Duke Forest

Here are some pictures that I took from my favorite jogging spot.

I love these yellow butterflies! The best is when they fly alongside of me...like they're keeping me company.

You can't see from the picture but this splinted tree is attached to the trunk next to it...I wonder what happened here?

Floating leaf....this leaf is dangling from a spider web thread.

Love this picture.

I like the contrast of the three different types of bark in this picture.

This is the rock I usually park on to splash water on myself on my 95+ degree jogs!

Here are some pictures from my hike at the Peaks of Otter in VA. It turned out to be a really foggy day with no visibility when we reached the top. The forest was beautiful though with the fog and dew. We were able to find the remains of a 1942 plane crash (B25 - military plane that was doing a low elevation training mission when it went down).

Here is the gang taking a rest.

I thought that the moss on the trees and rocks was pretty.

Some of the wreckage from the crash...there were pieces strewn about over a large expanse.

I love how my new camera captures the details of very close up shots!

Another spider web.

A pretty butterfly...or maybe a moth??...on the forest floor. I almost crushed this little guy!

I really liked the colors of these leaves.

That's me. I know how dad loves these shots of tiny people in the landscape ; )

There were a bunch of boulders at the top that were fun to explore.

A random log.

Again, I love the details! I think the dew on the leaves portrays the serenity of this day.

Here are pictures from my overnight hiking excursion to Mt. LeConte with the Triad Meet Up group. 

Here we go...starting the hike

Rainbow Falls

"Ironman" Troy setting a breakneck pace

At the top

The very underwhelming peak of Mt Leconte...the 3rd highest peak in the Smokeys

V insisted on taking a picture of me with beef jerky in my mouth

Me, Troy, Jim, V and George

$128 dollars a person per night for a lodge at the top of Mt. LeConte

Day two, 2nd waterfall...feeling very sore and tired