High Shoals Falls

Having just returned from a week with my son Eric and daughter-in-law Sharon in North Carolina, I want to share some photos of High Shoals Falls in South Mountain State Park.  Eric suggested this trip, emphasizing the falls were only a one-mile hike from the parking lot.  It started beautifully; the first half was a wide and level path covered with autumn leaves as in this photo (courtesy of springnbloom's photostream at www.flickr.com). 

The second half progressed to steps built for easy climbing interspersed with portions of rocky trail requiring surefootedness and a good sense of balance - as this photo from markhinkle's photostream at www.flickr.com shows.  (Note: click on photos to see more detail on larger images.)  

Finally, we reached the lower portion of the Falls (photo found at www.ncwaterfalls.com). The top portion of the Falls, barely visible in the upper left corner of this photo required an additional uphill trek - we decided to leave it for another day.

The two miles we did complete - about half comprised of climbing stairs and navigating over and around rocks - left me tired and shaky.  But, after being ill most of the summer, I felt a huge sense of accomplishment.


Many thanks to Eric for his encouragement and patience.  He was literally a shoulder to lean on when I wasn't sure I could go another step on the uneven terrain.  With my slow pace, I definitely resembled a tortoise rather than a hare but found that slow and steady made me feel like a winner.