This lodge holds a special place in our hearts; we have stayed here for our anniversary off and on since 2003. Walk up those steps into the lobby and immediately you enter another world - the dark wood-paneled dining room on the right and the big library on the left with a large and diverse collection of books, comfortable leather sofas, game tables with chess and checker sets, and that wonderful smoky fragrance from the fireplace that has held many roaring logs over the decades. This would not be a bad place to be stuck indoors for many days! The big windows let in a spectacular view, and there are several binoculars displayed on the table to watch the birds and squirrels and their constant skirmishes at the feeders. These squirrels are some of the fattest I have seen!
Thursday morning we awoke to one of those lovely mornings we have up here where the clouds have settled in the valley like a blanket, a sea of luminous light, blue sky on the horizon.
I went out onto the deck of the screened porch to do my Tai Chi, and before I had finished the blue sky had vanished, thick clouds rolling in from the direction of the Cherohala Skyway, and it was raining in just a minute or two. We had breakfast and waited and it eventually cleared, so we were able to go hiking as planned. Our first hike was a new one, recommended by Sonya in the dining room (a local Robinsville girl who seemed to know her way around), Yellow Creek Falls. It was a great hike and a nice little waterfall, but the trail was slick from the morning rain and we had to pick our way carefully along.
On the way back we stopped at Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest and hiked the Old Growth Loop, where there are more magnificent trees than any length of trail I know of in the Appalachians, mostly poplar and other hardwoods. It was sad to see the remains of fallen hemlocks, killed by the woolly adelgid, but some of these remaining trees are 400 years old and look like they will be around for a long time.
After dinner we were able to take a third hike, just a short one on the Point Trail to the Sunrise Deck, And yes, we rang the big bell 38 times.
It began raining early on Thursday, so we decided against canoeing in Lake Santeetlah which is usually a part of our stay up here. Instead we had a nice ramble around to Fontana Village, ending up at the lower end of the famous Tail of the Dragon (which we have driven before), in and out of rain all day. And there was more rain on Friday morning as we headed back to the Nantahala Outdoor Center in Wesser to eat lunch on the covered porch and watch raft after raft float down the river.
It was good to return to our home today, though, and we are thankful that we live in such a beautiful part of the world. We have derived a lot of inspiration from visiting this place, from our gardens and whimsical little outdoor art to the amber-shaded Craftsman-style sconces and lights we first saw here. So in a way we have carried that magic back with us and made it part of our lives. Our own little Snowbird Lodge here in Clear Creek.
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