This morning the kids and I visited Dismal Falls on the Appalachian Trail, such a perfect spot for a hot, muggy day. After driving a mile up a gravel road, we stopped at a pull-over just a few hundred feet up the trail from the falls. I miss the days when I would have started further up the trail, but this extremely short hike ending in a natural pool was perfect for two young children. They spent a wonderful morning splashing in the water, and we enjoyed meeting three AT through-hikers, for whom this spot was a unique chance to cool off and wash away the sweat of weeks of travel. I was disappointed but not entirely surprised by the amount of litter and food waste at this lovely spot.
We returned to the farm to find that my husband and his apprentice had completed the installation of the two small handrails portion of the project.
I'd love to visit a spot like that. I wonder how it got the name.
ReplyDeleteMy husband's apprentice mentioned that he thought there was a definition of "dismal" that applied to land. So I looked it up, and sure enough, it can mean a swamp or wetlands. But that doesn't fit this spot. My only guess is that compared to the more impressive Cascade Falls up the road, this falls is pretty "dismal". ;)
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