Posted by As I sit down to write this blog, I am looking out the window at My Man hanging Christmas lights. I can’t believe it’s 76 degrees in Tampa with a few days left in December. We join the world’s 7.8 billion people popping champagne on New Year’s Eve, hoping 2021 will be the best year of our lives.
Let’s turn the clock back to New Year’s Day 2020
After spending almost 2 weeks on a European winter holiday, we landed safely in the US. We had visited 5 countries, caught up with my German relatives, and checked many places off our bucket lists (Eiffel Tower, Westminster Abbey, English pubs, the Louvre, tastings in Champagne, walking in the English countryside, etc.). I should have known 2020 was going to be jacked up as my Facebook had been hacked overnight. Had we known what the year was about, we would have boarded a flight to New Zealand; and thrown away our passports.
Back to mid-March, we were in bed watching the NBA (his son was going to the Kings’ game), when all hell started to break loose when NBA games were cancelled; and everything else in the next 48 hours. (FYI it’s bad Feng Shui to have a TV in the bedroom). Would anyone have EVER believed the world would just shut down overnight? For weeks and months? No sports, travel, church, office work, going out to eat, parties, etc. I went to 12 countries in 2019 – no travel hit me HARD! Check out this blog I wrote on traveling to Morocco and Portugal in the spring of 2019.
Finally got out of the house and into the woods!
We quarantined for weeks and months this year. Like the rest of the world I know. The first week of November we finally got out of the house for a week! We flew up to Cashiers, NC, via Atlanta, for a week in the North Carolina mountains. We found that #WFH was a lot better at a mountain lodge with a fire place.
We hiked to more than 15 waterfalls. It would be hard to pick a favorite because each day we would say, “I think I like this one best!” I liked the hike to and around Schoolhouse Falls the best (we heard a BEAR hiking!). But I loved Dry Falls as well as Grassy Creek Falls. And Bridal Falls and Glenn Falls too! It’s really hard to say.
Before you head out to Hike
There are so many amazing hiking trails in this area of North Carolina. Cashiers is perfectly situated in the middle of hundreds of hiking and biking trails.
Due to the all the summer and fall rain, the waterfalls in southwest North Carolina really churn as well!
Before you head out the door to start hiking, I suggest you check out this book I found at the Tampa library: Hiking Waterfalls in North Carolina. It’s FILLED with waterfalls, directions, maps, pictures, etc. It was a fantastic help to us!
The quote that follows sums up the North Carolina mountains along with the waterfalls. It’s a can’t miss area of the Southeast that you can’t miss!
“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Days (Un)Planned 