Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Write a Travelogue (11/06/14)
-
TITLE: Gotta Love My North Carolina Mountains | Previous Challenge Entry
By Robert Douglas Brown
11/12/14 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
Visiting the old world was nothing short of spectacular, and will leave my wife, sister and me with memories that beckon us to return there one fine day. Enough said about Europe, my friends. Visiting our beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains is about as good as it can get. Plus, it will not drain your bank account like trips across the big ponds often do.
The Blue Ridge Mountains have a charm that is as magnificent as any European city or country. Heaven-on-earth can be found in the mountains of North Carolina.
The mountains can take ones breath away faster than running through Wal-Mart during an 80% off sale on everything. The mountains though, take your breath away due to their near endless attributes. Just lift your head ever so slowly skyward, and you will almost topple over backwards trying to take it all in. Please balance yourself folks, and enjoy the Mona-Lisa of nature in the North Carolina Blue Ridge Mountains.
Lush green leaves adorn Oak, Sourwood, Hickory and many other hardwood trees that have made the Blue Ridge Mountains their home for millenniums.
The evergreens are the lucky ones; they have front row seating in the spring, summer, fall, and old-man winter. I love Spruce Trees, Hemlocks, and the Pine Family. Nothing shows off a beautiful coat of snow better than evergreens.
If hiking is your cup of tea, you can experience noon tea as you hike to the summit of a plethora of mountains that are well over a mile high. Starting with the southern mountains including Clay, Cherokee, Jackson, and Transylvania counties, you can spend a month of Sundays exploring the abundance of pristine mountain trails in each of these counties.
Not to be outdone, the central and northern counties of North Carolina offer a near endless wealth of mountain hiking adventures on many miles of trails enough to fill one’s outdoor appetite. These counties include Ash, Avery, Buncombe, Madison, McDowell, Mitchell, Watauga, Yancey, and other nearby counties.
There is one trail in the Appalachian Mountains that is the granddaddy of all trails in America. This trail is none other than the Appalachian Trail. This trail starts in Georgia, and ends in Maine after covering a breath-taking 2178 miles through 14 states.
The trail meanders 96 miles through North Carolina with views of some of the most picturesque forests in the world. Hiking the 96 miles through North Carolina is at the top of my own bucket list! Before you take off on your hike, make sure you have on some good hiking boots and some cold bottled water. You cannot go wrong with picking a particular season for your hike. Each season offers scenery all of its own, so have no worries folks!
A hike through just about any trail in Western North Carolina will reward you with some of the best scenery you will ever see in a life-time. Beside the forest, there are animals, or as mountain folks like I, tend to call critters. We have enough good critters to fill Noah’s Ark many times.
One of the critters at the top my list is the Black Bear. As an avid outdoor person, I have often crossed paths with bears. One at the top of my list happened in July, 2013. I often water flowers of friends when they take trips. Sometimes, we have visits from Black Bears in summertime. That particular day, I was day-dreaming while watering plants.
I heard a rustling sound from the hillside above, and turned to face a Black Bear that was slowly walking towards mountain woods. For whatever crazy reason, I turned the hose towards the bear, and gave it a blast of water in its rear section. The bear snorted and took off full-speed up the mountain side.
My first response was uncontrollable laughter before realizing that the bear could have had me for its afternoon snack! I have not seen a bear since then, and that is fine with me!
The Blue Ridge Mountains have to be some of God’s best work. It does not take a genius to figure this out. The next time you see a mountain, stop and tell the Lord how much you admire his handiwork.
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be right now. CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
Love this and the descriptions you give.
The humor is great and most of all...it makes me want to come visit!
An excellent job!!!
Not only was it an educational piece, but you've crafted a story within the travelogue, so you've made it informative, yet "personal" so therefore, more inviting and heartfelt.
I loved this! It's a winner in my heart...and I pray that it is with the judges as well!
God bless you abundantly~
You make the reader feel connected to your wonderful world.
This is a winner, I say. I hope the judges are paying attention to this one.
Well done, my friend. Excellent....
CONGRATULATIONS and very well done. Good to have you back among us.
Oh Robert, I'm so happy for you. This piece was fabulous, it just might be your strongest piece yet.
I loved it. So filled with your heart and soul.
God bless~
Woooohoooo!
Blessings, Lynn