Melanie and the kids had run to see her Mom, so that left Cassius and I as bachelors for Friday night . . . let the party begin. Okay, it wasn't a party but Cash was excited about getting to go for a ride in the truck. Anyway, I got a wild hair Friday afternoon and decided to throw the tent in the back of the truck and run over to Lost Valley for the night and camp so I could be up early on Saturday morning to hike into Hawksbill Crag for some sunrise pics.
You notice I said the dog WAS excited about riding in the truck, but I think he quickly got over the excitement of the ride when he realized he might be sleeping outside for the night. I'm not saying he's spoiled, but he's definitely accustomed to a queen sized bed and central heat/air. It was pretty pitiful, since we he spent the remainder of the night looking as if he'd been violated.
I can't say Cash was the only one spoiled, because the heat and humidity made for a long night but we survived. We packed up and headed to Hawksbill Crag before daylight on Saturday morning. The fog was so dense I had to wait for a while to get any pics. Although the lighting wasn't ideal for the shots, I managed to get a few pics and really enjoyed the hike. The round trip hike totaled about 5K and again, Cassius looked as if he'd been duped. As Melanie put it later, I think he was done with me.
After finishing the hike, it was about 8:30 a.m. and I decided to run over to Ben Hur and try to get some shots of Falling Water Falls and Six-Finger Falls. We'd tried to get some pics there over Memorial Day, but Falling Waters is a popular swimmin' hole and there were too many folks to get good pictures. I was thinking if I got there early enough I might be able to pull it off this time. Turns out you gotta get up real early in the mornin' to beat the locals to the swimmin' hole. I was able to get a few pics and made a few "friends", but I think I'll wait for cooler weather to try it again.
After leaving Falling Waters, I ran down to Six-Finger Falls and had a chance to spend a little time. It was beautiful and I got a few good pics. This is a beautiful area and you could spend the entire day taking pictures in the area. This one will definitely be on the list to revisit in the fall.
I'm not a lepidopterist (look it up), but the was a severe outbreak while we were there and you really had to watch your step . . . it was kinda neat.
As I headed back home, I decided to run by Haw Creek Falls since we'd had some pretty good rain, lately. When I arrived, the campground was closed and I decided not to hike in so we just headed home.
It was a good Saturday trip and I look forward to making it again as the leaves begin to change. I'm not sure Cassius feels the same . . .
Early morning at Hawksbill Crag.
The fog lifting in the valley at Hawksbill Crag.
Underneath the falls at Falling Waters.
Six-Finger Falls near Ben Hur.
Another shot of Six-Finger Falls.
A lepidopterist studies butterflies.
They were beautiful and they were everywhere.
