Lush & Green

We had a break in the non-stop rain yesterday, so we jumped on the chance to get out in the woods. We decided on a hike to a nearby waterfall in Pisgah National Forest. With the amount of rain we've had this week (not exaggerating - we got 7 inches of rain July 1-5), everything was gorgeous and lush, and the waterfalls were exceptional.

 

Our area used to be filled with old growth Eastern Hemlock trees, but over the last few years, they've been quickly dying due to a bug called Woolly Adelgid. It's really sad to see all these dead trees in the middle of what is an otherwise gorgeous, healthy forest.

To get to our trail head, we had to drive 9 miles down a Forest Service road, which was beautiful. The weather has been unseasonably cool (probably due to all that rain!), so we put our sweatshirts on and rolled the windows down, taking in all those amazing summer-in-the-mountain-forest smells. What are normally small streams trickling down rocks on the side of the road had turned into raging waterfalls.

Our hike was muddy and wet, but the 70 foot tall waterfall at the end was worth getting dirty.

We are so lucky to live in a place surrounded by such natural beauty!

Hope you're enjoying a wonderful weekend!