Asheville and western North Carolina are really beautiful areas and offer some of the best scenery of Appalachia to be had. Unready to call it a day just yet, I decided to drive to a couple of nearby waterfalls. Both of which are only short hikes, but should offer some great views. The first is Roaring Fork Falls due east of Mount Mitchell. When I arrive the small parking area is overflowing, but a car is just pulling out and gives me the perfect spot to pull into.
The trail to the falls is mostly a gravel road and as I hike, the sun beats down on me overhead. I do my best to stay in the shade, but at this time of day, the sun is directly overhead. I'm encouraged to pass a number of hikers walking the back to the parking lot and it gives me hope that I'll be able to enjoy a uncrowded view of the waterfall. The total distance out and back is only 1.3 miles and before long, I hear the roaring of the falling waters and the beautiful waterfall comes into view. It's a really nice cascading fall and there are only a couple of other people here taking it all in. Among them, a young lady is sitting on a rock right out in the middle of the creek. I ask her permission to jump to another rock in front of her just long enough to snap a shot from this angle. She thanks me for asking and grants me her blessing.
With a few pictures of the waterfall now stored in the memory of my iPhone, I head back to the car. I hope the next stop on my list is just as majestic as this one was.
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