CAMPINGCAMPINGCAMPINGCAMPING

A week or so ago my dearest roommate from sophomore year Olivia trekked out to the mountains and we went to a place very near and dear to my heart. I grew up coming to Huntfish Falls, a little swimming hole on Wilson Creek in the Linville Gorge area, and remember a time when i swore the 10-foot bolder by the lowest falls was a cliff and the 8/10ths of a mile hike in felt like forever.

Now that I'm older, I've discovered that the jump is smaller, the water colder, and it's actually the straight up-hill hike OUT that's forever.

I also appreciated the spot in a new way this time, as in the numerous times I visited as a child were always daytrips, and this was my first over-night there. As Liv and I sat on the rocks by the falls and tried to distinguish the fireflies from shooting stars and contemplated all the big things one tends to contemplate when faced with an endless vault of sky and the constant flow of thousands of gallons of water, I realized that all the things my mom has always said about the mountains being God's country were so true.

We didn't even see any snakes or naked men this time! It was a quality trip.