Overlook of Looking Glass Rock, Pisgah National Forest, NC

This was just one of the amazing views that we saw as we drove from Looking Glass Rock (which you can see here far off in the background) to Asheville along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The drive is very scenic with beautiful views, lucious green forests, lots of winding roads and tunnels.

Top of White Side Mountain, Nantahala National Forest, NC

Today we did the Original Route on White Side Mountain. It's a pretty scary route. The mountain is 700 feet tall but the route traverses so much that it is approximately 1000 feet of climbing. The routes are very run-out and many spots/pitches don't take much gear if any. The route is rated 5.11a (or 5.10c A1 if you aid through the bolted cruxes) and is known as the place with the "biggest, longest, wildest, run out routes in the south" and it's often referred to as "the land of hard men who seek difficult and dangerous climbing". Of course my head might have been in a different place had I know all this BEFORE climbing it! I'm just glad I didn't have to lead it all. All I had to do is clean the very few pieces of gear on the route as I followed him up and watch I didn't pendulum to my death on some of the scary traverses!

Ocoee River, Polk County, TN

The Ocoee River was famous for hosting the 1996 Summer Olympic whitewater slalom events. The events were conducted on a one-mile course that is fed by the release of water from Ocoee Dam #3. There are three dams on the river controlled by TVA. Depending on the time of year and the water flow, sections of the river may be almost completely dry. eight months a year the river draws many tourists to it for White Water Rafting. It has numerous guiding companies lining both sides of the highway just waiting to take out bus loads of adventure seekers to have some fun down the rapids!