Back to the Creek! And now it's just 21 of 26!

When I was first made Scoutmaster in 1995, I picked the brain (what there was of it) of my good practice partner Mark Zimmerman for ideas for camping trips.  Being an avid backpacker, he gave me lots, one of his favorites being the Wilson Creek area, a beautiful mountainous area north of Morganton, North Carolina blessed with lush forests, 50-70-foot waterfalls, trout streams and hiking trails.  It has become one of my favorites places also.

The first day I backpacked in the area, I was amazed by the 30-foot rhododendrons, the ferns and the water features.  However, that night, I became aware of their cause.  It rained hard!  And continued to do so every evening of the three-night trip!

No wonder the place is known as The Bladder of North Carolina.  Having been there lots of times since then with my Scouts and my sons, the score is now 21 rainy nights out of the 26 nights spent there.  (I was surprised and  heartily disappointed on the last two outings by beautiful clear evenings.)

One of the attractions of the area is swimming in the clear, cold water of the streams feeding in to Wilson Creek itself.  There are delightful areas to slide down moss-covered slants,

or jump off rocks into deep pools.

The camping spots are sometimes just-plain ideal,

and in other places, a bit cramped.

I will admit that I may hike a bit slower at 65 than when I started this Scoutmaster thing, but I still enjoy the outings with the young men and their dads and other so-called 'adults.'

We hope that you find good places in the outdoors, though perhaps with a bit less rain.
Dave