Tag: hiking

Water and Stone, Witness and Remembrance

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Yesterday was an interesting day. Grady and I went to the mountains of North Carolina for the day. Our first objective was to get apples from Granddad’s Apples. My personal objective was to visit as many waterfalls as we could fit into the day that did not require a strenuous or long walk. We went to Looking Glass Falls on Highway 276 and Connestee Falls.

A serene view of Looking Glass Falls surrounded by lush greenery in North Carolina.
A scenic view of a waterfall cascading down the rocky terrain, surrounded by lush greenery in the North Carolina mountains. (Connestee Falls)

We also made a stop by St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church in Flat Rock. I spent about an hour walking through the cemetery (while Grady took a nap).

St. John in the Wilderness Episcopal Church surrounded by lush trees in Flat Rock, NC.

Stone is so permanent. The rocks along the falls and creeks have been there for millennia. These mountains will be here for even more millennia. Stone is lasting. In the cemetery, the stones have stood for almost two centuries, granite and marble monuments keeping those buried there in a kind of immortality. Yet, I was jolted when I found a plot with simple concrete crosses and field stones used as markers. Those interred under those markers were “known only to God.” They were the slaves and freedmen and their families who were members of the congregation. I am still sorting out what that means. How many people have been forgotten? Who will tell their stories?

Water is one of the essentials of life. While at St. John in the Wilderness, I went into the sanctuary. The baptismal font is in the middle of the central aisle and filled with water. I dipped my fingers into that holy water and made the sign of the cross on my forehead, remembering my own baptism (or rather remembering that I was baptized as an infant). I stood there in silence.

The waterfalls, the creek bank, the cemetery, and the sanctuary–these are holy places. There are stories to be told in each place, places of remembrance, and ultimately grace.

I Fell Off the Wagon

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Well, so much for the April 30-day A to Z challenge. The weekend was busy: Holy Week services at church, preparation for the Easter Sunrise worship, and a family dinner kept me busy, and blogging was not a high priority. I’m not even going to try to play catch-up. I’ll just do the best I can.

Today is Earth Day. I went for a walk this morning in a local state park. It was warm and humid. A friend called the humidity we had this morning “air you can wear.” I think some storms are coming in the forecast. I haven’t been in the park since Hurricane Helene blew through last September. The park had closed for several weeks while crews cleaned up the debris and cleared the roads around the campgrounds. There were lots of downed trees along the side of the road through the park.

My walk was a mile and three-quarters and took just about an hour. I make 59 images. And, no, I did not stop every minute to take a picture, even though the number of images and the time suggest that I took a photo a minute. The turtles were out sunning themselves on the fallen logs in the shallow waters, and there were yellow irises blooming at the water’s edge in several places around the loop. There were also lots of folks biking, walking, and fishing. It’s a busy place! And it’s a place of beauty and peace.

The Kinship Photography Collective is beginning a year-long exploration of the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water, beginning with the element air. It was still this morning, although there were some ripples on the water. There is an openness over the lake, space to gaze, and space to breathe. Sunlight created trails on the water for the eye to follow. It is likely to be the “calm before the storm.”

This Earth Day, which follows Easter Sunday, I am reminded of the Resurrection and new life. Last September, a storm blew through to damage the island, but this spring, it has come to life. I have never seen the irises before, but I’m sure they must have been there. The turtles are out. Birds hopped away; squirrels ran off and scurried up the trees. There was plenty of life in the park this morning. It is renewing itself daily.