A Trip to the Mountains

 

Look at these amazing peonies! These blooms were some of the first of our spring rewards. I know some people have little patience for gardening, but for me, it is important to be surrounded by as many flowering plants as possible. It brings joy to my life. Even when I lived in places where I just had a balcony, I always tried to fill it up with some kind of flowers.

Yesterday, I went on a most splendid hike! It was quite a long morning drive, but it was well worth it.

We walked along the Bertram Trail starting at Warwoman Dell. It is an incredibly beautiful path alongside streams and waterfalls. There are those amazing rhododendron "tunnels" of twisted branch overhead. The wildflowers were beginning to emerge--lots of various kinds of trillium. There were also shoals of dwarf irises everywhere.

We left the Bertram Trail which intersected with another trail that led through what seemed to be a young forest, up to Pinnacle Rock. The view from up there was stunning! It was possible to see the hills of North Carolina. 

What a fantastic place to sit and enjoy lunch! (No matter that the "lunch" was only dried fruit and nuts--.)

Along the way, there was some kind of trail run and we kept moving aside for all these people running 50 or 100 miles. !! I felt happy just to walk my measly 9.5 miles.

This book is written by William Bartram who explored the trails and for whom the trail we walked part of is named after. It is a fascinating book--although archaic in a way that is not for everybody, I know. Bartram was a naturalist who explored and documented his findings in Georgia, Florida and the Carolinas in the late 1700s. Aside from his documentation of the flora and fauna, he also wrote extensively on his encounters with the Native tribes. I find that most interesting of all.

Meanwhile, all is warm here with lizards on the patio and the vegetables growing by inches each day. 

Holding these bean like this had me feeling a bit like Jack and the Beanstalk's mother!