Frank “Chief” Bell, Sr. was the founder of Camp Mondamin in Tuexedo, NC, one of the very first summer camps in Western North Carolina. Still managed by the Bell family, the camp is entering its 100th anniversary year in 2021. Not only did Camp Mondamin help four generations of children find their place in the natural world, it opened the way for the numerous summer camps in the region that connect kids with nature, strengthen our local economies, and keep land in a natural state.

Frank Bell was an intrepid adventurer who is the first person known to have paddled the famous Green River Narrows. He is remembered to this day by whitewater paddlers who go over “Frank Bell’s Rapid” on the French Broad River. This is where Bell and some campers braved the raging water and, in the process, destroyed their canoe.

The Bells founded Camp Mondamin for boys in 1921 and Camp Green Cove for girls in 1945. Over the years, they also led campers on far-flung adventures, including a canoe trip from Western North Carolina to the Mississippi.

Conserving Carolina is so close to opening a new county park in southern Henderson County. Named in honor of summer camp pioneers Frank and Calla Bell, the new park comprises approximately 70 acres with beautiful waterfalls and rock outcrops. Just as the Bells introduced generations of children to the wonders of nature, this new park creates a place for us all to connect with the natural world.

Read full story…

Announcing Waterfall Keepers of North Carolina, the only organization dedicated to the state’s resplendent falling water.

Waterfalls are among the few natural wonders that excite all five of our senses at once. We feel the spray against our skin. We hear the calming sound of the falling water. We smell and taste the moisture in the air. And, of course, we see the sublime beauty. Waterfalls give us so much.

Let’s pick up the trash, clear the trails, and protect the plants and animals that live in the waterfall environment. Let’s help make everyone’s visit safe and rewarding. Let’s get the kids involved. Let’s use the healing power of waterfalls to help people who are down.

WKNC has created the perfect way for waterfall lovers to make a difference. Become a Keeper. Keepers pledge to visit “their” waterfall four times a year to pick up trash and report on trail conditions when they visit.

The first annual Waterfall Sweep of North Carolina will be on March 20, 2021. Volunteers will visit waterfalls across the state to clean up litter and perform minor trail maintenance.

Learn more here…

When President Richard Nixon ‘s signature on the Clean Air Act of 1970 prompted North Carolina to create its Division of Air Quality, air quality was bad in Western North Carolina.

“Back in the ‘80s or the ‘90s, once summer hit your mountains would disappear,” recalled Jim Renfro, longtime air quality specialist for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. “You’re outside in the valley looking up, and you couldn’t see the mountains through the haze.”

In one of the true environmental success stories of the past century, the situation has improved dramatically since then — and as 2020 fades into 2021, it’s expected to keep getting better.

“Without a doubt we are seeing the lowest ambient air pollution levels that have been recorded since the inception of our program,” said N.C. Division of Air Quality Director Mike Abraczinskas. “That’s wonderful news, testament to all of our good work, advancements in technology, regulatory and non-regulatory measures. North Carolinians are definitely breathing the cleanest air that they have anytime during their lifetimes.”

Data from the early days of the pandemic — March and April — show reductions of about 30 to 50 percent in vehicle miles driven as compared to 2019 figures. For the six-month period ending Sept. 30, 2020 traffic counts at the DAQ’s roadside site in the Research Triangle Park, one of the busiest stretches of road in North Carolina, were down an average of 26.8 percent compared to the same period in 2019, Abraczinskas said.

It appears that this drastic reduction in time on the road is leading to a noticeable improvement in air quality.

Read full story…

Every year in early November I like to visit the Hickory Nut Gorge. It is on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide, and so a good thousand feet lower than most of the valleys in Western North Carolina. As such, the area is one of the last to experience glorious fall colors. You can count on the peak being somewhere between the 1st and the 14th.

I made two trips this year (2020), the first on November 4th and the second on November 9th. Everything was vibrant and pretty on the 4th, but there was still a lot of green left. So I gave it a few more days, and was rewarded with quite a change in appearance. It’s quite amazing how quickly things change.

Visiting many features as I normally do, you will see from the galleries below that I had stops at Morse Park, the beach at the Inn and Spa, The Flowering Bridge, Hickory Nut Falls, the Rocky Broad River, and the Rumbling Bald Trail Access. These photos are limited to the southern portion of the gorge.

I’ve divided the pictures into two galleries, on each of the days I visited, so be sure to peruse each one. Thanks for stopping by. Hope you enjoy!

November 4, 2020

November 9, 2020

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

Outdoors enthusiasts from across the Charlotte, NC region are the target market of a 606-acre nature park underway on the northern tip of Lake Norman.

Mountain Creek Park in Sherrills Ford will feature 19 miles of hiking and mountain bike trails when it opens next summer or early fall, along with kayaking and paddleboarding, picnic areas and a fishing pier.

The $8.5 million Catawba County park, on Little Mountain Road off N.C. 150, also will include dog parks, playgrounds, pickleball courts and a park office-educational center. The park is 40 miles from uptown Charlotte.

For more than a decade, Catawba County officials have envisioned the public park as a regional draw offering the types of outdoor recreation found in North Carolina state parks.

Much of the trail network will accommodate hikers, runners and bird watchers, officials said. Seven smaller segments will be for mountain biking only. A 1.2-acre mountain bike park will include a pump track and kids’ track.

Cite…

The first day of October I took a trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway to the high country north of Asheville, NC. The mountains here exceed 6,000 feet and the views seemingly go forever. It’s a captivating drive up, with plenty of pullouts so you can ooh and aah at the scenery. I tried to time my climb to catch some of the golden hour not long after dawn.

My first stop was the Craggy Pinnacle Trail at the Craggy Gardens section of the Parkway. It was a cloudless day, highly unusual in this area, particularly early morning. While the weather was top notch, clouds, of course, help with contrast and shadow for photography, so the conditions were challenging. Still, it was a delightful day to be out and about.

Next up was the 9 mile trip further north to Mt. Mitchell State Park. Not many visitors this day, as there were only about half a dozen of us at the summit. The cloudless sky continued as the views above 6,600 feet were instead hazy. A very little bit of fall color was beginning to show in the state park; still a ways to go.

Last stop was back at Craggy Gardens and the trail to Craggy Flats. I must admit to disappointment at the condition of the area. It’s obvious the pandemic has affected trail and viewshed maintenance here. There’s definitely an opportunity to volunteer at Craggy Flats. Contact the Blue Ridge Parkway Headquarters to see how you can help.

Speaking of the pandemic, I wanted to comment that I was pleasantly surprised at the number of folks wearing masks. I would say three quarters of those I encountered were masked up, even on the hiking trails. Good job! What’s up with the rest of you?

Here are a few photos from my day in the north high country.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

The Triangle Land Conservancy‘s newest nature preserve, the Bailey and Sarah Williamson Preserve, is now open.

The 405-acre property, at 4409 Mial Plantation Rd., Raleigh, offers nine miles of walking and biking trails that connect to the Neuse River Greenway. It’s the eighth nature preserve for the Triangle Land Conservancy, a nonprofit that works to conserve land in North Carolina’s Triangle region.

The Williamson Preserve is the first of the nonprofit’s nature preserves to include working farms on the site. Project Pando is a volunteer-driven farm that grows native trees that will be given to the public for free. The nonprofit also is working with N.C. State’s Center for Environmental Farming Systems to bring other farmers to the preserve. The goal is to give visitors a place to walk or bike and then buy fresh produce.

At the preserve, signage shares the history of the farm, which was owned by the Williamson family for more than 225 years, along with information about the Tuscarora tribe, plantation cotton and tobacco farming, Black rural land ownership and land conservation.

When you’re there, the nonprofit asks that you maintain a social distance from others and avoid overcrowding the parking lot.

Those of you who have known me for awhile are aware that, since retirement, I have been what the National Park Service calls a VIP. Sounds pretentious, but really all it means is Volunteer in Parks. I help out at two, the Blue Ridge Parkway and Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

Up on the Parkway I pick up litter, clean out storm drains, and do general tidying at one of the high country overlooks. During the green season I go about every 2-3 weeks. It was time. I made a plan to combine it with a Blue Ridge sunrise. So I got up early and made the drive to the Parkway in the dark.

I was rewarded with a cloudy day, conducive to colors painted on the clouds by the rising sun. The downside, though, is that once the sun does rise above the horizon, it then goes behind those clouds. The event is short lived. Frankly, the pre-sunrise was the show on this morning; Wednesday, September 23, 2020.

Once there was enough daylight I did the trash pickup and other chores, then moved further west on the Parkway, seeking photo opportunities along the way. I always carry a camera when I go to the high country. You never know what you might see.

The following is what I saw.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.

Most people would agree: River otters are adorable. But beyond their playfulness, the otters have an important role in determining the health of a river system.

At N.C. State University, scientists this year released studies on river otters that they plan to use as baselines for future research. The first study examined the toxicological effects that metals, such as mercury, cadmium, arsenic and lead, are having on the otters.

North Carolina’s river otter populations are relatively healthy compared with populations in other areas of the United States and Canada, said Chris DePerno, a professor in N.C. State’s Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology program.

But the findings in otters don’t mean the state’s lakes, rivers and streams are pristine. North Carolina has a statewide advisory warning for consuming fish that contain mercury, as well as warnings for many water bodies with fish containing high levels of mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), hexavalent chromium, dioxins and arsenic.

River otters are fierce predators that eat many creatures further down the food chain. That means heavy metals bioaccumulate and biomagnify in them. In other words, the more fish the otters eat, the more heavy metals build up in their systems.

Read full story…

Mount Parnassus is a mountain of limestone in central Greece that towers above Delphi, north of the Gulf of Corinth, and offers scenic views of the surrounding olive groves and countryside. Mount Parnassus is named after Parnassos, the son of the nymph Kleodora and the man Kleopompus.

According to Greek mythology, this mountain was sacred to Dionysus and the Dionysian mysteries; it was also sacred to Apollo and the Corycian nymphs, and it was the home of the Muses. The mountain was also favored by the Dorians. As the home of the Muses, Parnassus became known as the home of poetry, music, and learning.

It is suggested that the name derives from parnassus, the possessive adjective of the Luwian word parna meaning house, or specifically temple. So the name effectively means the mountain of the house of the gods.

So that would make Grass of Parnassus the lawn at the house of the mythological gods. Imagine walking barefoot through acres of these stunning white and green wildflowers.

Regardless of whether any of this is true or just myth, it’s fun to consider. What is true is that the significant biodiversity, both in flora and in fauna, led authorities to the establishment of the National Park of Parnassus in 1938. The slopes of Mount Parnassus are composed of two ski sections, Kellaria and Fterolakka, which together make up the largest ski center in Greece.

Grass of Parnassus, also known as bog stars, occur in arctic and alpine habitats, as well as in dune systems and fens, swamps, wet meadows, open seepage areas, and moist woods. In the Southern Appalachians they tend to be found in the high country, above at least 5,000 feet.

I’ve encountered these rare late summer blooms a couple of places: high on Mt. LeConte in the Smokies, and along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The North Carolina variety is Parnassia caroliniana, and is considered imperiled. Therefore I’m somewhat coy about exact locations. Poachers and all. If you study my photos below you can get some hints.

Feel free to leave your comments below the gallery.

This post was created by Jeff Clark. Please feel free to use the sharing icons below, or add your thoughts to the comments. Pack it in, pack it out. Preserve the past. Respect other hikers. Let nature prevail. Leave no trace.