Well, hello up there!

While belaying below and communing with the rock, some moments communing with the rockface above were had too. Is this a common practice for climbers? Spock did say in Star Trek IV to "become one with the rock". Sunshine, blue sky and ancient granite. Wonderful. Just remember to do your job, or someone could get hurt!

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Looking Glass Rock Vibes

Well, a few hours later we'd arrived around the backside of Looking Glass Rock for a hike and for me to belay while some rock climbing was done. Brand new experience for me, and stuff climbing for me... feet on terra firma, please!

I don't know about tree hugging, but being in contact with the rock was good. A mass of 390 million year old granite mountain which would have become a volcano had it not cooled prematurely. A place of connecting with the ground beneath and in front. Understandably popular with rock climbers, then.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Oh I do like to be Beside the Creek

"Oh I do like to be beside the creekside, oh I do like to be beside the creek."  Quiet creek, tree roots, sunshine, rocks. A happy place. Self portrait absolutely required. At Sliding Rock in the Pisgah National Forest.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Sliding Rock, Pisgah National Forest

This is Sliding Rock. Not that anyone was sliding down it when we visited, but on hot sunny days, that's what do. Go sliding down (shorts needed, else too much skin gets left behind... ) and then splosh into the pool beneath the rock. Great fun, I'm sure.Without any sliding, I got a buzz here. It's a peaceful spot (at least when quiet), and worth getting a bit of a zen buzz here.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.

Looking Glass Rock in The Pisgah National Forest

This day was a day for hiking and rock climbing. Destination: Looking Glass Rock - just centre right in this picture. The landscape just continued to blow me away, and I'm so glad I took so many pictures to remember being in such an amazing place. This place looks so vast - and it's only a tiny part of the Pisgah National Forest.

Photos, Words and Memories from 2 trips and 3 months in the USA. Based mainly near Asheville in North Carolina.