Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Photos: Fontana Lake and the North Carolina mountains in October




What a trip... I covered nearly 500 miles by motorcycle, mostly off road wilderness trails, and 200+ miles up, down and back again on Fontana Lake, NC - in the shadow of the Great Smoky Mountains.

This was one of the longer and more adventurous explorations I'd taken on alone. 5 nights on the boat and 4 days riding some of the most beautiful and remote forest trails I'd ever seen. I got what I came for.

Paraphrasing Thoreau... I choose to live deliberately, to explore the beauty of the wilderness, to create lasting experiences... so, when I die, I won't discover that I had not lived. This past week has made me feel alive and full.

Click on pictures to enlarge.
I'll add more narrative later... for now just a quick explanation of the photos.


From the top...

1) My boat on the shore at sunset glow.

2) Me, ready to travel

3) Mile high trail near the Blue Ridge Parkway.

4) Me on the bike in the mountain forest.

5) Sunset at Clingman's Dome

6) Moonrise at Clingman's Dome

7) Full moon on the lake

8) Boating through the predawn fog

9) Lakeside

10) Cheoah Bald on the AT

I'll be back with more pics and stories from the trip.