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Saturday, November 05, 2016

Fall in the Smokies

As most of you know, Doug and I love the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee and try to visit there every spring and fall. Our fall visit for this year was the last week of October. The colors had peaked the week before, but there was still enough autumn beauty to stir the awe in our hearts for God's wonderful creation.

The above photo collage shows two pictures of Laurel Falls, shot on different occasions. The one on the left was taken in April, 2006. The one on the right was taken during our recent October visit. The area has experienced a drought this year, and there was very little water flowing over any of the waterfalls we visited. I just had to include the shot from 2006, so you could see what this waterfall looks like in years with sufficient moisture.

There is actually a dual meaning to the title of this post. Not only is it the fall season, but it was also a falling season for Doug and me. We both took tumbles on the Laurel Falls trail, which is highly embarrassing since it's a paved trail. Doug's fall occurred at the base of the waterfall, where the rocks have been worn smooth by many feet and much water. Mine happened when I was stepping to the side of the trail to let some other hikers pass. It's amazing how quickly a crowd can gather when a white-haired woman falls on a busy trail.

Neither Doug nor I suffered more than a scrape, a bruise, and some major humiliation. Another hiker has convinced us of the wisdom of carrying trekking poles on future hikes.


14 comments:

  1. Glad you didn't suffer bad from your falls. This year has been a bumper year for one stream I fish near that has a big falls.Lovely colors, they are fading fast around here.

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  2. Great photos, Linda. Love the turkey, especially. The difference in the falls is dramatic for sure. There are so many lakes and streams in the area we still had plenty of water, but I think the wildlife suffer the most when their little sources dry up.
    Sorry to hear you both fell on the trail, and I hope neither of you were hurt badly. I have to say I've fallen several times myself. That's pretty much par for my course. Goodman always takes a walking stick with him wherever we walk, but I usually don't bother and am usually sorry I didn't. He developed the habit when we lived for a few years in Germany. Back then, nearly everyone in the village where we lived went for a walk on Sunday afternoons and, young or old, most used some type of walking stick. And I couldn't tell you how many times he has used his for lifting blackberry canes so we could reach the largest berries.
    Have a great weekend!

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  3. glad neither of you were hurt! true beauty you shared. loved the barn, the bridge, the turkey, and of course, the color!

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  4. I'm sorry t hear about your falls, but I'm glad you are both okay. I'm also happy that there was still some color for you to enjoy. You got some great pictures.

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  5. Linda, I am glad that you are both okay, and I think the trekking poles is a very good idea. Your photos are absolutely gorgeous, thank you so much for sharing.

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  6. Ouch! Falling is not a good way to enjoy a hiker any other day.I know,I took a nasty fall last summer, no damage, except for some bruising.You do have gorgeous pictures.That area is so beautiful.

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  7. BEAUTIFUL pictures Linda! I'm glad you and Doug didn't get hurt when you fell...and your cameras apparently didn't suffer either!

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  8. Thanks, Steve. Have you shown pictures of that waterfall you mentioned? I'd love to see it.

    Toni - I was so pleased that that turkey wandered close enough for that shot. Their colors are surprisingly beautiful. We used to carry walking sticks, but we often found them too heavy. Eventually, we just quit carrying them. I've looked at some YouTube videos on trekking poles, though; and they do seem like they would be more helpful than a traditional walking stick. I think we'll get some before we hit the trails again.

    Thank you, Theresa. My skinned knee is healing nicely.

    George - Thanks for the kind comment about my pictures. Until I saw Betsy's pictures from the week before, I thought we were hitting the peak of the colors. But her pictures blew me away!

    Linda - Thank you for your always-encouraging comments. We're looking seriously at getting trekking poles for our next outing.

    Ruth - Neither of our falls could be classified as "bad," just embarrassing. And perhaps a learning experience. Thanks for the compliments on the photos.

    Thanks, Diane. Doug's camcorder did suffer a dent but nothing that seems to have affected the workings. I don't think mine hit the ground. I had it slung across my body, and it seems to have survived unscathed.

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  9. So sorry to hear about your Falls... I'm sure they were more embarrassing than painful... BUT--it's still NO FUN... I have a fear of falling --but luckily, haven't fallen in a long time (knock on wood).. ha

    Beautiful pictures of the Smokies --but OH--that water level. I've never seen Laurel Falls with so little water... BUT--I've never seen the Little River so low... Our drought here is even worse than there ---but all of East TN is BAD this year... NOT fun at all.

    Never did tell you but I loved your Yellowstone pictures. Makes me want to go back sooner than later.

    My blog post today is about a new to us state park in KY.. I recommend it to you two.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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    1. Betsy - As much hiking as you and George do, you might want to look into trekking poles, too. You can look at some videos on YouTube and also at some reviews on Amazon, to get an idea of their proper use and health benefits. I'm hoping they might put us back on some trails that we're not currently willing to try. We'd never seen Laurel Falls so low, either. I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.

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  10. Beautiful colours and scenery, Linda.

    So sorry to hear about both of you having fallen on the Laurel Falls trail, fortunately nothing serious happened to you. The idea of carrying trekking poles on future hikes seems reasonable to me. The materials trekking poles are made from nowadays are very light and some are even telescopic and don't take up much room when not used. Definitely something to think about!

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  11. Thanks, Petra. I found some trekking poles on Amazon that are relatively inexpensive and have good reviews. I'd buy them in a minute, but I have to give Doug time to warm up to the idea. I can see that they might make hiking easier on our bodies, as well as provide stability on some of the rougher terrain.

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  12. Yeah it's always a bit embarrassing to fall in public, but luckily you didn't get hurt. You also returned home with some amazing fall images.

    Mersad
    Mersad Donko Photography

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