WALKS

I have had some interesting and greatly varied walks in the last week. Last Wednesday afternoon, as the three previous days, I enjoyed a walk on a warm and sunny, but breezy Florida beach. I returned home to Georgia late that evening.

Thursday through Sunday I was a spiritual director on a women's Walk to Emmaus. This 72-hour retreat is not a literal walk, but it is based on the journey of two disciples on the road to Emmaus after the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The 60 team members were dedicated to serve 20 “pilgrims” and show them the love of God through sacrificial acts, helping them to draw closer in their relationship with God. www.upperroom.org/emmaus/whatis

Cissy and I left home on a sunny Monday afternoon to have an overnight trip to celebrate our fifth wedding anniversary. By late afternoon we had checked into our room at Lake Junaluska near Waynesville, North Carolina. As we walked around the lake we occasionally noticed a few white flakes blow past us. By the time we completed our walk the flakes became more frequent and we realized it was snow. http://www.lakejunaluska.com/

Tuesday morning the snow flurries continued for several hours as the temperature dropped to 30 degrees. We followed our plan to drive to “Max Patch”, an often photographed scenic spot on the Appalachian Trail that can be reached by car on a gravel road after the pavement ends. By the time we reached the gravel road the road was completely covered by a white layer of snow. www.romanticasheville.com/hot_springs_hikes.htm

Once we hit a slippery spot and all four wheels drifted uncontrollably and dangerously close to the side of the road that had a sharp drop off. We decided we would have to continue to enjoy the magazine photos of Max Patch, and save our trip to the summit for some other day. When I could find a safe place to negotiate a turn, we headed back down the mountain.

We returned to Waynesville, and the snow stopped falling. We set off on a winding country road to reach the Blue Ridge Parkway. Unfortunately, the Parkway was closed so we continued on toward Brevard.

We made a delightful 90 minute stop at the Cradle of Forestry in America National Forest Historic Site. First we toured the Forest Discovery Center with an exhibit hall featuring fascinating displays, including a ride in fire fighting helicopter simulator. Then we followed a trail through the woods that showed the log cabins which were the campus for America’s first school of forestry. http://www.cradleofforestry.com/

We continued toward Brevard with stops at Sliding Rock and Looking Glass Falls. From Brevard we headed to Highlands and on down the road back home.