Mountain Trail - Wanderings

wanderings
(places)

wonders
(perspectives)

wonderings
(thoughts)

wanderer
(about me)

companions
(family & friends)

wanderings

The road goes ever on and on
  Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
  And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
  Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
  And whither then? I cannot say.
                    - J.R.R. Tolkein

When we moved to New Jersey, I was amazed to meet a number of people who had lived, hobbit-like, in the same county all their lives. They had enjoyed the benefit of close families and life-long friends, but I still felt a little sorry for them because, like Bilbo and Frodo, I have enjoyed broader horizons. I have lived in Wisconsin, Texas, Tennessee, Washington, New Jersey, and North Carolina, and I have visited all but seven of the United States.

My foreign travel has so far been limited to Mexico, Thailand, the Bahamas, and Ireland, but I hope to see much more of the world before I die.

I'm not a long-distance hiker, but I've made short hikes in Ireland, Thailand, Eleuthera (Bahamas), as well as many states, including Texas, Colorado, Washington, New Jersey, and North Carolina. I enjoy photographing the beauty of nature on my hikes, and some of my pictures are on the following pages.

	Fall Creek Falls State Park, in Tennessee, was one of my favorite places to visit when I was in high school and college. In 2007 I had an opportunity to see it again, this time with my new digital SLR.
	Linville Gorge Wilderness, in the Pisgah National Forest of North Carolina is one of my two favorite areas to hike.
	The Harper Creek area, also in the Pisgah National Forest, is my other favorite hiking area.
	Horsepasture River and Whitewater Falls - a few waterfall pictures taken on a hiking trip in western North Carolina in November, 2003.
	Government Canyon - pictures taken on a hike with the San Antonio Hiking & Outdoors Meetup Group in Government Canyon State Natural Area, near San Antonio, Texas in June, 2007.
	More hike photos - pictures taken on other hikes.
	More nature photos - miscellaneous pictures of natural beauty in the neighborhood and elsewhere.

Other Sites

NC Waterfalls is the definitive site on waterfalls in North Carolina. It's a beautiful site, filled with gorgeous photographs and detailed descriptions of dozens of waterfalls in North Carolina and many more in Tennessee and South Carolina.

Here are links to the web sites of state parks where I've enjoyed hiking:
Crowder's Mountain State Park - North Carolina
South Mountains State Park - North Carolina
Fall Creek Falls State Park - Tennessee