Mark's Photo Travels

ipt> It's a rare summer day when the temperatures are mild and the humidity is low, but that was the case Wednesday of this week, just one week past the summer solstice. I've been interested in a trip out to Bear Creek Lake to explore some of the local waterfalls for some time, and the nice weather and my availability coincided at just the right time to make this trip possible. Bear Creek Lake is the largest (and the second constructed) of four reservoirs known as the East Fork Lakes in Jackson County, North Carolina located near highway NC 181, the other three are Cedar Cliff Lake , Wolf Creek Lake , and Tanasee Creek Lake . Cedar Cliff Lake is upstream from Bear Creek Lake, and both are along the Tuckasegee River. Wolf Creek Lake and Tanasee Creek Lake both feed creeks that empty into the Tuckasegee River. All four reservoirs were built in the East Fork area of the Tuckasegee River in the early 1950s by Nantahala Power Company , then a subsidiary of Alcoa, to produ...

I've been on three outings this week. The first was a walk on the Swamp Rabbit Trail , the second was my third visit of the year to Dupont State Forest . My third and last outing of the week is a paddle out to Laurel Fork Falls on the Toxaway River arm of Lake Jocassee . There are two options for reaching this waterfall. The first is an 8 mile hike on the Foothills Trail. The second is a 6 mile trip over water. I went with the second option, going in my kayak. I got off to a relatively early start (for a night owl like me, anyway), but I got delayed by road construction. I went through the gate, stopping to pay my fee at the payment box. I stopped at the ramp where I dropped off my gear, then parked up the hill. An orange van was the only other automobile in the parking lot. I took this photo before I dropped off my gear: I went back down the ramp, applied my sunscreen, got my kayak ready, snapped together my paddle, stored my dry bags, took off my sandals and stored t...