04/21/2025

50th Anniversary and Easter 2025 – Part 1 of 3

So much to share, BUT where to start??? Since we have a small family and they seem to live all over the country, we made plans to hike and visit family to celebrate. Our two grandsons are our #1 family priority, so being with them, our daughter and son in law (who has a HUGE and wonderful family) trumped going farther than Kentucky. If you would like a snapshot into a portion of our 50 years of marriage, which includes divorcing and remarrying, click here for the Table of Contents to see 26 chapters of our “marriage blog.”

First stop in our celebration was a week in Sapphire Valley, NC. 4/4-11/2025. Less than six hours from our home in Myrtle Beach makes it our closest and the BEST place to hike! Our condo was newly remodeled so was a wonderful blessing as we made it our “home” for a week. We took a short walk, but steep decline and incline back up after a little over a six hour drive. We relived all of our previous hikes so tried to figure out where to go to hike. Bill had been putting in a lot of hours and manual labor changing our kitchen cabinets (we have lots) to white. And Debbie, me, has been enduring some muscle-skeletal issues. Here is a photo of Bill outside our cabin/condo. And then a surprise waiting for us to honor our 50th Anniversary! So sweet!

4/5/2025 Bill wisely said let’s just start with a relatively easy hike around Lake Fairfield. We also need to acclimate to higher elevation since we live at sea level! The lake is in a private community. Our condo has privileges to use the facilities. It has a bit of a rough terrain, slight elevation and was a good workout for me (Debbie). Bill had to slow down a few times for me to catch my breath. We made it 3.68 miles in an hour and 40 minutes. Off this path is a route up to the top of Little Bald Rock Mountain. We have asked others in the area if they have ever been to the top. No, until this day, FINALLY we met one. She’s a very fit young lady. She it’s about the same as the steep hike to the top of White Mountain. Bill had been feeling really fit, so I encouraged him to tackle it. Below is the Little Bald Rock Mountain in the background of where we park. Such a lovely walk/hike for nearly four miles around the lake.

4/6/2025 We’re grateful our church is on-line for those who can’t make it in person. So first we enjoyed our worship service then an outstanding teaching sermon on Daniel.

Then, Bill tackled the Little Bald Rock Mountain trail! It reaches 3,780 feet elevation, but not sure what the elevation the lake registers. He accepted the challenge under the threat of rain and lightening! Did I mention there was a lot of rain during our first few days which limited our drives to trails. This was close by and we knew it could only be but so muddy. We walked 1/4 of the trail around the lake. Not bad, so he decided to go for it while my task was to go back to the car and figure out how to get it close to the trailhead. It was indeed a task but I made it while he continued to climb and feel challenged!!! He did it and it was so encouraging as to his level of fitness. Below is at the trailhead but I didn’t get the actual “sign” – which doesn’t say much. This blue sign does warn to “hike at your own risk.” So we knew there was something challenging about it….He went a total of 4.3 miles and how an elevation gain of 1,014. He was “moving” nearly two hours! So proud of him!

4/7/2025 Due to a lot of rain, back to Fairfield Glade Lake. BUT what a HUGE improvement for me, Debbie! I knocked 20 minutes off of our time around the lake! No stopping and no huffing and puffing. Oh how I have been feeling so much older. A tidbit on our 50 years together. Bill has always stayed in shape by physical labor – like chopping up cords of woods from our property in Virginia. Debbie, by running, started in college, then chose a career where staying in shape was mandatory. I had my own gym equipment set to using gyms to stay in shape. Bill sort of mocked “gym rats” but guess what? He now is one!!! As he ages, he now sees how beneficial it is….And he now can run circles around me. Below is a screenshot of the hiking trail around the lake with our “vitals.”

4/8/2025 Returned to a favorite, Rainbow Falls. Again, due to the rain, but thought this would be OK no matter. And it was! Clearly, I’m still trying to get back into shape. We were here a year ago. I caught a virus so stayed home the last 4 days while sending Bill off to max himself in hiking. He does have to go slower for me. All that to say, he had no problem on this a year ago. It is a pretty steep decline and then incline. I was fine the first time we hiked it. BUT this time, I had to stop and sent Bill on after a little over half way! It took me about 15 minutes, but decided to start hiking towards him. What a laugh as I made it to the waterfall, where he was enjoying a nice long chat with another couple! I was fully recovered and we made it back to the car without too many stops! Here is my view as I hiked up to the actual falls! Note, Bill never meets a stranger!

4/9/2025 Off to the main attraction that brought is here initially in 2019, Whitewater Falls. Bill read “Upper Whitewater Falls is not only the tallest waterfall in NC, but the highest waterfall east of the Rockies, though some may disagree with that title. Regardless of where you stand on that dispute, there is no denying the beauty of this massive 411-foot waterfall. Protected by Nantahala Forest, this waterfall is accessible by a short hike that leads to a viewing platform.” Our first time here, we not only did that short hike, we went on and on and on….via the Foothills Trail. Sadly, this hike was not saved in our All Trails app. But it says it is about 7.8 miles We may not have gone the entire route bit I know we did most of it. I never had to stop – then. This date, we did the shorter hike from the parking lot, to the observation tower, then down to the Foothills trail and back up to the parking lot. I never needed to rest but was ready to call it quits once we got back to the top – and parking lot! First is the view of the upper falls, from the parking lot. Then we walked down 1/10th of steps to the overlook. The young lady who took the picture asked if we wanted to show the falls….not sure why we didn’t take the hint! But I thought the view of the upper falls was sufficient!

4/10/2025 Back to our faithful Fairfield Lake. Again, rain rain go away, come again another day! Another test of my endurance and it looks like I’m ready to tackle the Smoky’s!!! This photo below is from All Trails app that shows a bit of the topography of what became our favorite hike during rainy season!

4/11/2025 Our official anniversary date!f And our travel day from what we say is one of our favorite nearby hiking areas to our “other” favorite area, the Smoky Mountains. Afterwards, we now say our go to and favorite place to hike is here, in Sapphire Valley. But all was not lost. Part 2 of our celebration coming up next!

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” 1 John‬ ‭4‬:‭4‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

11/21/2022

Hiking around Sapphire, NC (Part 3 – final)

This is our final hike and post of our fabulous Fall and water fall trip to Sapphire, NC! The waterfalls were what caught Bill’s attention, this is a place to hike with lots of great rewards. Our last p ost, contained two hikes in the Gorges State Park. Our first post contained the best waterfalls we could find in this area. So this one was a bit more about challenges, some waterfalls but the view was the best of all our hikes. We didn’t know that when we selected it – which is our usual method. What we do know is that you can’t drive anywhere with out seeing beauty in this area!

An Apple map which shows where we were hiking.

11/10/2022

Hiking around Sapphire, NC (Part 2)

We have three more hikes to share while we were in Sapphire, NC. The first two, in our last post, were the most spectacular! But the other three were still great hikes, very challenging and encouraging to me, Debbie.

I mention my knees issues every once in a while. I am so grateful I can still hike! I was told in 2004, I’d need a partial knee replacement in five years. Never happened. I found a different doctor who prescribed a better regimen but I was also told to avoid stairs. So I do as much as possible. I have had two meniscus repairs on each knee. My last X-rays were very encouraging, no knee replacements in either in my future. Can I shout, Praise the Lord!!! It really is miraculous because I did abuse my knees with long distance running in the beautiful city of Philadelphia, but on the sidewalks. My mom warned me I would wear out my knees. I was a bit disrepectful and said God created them to run so I’ll be OK. Needless to say, mom was right! I have to use caution with any activities. I can’t walk fast let alone run, but I can take slow walks on hard packed dirt or sand and I can HIKE! There is something about being in and around God’s creation that brings me much peace and joy!

9/13/2022 Windy Hills Fall hike – attempted but failed.

Our first hike in the Gorges State Park was more or less a failure. We thought we were hiking to another beautiful waterfall, called Windy Falls. There are pictures of it in the All Trails App but it was impossible for us to hike to see it using the app and designated trail. There is a glitch of some sort. However, we still had a great time and learned we should not climb over road closure arm. We entered Toxaway Game Land. It wasn’t marked. We were told Gorges State Park was NC’s newest campground so perhaps that was why there wasn’t better signage.

TheTumblesLees — The All Trails App said this way! We saw no other trail down to water falls. So off we went.

Let me back up. I should start at the beginning of our day. Using All Trails App, we looked for great hikes closer to us. Gorges State Park was only about 15-20 minute drive. We had plans to at least hike 6 if not more miles. Normally, we stop in Visitor Centers, especially when it is so convenient to the trail head. We decided we wanted to hit the trail and, after all, the All Trails App had the trail map and a great review to Windy Hill Fall trail then on to the Rainbow Falls. Follow our hike in the slide show, below. It looked well marked in the beginning. But as noted above, we hit a glitch;

After the fact, we realized we could have had a disaster as we descended. I couldn’t take pictures and use my poles most of the way from the barricade to the end of the trail. It was narrow, lots of roots and rocks. The review warned us of this so we were not concerned. But by the time we could go no further, we realized we made a mistake. In the Visitor Center, we later learned we had entered Toxaway Game Land. There were no warning signs, but maybe a barricade was a clue we weren’t entering a viable State Park trail. While we wanted to hike more miles, we encountered another couple that let us know, we needed to call it a day.

9/14/2022 Rainbow Falls and Turtle Back Falls

As mentioned above, had intentions of ALSO hiking to Rainbow Falls the day before. To get to the Rainbow Falls, there is a steep descent – so one must be prepared to climb back up and out. We literally bumped into a really nice couple in the parking lot, then ended up hiking the entire trail with them. They were maybe 15 years younger but were novice hikers. Perhaps they thought we might need help since we had hiking poles. We thought they might need help since we’re so “experienced.” We were tipped off the day before, it is a tough trail. We did fine. We actually were forced to go slow because there were a lot of other hikers. What they learned from us was to get hiking poles!

Follow our hike in this slide show. To read the captions, click on the first image then view as a slide show:

Bill explainging we could go no further.

This trail was challenging for those not used to hiking. Unless one reads the description of it at the trail head, they may not realize the challenges. The day before, we met a couple who just finished the hike. We had gone nearly four miles challenging miles, they said this one was also challenging in the descent then ascent.

While we waited to get our pictures taken, we talked to an “urban” couple. They wanted to experience a lot of fresh air on their vacation. They had no idea what they were in for, but in their determination, they made it to the Falls. However, it was slippery and the woman lost her footing and slide down. Fortunately, the fence caught her! It was a heart stopping moment. Thankfully, she was not injured. We met up with them on our way back to the car. The were sitting on a bench about 1/4 mile from the parking lot. They were catching their breath. They had not carried water but had some in their car. They needed a drink so we offered to go get it. They thanked us and said they learned some valuable lessons if they ever decide to take a “hike!”

Stay tuned for our final hike to Salt Rock Gap trails. It’s been nearly two months since we were here. Writing this up has helped us to book another trip here – in the Spring.

My final thoughts as I finish this post:

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him, and He helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise Him!”
Psalms 28:7

09/16/2022

Hiking around Sapphire, NC (Part 1)

Bill continues to serve as our Travel Adventure Director. He never disappoints. I am always amazed at the places he finds for us. So for this quick one week trip as close to home as possible with challenging hikes, we traveled to Sapphire, NC. He said he picked this area because of all the water falls.

First, a bit about our accommodations at Fairway Forest Resort. We are members of RCI (Resorts Condominiums International). We needed a better way to travel after giving up Recreational Vehicles. We actually stumbled upon this travel idea. It is too complicated to explain, let’s just say it is working for us. This week was our ninth week since joining a year ago. The condos are fully furnished with fully equipped kitchens. We have not been disappointed in any of our accommodations. This one ranked up as one of the best – but then I seem to say that after every week. Maybe our expectations are lowered, or maybe they are higher, no matter, our expectations each trip so far have been exceeded.

Our two story condo was on a golf course, next to a National Forest with a babbling brook running nearby. The sound was so soothing! The outside appearance was really not all that lovely, but inside, it was perfect. We had a two bedroom, two bath. Full kitchen, dining table, living area with a fireplace, sliding doors from both of these areas are technically on the second floor and went out to a large balcony and overlooked a hidden golf course. Stairs are my nemesis but these were carpeted, not steep and easy on my knees. The stairs went downstairs to the master bedroom ensuite. HUGE jetted bathtub with a separate shower. Full washer and dryer with plenty of closets and drawers to unpack. We also had a sliding glass door to an outside patio. I have lots of photos but really, they do not do it justice.

The best part of this condo was being on the end unit!

We went on five fabulous hikes, plus visited with friends who have a cabin in the area. Little did we know we were staying so close to them so it was bonus to spend an evening with them.

September 11, 2022 Glen Falls Trail

My review on All Trails, which I rated four out of five stars: We like to hike to falls wherever we can. We’re in this area for a week because of all the Falls. This hike had the most robust and gorgeous falls! The trail was challenging so it was well worth the length and rewards. We had poles – and needed them for balance around some mud, all the roots and rocks. These are natural in a forest! The trail was well traveled but no signs after the first one. Fortunately someone familiar with it helped us at one junction-not marked. Conditions: Muddy, Rocky, Great!

Sadly, I had a hard time getting the All Trails App to record the hike. But I used my Apple Watch which said it was about three miles. We had a picnic at the bottom of the trail. It was a three and back.

A slide show of a few pictures:

September 12, 2022 Nantahala Whitewater Falls & Foothills Trail

My review from All Trails, which earned five stars out of five! Fabulous! We started at the Whitewater Falls, then hopped on the foothills trail to Grassy Knob. Great views. Two areas with benches as we climbed Grassy Knob. Trail was excellent, just one area needs maintenance from fallen trees. We need to carry a saw!

Stats: Length, 4.81 miles (Actual was 5 miles); Elevation gain 702 ft; Moving time 3:02:08

And we thought Glenn Falls was fabulous. This is THE WATERFALL that makes this area famous for waterfalls! From the Forest Service website:

“Whitewater Falls owes its existence to the Blue Ridge Escarpment, a sharp drop in elevation between the mountains and the Piedmont.

“With a 411-foot plunge, Upper Whitewater Falls in North Carolina is the highest waterfall east of the Rockies. South Carolina’s Lower Whitewater Falls falls another 400 feet.

“Because of the escarpment’s difficult access and rugged terrain, much of the area receives few visitors and has remained wild and undeveloped over the years.”

A slide show with captions of a few pictures:

It is too early for the leaves to change but….

In a recent Bible study, we looked at Psalms 90. I thought of our wonderful time in these beautiful mountains and the prayer of Moses:

“A prayer of Moses the man of God. Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations. Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”
Psalms 90:2

We still have three more days of hiking to share. So stay tuned. We liked this area so much, we are returning in the Spring!

Follow the Tumble Lees!

Personal blog by former full time RVers-Still looking for adventure!

North Carolina

50th Anniversary and Easter 2025 – Part 1 of 3

Hiking around Sapphire, NC (Part 3 – final)

Hiking around Sapphire, NC (Part 2)

Hiking around Sapphire, NC (Part 1)

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