TheBanyanTree: Hanging Rock

[Sachet]

Saturday's agenda was hiking to Hanging Rock.

http://eshare.hpphoto.com/start.asp?JobID=41d79f4f-04dc-4b60-a9fd-467dad5c666f


It was in the 30's in the mountains, as the afternoon wore on and the 
sun started to set. We were dressed for it and in fact got hot for 
awhile because the trail ascends so steeply in places. Therefore, it 
felt good to sit at the top and enjoy the breeze. But as the sun sunk 
lower in the sky, the breeze turned into a frigid wind and we were glad 
to have our hats and gloves.

Jim finally stopped fussing at me to stay away from the edges so I could 
sit like I wanted.  I desensitized him bit by bit, as I inched closer. 
<g> It helped this time that there was a young couple walking around, 
climbing down and then coming back up, and staying all in one piece. I 
was even able to climb a bit, which was a rewarding accomplishment since 
my wrist surgery in July.

It was a wonderfully clear day and we could see all the way to 
Winston-Salem. There are still leaves on many of the trees, so the 
colors were beautiful. My favorite part of the mountains near us are 
always the cliffs and how the sun & shadows highlight them. As we hiked 
down from Hanging Rock and stood at the base, the sun made it look 
golden in color, when in reality it's gray. It's pure magic to me, all 
the colors, striations and silent ageless power of the granite and quartz.

It's a paradox for me....I feel both excited and at peace as I sit on 
the edge and gaze out over the vast expanses of mountains and valleys. 
Life instantly falls into perspective there, like no where else.

...Sachet