More Waterfalls & Leaving a Mark - March 2024

 Thursday, March 28, we did more waterfall hikes. First, Rainbow Falls.

I don't know why the pliéing started, but it was cute.

Tiny went upriver exploring.

So many pics of kids (especially Tiny) in trees.

Rainbow Falls delivered rainbows.

The girls thought this warning sign was really something.

Berry found a seat.

She let me hang out and talk with her for a while, and it was lovely.

We enjoyed the trees on the short walk to the Whitewater Falls lookout. 

We stopped at a convenience store for refreshments and restrooms. The girl who was working there was getting ready to paint and asked if the girls could do handprints. It was very exciting. 

As we returned to the car, I took note of the name of the place. How providential it all was!

Tiny worked on her drumming in the car.

We went back to Sliding Rock so Jim could fulfill our motto "swim in every body of water" and Tiny could pretend she was going to. I know I should have done it, but it was just so incredibly cold. 

Tiny stood with her feet in the water and then frantically hurried out because it was too cold. 

Jim was the only brave one. 

We lunched in Brevard and talked to the server about the town (because we were obsessed). Apparently it's grown like crazy in recent years. 

Waterfalls and Ice Cream - March 2024

Wednesday, March 27, 2024, started with Lucky Charms in our lovely Airbnb. (Vacation rules on the food front.) 

 The day began with rain and gray and gloom, but we headed out on some waterfall hikes. 

When Tiny posed for a pic with the waterfall, she blocked the whole thing.

I love this picture of Jim and little Bear. 

High Falls: 

Jim scrambled down near the base of the falls.

And the Historic High Falls Covered Bridge, which was very cool:

On the other side of the bridge, I found a fun swamp.

We loved this forest.

This one is Hooker Falls (formerly the site of a Grist Mill):

It was crowded, but we passed the people and got some photos sans humans.

Back on the trail, Berry played monkey.

I just loved the colored trees that were everywhere, and I loved the landscape generally. Discussions about whether we could/should live there were ongoing.

We stopped for ice cream at a shop that was fun because of its long line of colored chairs outside.

Berry is so funny and cute. 

Next up was Looking Glass Falls, right off the road. 

Then we took a peek at Sliding Rock (a natural waterslide where the water temperature is in the fifties in the summer!) and decided to come back another day. 

The last hike of the day was a three-miler on Graveyard Upper Falls Trail. 

Tiny made her way back to the trail after an off-road jaunt.