Southern Belle in Training

Fashion, Travel & Lifestyle Blog || Est. 2012 || Virginia Beach, VA

March 14, 2014

DO go chasing waterfalls!

     Originally I was going to title this post "Of waterfalls and flat tires," but then I remembered one of my all-time favorite 90s songs, Waterfalls by girl band TLC. Of course I had to pick the post title that referenced the 90s song. ;-)



 
     Anyways, today's post is all about my biggest adventure over Spring Break! Let me start out by saying that I love being out in nature. The town that I'm from in Maine is a coastal town, so many of my best childhood and high school memories involve the beach. Maine (and nearby New Hampshire!) is also full of other types of natural beauty; lakes, mountains, fields, etc, so plenty of outdoor opportunities! I am not a fan of camping (I prefer to sleep somewhere with electricity, wifi, and a real bed), but I do love taking day trips to spend time in the great outdoors!

     It has been a dream of mine for about a year to visit Transylvania County in Western NC to see some of the waterfalls that are found there. Transylvania County is about two hours west of Charlotte, and it is home to the mountain city of Brevard. Supposedly this county has the highest concentration of waterfalls in the whole United States! When my friend Shara and I were planning out her visit to Charlotte, we both agreed that it would be fun to take a day trip outside of the city to see some nature. I decided this would be the perfect time to visit the waterfalls! This website is a handy tool to discovering the waterfalls of North Carolina, and the interactive map feature is what allowed me to find the DuPont State Forest, which is where we decided to go.

   


     Before I talk anymore about the hike, I want to talk about the surprise that I planned for Shara! But first, I must talk about how I met Shara. She isn't technically a "blog friend," since she doesn't blog, but we did meet online! (I feel like that sounds so sketchy. ;-)) Last spring, a blog friend of mine added me to a Facebook group called Delight and Be. Delight is a way for Christian girls who are involved with photography, blogging, or the creative arts to network and encourage each other. About a month after I got involved with Delight Shara and I started talking, and I learned that she is also from Maine! Our hometowns are under an hour from each other, so we met up in person a few times last summer, and our friendship got stronger after I headed back to school. 

     There are a few hundred girls who are involved with Delight, and I knew that one of the girls that Shara had talked to a lot was a photographer named Meredith from Virginia. I started Facebook messaging Meredith and slowly the details came together for her to travel to Charlotte and join Shara and I for a weekend! It turns out that Meredith had family that lived within 10 minutes from my college, so she even had the perfect place to stay. :-) I didn't say a word of this to Shara, and once Meredith arrived we were able to surprise her!! SO much fun, I love planning surprises! I think it's crazy how I met both of these girls on the internet, but I'm so happy that I did meet them! Anyways, Meredith first met up with us on Friday, February 28th, which is the day that we all went to hike in the DuPont State Forest. 

Self-timer jumping fail! Left to right: Meredith, Yours Truly, Shara.


     Within the DuPont Forest there were five or six waterfalls, and we saw two of the larger ones; High Falls and Bridal Veil Falls!! Bridal Veil Falls, The one that's pictured above had a long hike to get to it, but it was totally worth it. It was an absolutely wonderful day, I loved getting to spend time in God's creation with these two sweet friends!! Below are some more pictures that Meredith took:

High Falls

High Falls


Prettiest barn ever!


Bridal Veil Falls

#hairfail


The three of us at Bridal Veil Falls.

All images credit of Meredith Sledge Photography


     The day had a little bit of an interesting ending... right after I got back on the highway just outside of Hendersonville, NC (a small city in the mountains), I had a flat tire! I have never had a flat before, so it was an interesting experience. Luckily I was not alone, and all of us were Triple A members! AAA was able to come in under an hour, and after my spare tire was put on we headed back out to Charlotte. I wasn't supposed to drive on the highway anymore with my spare tire on, so the drive was longer then normal, but that meant that we got to stop at a Krispy Kreme that I drove by!! It was Shara's first Krispy Kreme experience, and she loved it so much that we went back a second time later in the weekend. 


How cute is this?!


     My advice to y'all is that if there's a state park or nature preserve near you that you haven't yet explored, give it a visit!! Spending time in nature is so satisfying, God loves it when we enjoy his amazing creation. :-)


     The day after our hike, the girls and I spent the morning at a mall and I got my tire replaced while we shopped. And that afternoon was one of the funnest days that I've ever had! We had a photoshoot in Uptown Charlotte. I cannot wait to share a couple of OOTDs from what I wore for the shoot, but here's a little preview until next week!




     xoxo Miss ALK
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5 comments

  1. I cannot get enough of nature either. I love your photos. Waterfalls are my absolute favorite (anything that has to do with water if you know) me. There is so much strength in them.

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  2. Beautiful pictures!! You are too cute!

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  3. Great pictures, seems like you ladies had a lot of fun! And can't wait to see your OOTDs!

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  4. The minute I read your blog post title, I started singing that song! 90s children forever. ♥

    Your time spent over spring break has been such a blessing. All of the photographs are great, you are all beautiful, and it sounds (and looks!) like you all had a really great time. You've made memories for a lifetime.

    Now you've made me want to investigate into local nature preserves and state parks for this summer. Adventure time! (I'm also marking down this beautiful location as a Must-See for when I get around to traveling. It is breathtakingly beautiful.)

    xoxo,
    Katie ♥
    http://welcometothewackadoodles.blogspot.com/

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  5. Ahhh!! I love this post :) First off, you guys are beautiful!! And I didn't realize how pretty Transylvania County is! Might have to stop by during some Carolina adventures :) Thanks for sharing, friend! Hope to see you when I get back down south!

    xo, gina

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