Nature School :: His Place

This little smiley fellow rode up those old, steep, ever-shrinking roads to see his mountain yesterday.  Six years have passed since this first photo, but he still just as quick to give a grin.

We had in mind to experience something beyond the rhododendron gardens, which was a good thing.  They were closed!  We walked up the Appalachian Trail into the spruce-fir forest over some very interesting trail construction.  It's obvious erosion and foot traffic are big issues in the sensitive habitat.

We ate lunch with baby trees, of course, on a mostly wet rock.  The bigger trees are alive, but their growth is at the top.  It is a comfort to see the future at their feet.

Coming out of the woods, we set our sights on Round Bald, which is across the road from the saddle called Carver's Gap where everyone parks.  I couldn't pass up this photo of Roan.  We gave a couple dollars to keep his (and your) mountain beautiful before we climbed the hill.

Sitting on a big rock, which must be The Place, we took in all the views.  Roan High Knob sits to the right there, not quite in the photo.  The road curving upward leads to the Rhododendron Gardens and the former site of the Cloudland Hotel.  Many things hinge on Memorial Day around these parts, so we were just a little too early.

My dad says that flying over our area in a plane helps you to see how sparsely populated it really is.  Views like this do that, too, I think.  I need all the big views I can get these days.