Season’s First Hike – Bad Branch Falls

Autumn is our season for hiking.  It is something the four of us can’t get enough of this time of year.  Today, was the first cool day of the season with no humidity.  We decided to celebrate with a hike to Bad Branch Falls.  The falls is a nature preserve in Letcher County, Kentucky and rests on the state’s second highest mountain – Pine Mountain.  The hike is short, but of moderate difficulty.  However, we were able to make it with the girls just fine.  I’ve been making this hike regularly since childhood.

I think I’ll let our pictures do most of the narrating.  Despite the fact that I was battling bad batteries and trying to take pictures quickly, the beauty speaks for itself.

Much of the trail is tunneled in mountain laurel – my favorite flowering plant.

Ivy stops to watch the rushing water coming off the mountain after two days of hard rain.

The water is unbelievably clear and safe to play in, but I’ve always wondered if it is safe to drink.  It’s tempting.

There is magic in these hills.  Without man’s intervention, nature provided the perfect seat for a rest.

The reward!  There was more water than I have ever seen coming off that mountain.  The sky rained every last bit of humidity left from summer over the last two days.

There are hidden spots all over these mountains like this.  The kind that make you stop and be in the moment.  Place yourself within the bigger picture.  Meditate.

Join me on Wednesday for Wordless Wednesday and my best shot of the falls . 🙂