fall In Fashion – Hiking Boots
burnt umber
and golden-yellow
reddish tints
and layered colors
trace the path
fore and aft
a distant waterfall
cascading just beyond
my intrepid reach
– married
to the tonal beauty
that surrounds it
It’s Autumn in the mountains of North and South Carolina. Time for a moment of inner reflection, tranquility, and a zen-like trek; to be found in the ascension. And realized at the summit of sky and earth
In The Reflection Of Waking Waterfalls And Sunny Days (A Photograph Of You Remix)
In the reflection of things experienced … life as we dream it …
the sun rose like a jewel in the morning mist an image of beauty - shining like the sparkling sound - of a distant cascade with falling water and merging hearts ...
Images For Android Phones: A Place To Rest With Colors
a morning trek
so patiently caressed
on winding paths
while colors reach out
with subtle invitation
through angled trees
and grass so lean
the intrepid eye
never at rest
seeking things anew
with every test of step
except for here
under the gazebo
with summer’s warm
– embrace
as i wait for you
– knowingly
feeling at peace
feeling transcendent
I Love A Place When It Becomes A Part Of Me
The memories of a place in time brings the heart such joy….
Table Rock State Park in South Carolina
waking up this morning, I could not free my self from the thoughts that surround me
like the stream that flows so fluidly
my mind embraces and caresses the rock of my salvation…
nurturing the journey within….
Lake Greenwood and Shore
Another beautiful afternoon at the lake, on a brisk cool day….
Our day at the lake was very memorable
“I remember a hundred lovely lakes, and recall the fragrant breath of pine and fir and cedar and poplar trees. The trail has strung upon it, as upon a thread of silk, opalescent dawns and saffron sunsets.” – Hamlin Garland
“Let yourself be open and life will be easier. A spoon of salt in a glass of water makes the water undrinkable. A spoon of salt in a lake is almost unnoticed.” – The Buddha
Weekly Photo Challenge: Path 02
Sometimes a path is a beautiful day—hiking a trail that leads to a destination of longing and discovery.
Hiking the Caesars Head trail in South Carolina
Weekly Photo Challenge: Mountains 05
On the Pinnacle Mountain trail, South Carolina
One of my favorite places to hike in South Carolina is the Pinnacle Trail. It is located in the Blue Ridge Foothills. I came across this rock structure on the hike and fell in love with it. It has the stern look of a man grazing out beyond the ridge.
Here is a summary of the trail.
It is six miles round trip with an elevation gain of 2673 feet. It has a rating of strenuous and takes about 4 hours to complete.
The first 0.2 miles is a relatively
flat, paved path that parallels a creek. Small cascades and pools are easily
accessible from the trail. After the pavement ends, follow the trail signs for
the Pinnacle Mtn. trail.
The trail is in fair shape most of the way.
There is significant erosion in a few places and parts of the trail can be quite
muddy.
At about the 2.5 mile mark is the Bald Rock Overlook where you can
look back towards Table Rock Mtn. The summit is marked by a sign and a pile of
rocks but you’re in the middle of a forest with no view. Return the way you came
or continue on the Ridge Trail that connects the Pinnacle Mountain and Table
Rock trails.
This trail is rather remote at times. I was hiking it alone and felt a need to see someone on the trail.
Biking to a Place Inside and Out / 07
In addition to challenging biking opportunities there are hundreds of trail to hike as well
One of the best places to road bike is along the Blue Ridge Parkway in North Carolina. The BRP stretches for hundreds of miles (approximately 470) through North Carolina and Virginia. It is one of the most beautiful scenic rides in the country. The parkway follows the Appalachian Mountain chain. From Shenandoah National Park the parkway follows the Blue Ridge, eastern rampart of the Appalachians. It then skirts the southern end of the massive Black Mountains, named for the dark green spruce and fir that cover them. Then it weaves through the Craggies, the Pisgahs, the Balsams to end up in the Great Smokies. I had the pleasure of staying at the famous Pisgah Inn located on the southern end of the parkway, at Mount Pisgah about 30 miles from Asheville, NC. You can marvel at the forest-clad mountain peaks, mist filled coves, and the slopes of fragrant balsams, rhododendrons, mountain laurel and flame azalea. It was a great week of biking, hiking (Graveyard fields to the Upper Falls), art galleries (Blue Spiral and galleries in the River Arts District), independent films (La Vie En Rose, the story of French singer Edith Piaf) and fine dining (organic, Thai and Indian). But I must say that for a spectacular view, and good food, the restaurant at the Pisgah Inn with its panoramic view overlooking the Blue Ridge Mountains is unsurpassed. And finally, a perfect end to an evening is sitting on your private back porch watching the sun set beyond the mountains.
Stopping to take in the view from another vantage point along the Blue Ridge Parkway
The Narrow Way: Choosing a Path
- When we find a path that leads back to ourselves, we discover things anew
In 2002 I moved from Philadelphia to South Carolina. It was a time for a deliberate and conscious change. The beautiful natural landscapes of the Carolinas, Tennessee and Georgia all provided a sharp contrast to the harsh urban decay of what was becoming, in some parts, the City of Philadelphia. It was a very positive move for me, and I immediately embarked on a journey to rediscover some important sustaining elements of my life i.e. Mind, Body, Creativity and Spirit. I call them my Four Jewels. The very first thing I did when I arrived was go up into the mountains. I hiked, explored and found beauty, space and peace. Hiking as an adventure has a wonderful aspect to it, that is physical, emotional and exploratory. Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina is home of the Mile High Swinging Bridge and various trails. It is one of the highest peaks east of the Mississippi. While walking along the bridge, above the beautiful gorge below, one can begin the journey of self discovery. And in doing so, find a subtle, yet profound emergence of the meaning of man and nature as one.
n e w d i g i t a l s c a p e s 