Camping at Panther Falls

I grew up in western North Carolina, in a small town nestled way up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I grew up taking field trips to see giant waterfalls, exploring apple orchards, hiking sections of the Appalachian Trail, and occasionally went camping with family in the summer. For me these activities were nothing special, just a perk to living on that end of the state. Naturally, we always escaped to the coast for our summer vacations. It wasn't until I went to college, and met people from other parts of the country, that I truly grew to appreciate the landscape surrounding my upbringing. 

Over the Easter holiday weekend, several friends and I set out after church for an overnight camping trip. I chose to drive separately since I had Easter lunch plans with friends from church. The choice to drive alone proved to be a mistake on my part.  What was supposed to be an hour drive across the mountain to the campsite, turned into 3 hours of off-road wandering in my car. Thank you Jesus for 4-wheel drive! I eventually made it to the campsite, but it was quite the adventure just getting there. 

We had a great time that evening huddled around the campfire, cooking our dinner, and experimenting with different s'mores toppings. (Side Note: Bacon on s'mores is the perfect mix of salty and sweet. You're welcome.)

Most of us slept in hammocks that night and other than my feet, managed to stay warm even though the temperature dropped below 40 degrees. That next morning we made eggs and bacon for breakfast and finished off the last of the s'mores. Once the sun was out and it warmed up a bit, we trekked over to falls and few brave individuals jumped in the chilly water. Most of us just laid around and soaked up the sun on the rocks. 

We had no cell phone reception and were basically cut off from the outside world for 24 hrs. It was a glorious change of pace and a much needed time of relaxation. Once the campsite was packed up, we loaded up and headed down the mountain into town. We found an excellent BBQ restaurant and ended our adventure with pulled pork and sweet tea, the food of southern champions!