Badger asked Rock Sprite what she wanted for Valentine’s Day 2025 and predictably she opted for an outdoor adventure. Since one of our highways in WNC has finally reopened, we set our sights on a landscape scar we had previously seen from a previously closed road adjacent to the Linville Gorge.
We like these adventures because we have an affinity for hiking where natural forces have altered the terrain in a rugged way. We got what we bargained for and then some. One of our hopes for the trip was a waterfall or two that we had tried to access pre-Helene, but the tiny creek was choked primarily with rhododendron which made that creekwack three years ago unpalatable. Helene cleared that problem up in a huge way.
We DID find a previously undocumented waterfall on a tributary we chose for the hike. Getting there wasn’t easy but without Helene’s intervention, we wouldn’t have known a waterfall was up there because the creek does not exist on the USGS topo maps.
We love adventure and this one made for a terrific if unconventional Valentine’s Weekend date.
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- Badger & Rock Sprite
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- Rock Sprite Kitty hikes
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- Honey Badger hikes
Thomas Mabry – Honey Badger Images
Many of the HoneyBadgerImages are on display at instagram.com/honeybadgerimages.
Thank you Knox TN Today for publishing this article. And thank you Thomas Mabry and Kitty Myers for another incredible journey. Even though the the storm greatly impacted so many lives in a negative way, Thomas and Kitty were able to find healing on these scars. A new waterfall, Helene Rocks Falls, and a new creek bed that could have new trails leading to it for generations to come.
Thomas tells these adventures and makes you feel as if you are right there with him.
Outstanding job!!