From Flatlander to Mountain Woman (Ha, ha)

One of the attractions of moving to NC had originally been the proximity to the ocean. "Only five or six hours to the ocean" - I said to myself, and I saw us whizzing down the freeway to Myrtle Beach all the time. Well, even though I still hope to go sometime, it seems that the mountains closeby win out over the beach far away. Who needs driving for hours and spending a hundred bucks a night in a motel if we have some of the most scenic tourist spots right in front of our door? We can pick just the right, sunny days for our outings, get to stay home if it rains and sleep in our own beds, not to mention cook at home if we like or go out, if we want.

In Iowa we complain about our hills (especially if you are a bicyclist). Contrary to public opinion, Iowa isn't completely flat, but the landscape is gently undulating, with a few bluffs near the river banks. But it's no comparison to the Appalachians. In our NC county alone the elevations vary from between 1,800 feet to 4,200 feet. A little further, and the mountains rise to 5,000 or 6,000 feet. Pretty puny compared with the Alps, the Rockies, or the Himalaya, but for a flatlander like me it means: Those are real mountains!

So the first thing I've been doing is to get equipped. Trail shoes with traction, walking stick, water-proof hat and jacket, backpack for lunch, water, etc. I look cool! Never mind that I always seem to forget the camera and would be in serious trouble if a bear came along ("let him have your lunch"), I'm becoming a bit better equipped with each outing.

I may look cool, but what gives me away immediately as a flatlander is the shape I'm in - or rather, the lack of it. If the path goes up and up, I have to stop every few feet, seemingly to admire the scene, but really to catch my breath. I'm completely out of shape. Perhaps I need to start training on the hill behind our subdivision and hike up and down there every day.

Today we traveled less than 45 minutes to a NC State Forest, parked the car, and hiked to two different water falls. One of them, called Triple Falls Water Falls, is particularly spectacular, with the water cascading in several stages. With the recent record rainfall of close to a foot in some areas, the streams have plenty of water, which added to the appeal of the water falls.

By the way, we saw the very first leaves turning and falling to the ground...