Destination photos on Flickr

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"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”

~ Mark Twain

Otter Falls by Michael Kight

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For me, a hike without a destination to set my tripod down is just a walk. Among my favorite destinations in the mountains of North Carolina are waterfalls, all of which I’ve explored serving as my own pack mule lugging – er, I mean hiking – a backpack full of camera gear to location. I do this so that I can hike back with an image or two worth keeping… madness, but I do recommend it! I’ve tried to get Joyce to do the pack mule thing, to no avail. So, I changed the job description to the much more accommodating and benevolent Sherpa. Joyce says, “Thanks, but no thanks.” I say, “Those cancel out.” She ends it, “You get the point.” And I do. The ones and zeros of a digital image are absolutely weightless… the equipment used to capture them, however, not so much. Understanding that full well, one realizes that the life of a Sherpa builds character, a sense of accomplishment, and muscles. It’s all about knowing that the only one standing in your way is yourself… and occasionally a mountain, and sweat, and aches, and pains. Did I mention character?

We stayed in a nice house last week in Seven Devils, while Joyce attended the Grandfather Mountain Highland Games, where she is the convener for the House of Boyd, essentially a Scottish clan. After getting her set up on the grounds and hanging around for the ‘gathering of the clans’, I’ve had my fill of men in kilts for the duration and favor getting lost in the mountains with my camera. Folks there ask, “But aren’t you Scottish?”, to which I reply, “No, Bohemian…” Pointing to my blue jeans, “… and this is the tartan of my people.” All I can say is, that while I’m staying in Seven Devils, it’s known as Eight Devils.

Seven Devils is an attractive highland community, well-groomed and with lots of deer to gobble up the groomings. The name of the town supposedly comes from a native perspective on the area: the winter winds here sound like seven devils screaming in the night. Devils figure quite prominently in Cherokee lore. While driving to and from the house from Highway 105, we took note of the Otter Falls trail with a small parking lot. With the house ensconced in fog on the morning of day two, I decided it was a good time to visit Otter Falls. Getting down to the park, I found myself driving out from under the cloud that was hanging around the elevation of the house. No more fog, which would have been nice, but the overreaching cloud would work out just fine… and it did! It’s a steep hike down to the falls, though not very far at a little over a half mile, further with connecting loop trails… kudos to Seven Devils for maintaining such a great trail system to this little jewel. While not quite awe inspiring as the many more powerful falls in these mountains, the intimacy and seclusion here among the verdant moss-covered rocks make it stand out. It was worth the trip, though this image must have been a bit heavier than ones and zeros, as the gear took a bit more umph on the precipitous climb back up. Must be a hexadecimal (base 16) image... that sounds heavy. Character. Don’t forget character and just keep climbing.

Destination - April 2022 by Jeromey Bell

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West 14th Street, Downtown Kansas City Missouri

Top Peru Destinations by Inca Trail Machu Picchu

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