girl sitting on rock overlooking blue ridge mountain landscape

The Wandering Appalachian

Adventures in the Appalachian Mountains

Home: Welcome

Rain also scares away the Bluetooth speakers and littering losers, so there are positives all around 🍃

Such an incredible life, and still gone too soon.

On the way up the mountain to this trailhead, I saw rebellious splotches of red here and there in the foliage. Goldenrod is making its debut. The air has that permanent-feeling stickiness.

Nature has spoken, so there’s no denying it… summer won’t last forever. So let’s enjoy it ☀️

Same waterfall, two very different seasons. I love revisiting trails in different seasons to experience the way they change 🍃

There are few things more beautiful to me than a mountain range ⛰️🩵

*tries really really hard not to make a fun guy joke*

The woods are full of pretty mushrooms right now! The old man of the woods was an especially fun find. What shrooms are y’all seeing out there?

Waterfalls and 90s bops have been the vibe lately 🎶

Even if it’s low flow, I’m still going with it 🌀

We have over a month left of summer and at least that (and longer in lower elevations) before the leaves change. I’m gonna soak this up while I still can 🍃🥾

There’s a longer and more nuanced conversation to be had about this, but nuance is lost in social media lol.

Some places can handle more people than others, people (who respect nature) deserve to be in it if they want to be, and I firmly believe that the most magical spots are the ones you find offline (or at least beyond social media.)

Anywho have a lovely day you silly, nature loving folks ☀️

Summer is my favorite season for clouds ⛅️

I’m also a giant sucker for a good post-rain cloud inversion. They’re so COOL.

In case you didn’t know, Eastern Hemlocks are dying in Appalachia.

If you’re a frequent hiker in Southern Appalachia, you’ve likely come across “grey ghosts”—the standing dead hemlocks that remain in the forest. They remind me of skeletons.

Eastern hemlocks are a vital evergreen in eastern forests. They can live for over 500 years and grow to be 170 feet tall. They provide shade, food, and shelter to forest critters and plant populations. But, there are factors threatening hemlock populations, including the hemlock woolly adelgid.

The adelgid looks like white puff balls surrounding the foliage of hemlocks. These aphid-like parasites latch on to the base of tree needles and feed from the hemlock’s starch reserves, slowly starving it over time.

There are some cool organizations out there like the @hemlock_restoration_initiative who are trying to restore eastern hemlocks! I admire their work and encourage you to check them out.

As for this specific hemlock, I didn’t inspect every branch (though I would if I could have, believe me), so it may not be as healthy as I thought. My guess is that this lovely lady is still okay because she’s somewhat separated from the forest, so perhaps that’s why the adelgid hasn’t reached her yet.

#wanderingappalachian

Sleep can wait, the sunrise won’t 🌄

#wanderingappalachian

“I love you like the mountains
loves the way the morning opens
to a soft a bright
greeting from the sun”

People who wake up before the sun to watch it rise are my kind of people ❤️

#wanderingappalachian

My favorite places that I’ve ever been are the ones where my feet have carried me 👣

#wanderingappalachian

And no, not rich like the people who have a summer house here and fly south for the winter. I ain’t about that life.

This country has endless beauty, and I love it here. Happy Fourth of July, y’all 🇺🇸

Views like these shouldn’t be limited by something as dumb as a screen 🌄

The woods look like a garden right now. Go out and enjoy the splendors of the earth 🌻 and for God’s sake, don’t pick the flowers, that’s Neanderthal behavior.

#wanderingappalachian

Hiking in the Tennessee River Gorge is, dare I say, gorge-eous ⛰️

And, Chattanooga is just a cool city in general. It has an undercurrent of alt that I haven’t experienced before but absolutely loved. So, in honor of that, here are some amazing views paired with the sludgy metal I usually listen to on the way to a trailhead 🤘🏻

#wanderingappalachian

Honorable mention, people who drive in your blind spot on the highway. Like bro WHY are you doing that 🙃😭

Man, just wait until they find the ones you have to hike to (jk they already have)

#wanderingappalachian

A list of things I love that I saw on this weekend…

•big rocks
•green, lots of green
•flowers!!
•cliffs
•and snails :)

#wanderingappalachian

Flame azalea season may just be my favorite of them all 🧡 (idk though, I’m sure I’ve said that about every wildflower I’ve ever seen 😂)

#wanderingappalachian

Embracing the chill in the air while watching the foliage march up the mountain sides ✨

#wanderingappalachian

Jk I would never call y’all losers 💚

#wanderingappalachian

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The Wandering Appalachian

Adventures in the Appalachian Mountains

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