Funny story, I had been watching a paranormal series about a "survivalist" who went adventuring into the unknown to determine if American folk stories about monsters and ghosts held any water to their tellings.  In one episode he was investigating the Brown Mountain Lights, which are a centuries-old ghost story of bright spiritual orbs that float about the Linville Gorge Wilderness (a Western North Carolina wildlife refuge that you can hike through or camp in with the proper permits). 

Now, I am all about sparing the truth for the sake of a good story and theatrics but this particular "survivalist" stretched the limits of belief until they broke.  During his investigation, he claimed he was going to trek deep into the Linville Gorge, an unexplored portion of the American Wilderness (yes, there is probably a tree thicket somewhere in the Gorge that someone hasn't seen before, but people hike through it on a regular basis).  Then close to the end of his adventure, he came to a waterfall he had to cross to escape back to civilization and his loved ones.  This brings us to my latest image of Elk River Falls.

The wilderness waterfall the survivalist had to cross was Elk River Falls, pictured above.  Now before you think I have the survivalist skills of Davy Crocket and followed the survivalist deep into unexplored territory, let me share that this beautiful fifty-foot waterfall is easily accessible for the entire family. It offers a short trail leading from the parking area to a set of stairs that descend safely to the bottom of the falls making it accessible for almost everyone.  In addition, you can easily wade across the Elk River (which does not cut through the Linville Gorge Wilderness, where our intrepid survivalist started his adventure) at the base of the falls. 

Then to put the proverbial cherry on top of his investigation our "survivalist" ignored the stairs, trail, and shallow river crossing to opt for crossing the raging torrent via a rope.  Which made me wonder if this was truly unexplored territory who put the rope in that crossed the river?

Ok, ok... I'll stop poking fun.  But I had to share this story with you because Reality TV is so unreal, especially for the people who live in the area and know the topography.  I agree the show was entertaining to watch, but I couldn't help but laugh as he extremely exaggerated his adventures for his audience. 

But the ultimate purpose of this blog isn't to poke fun at our "paranormal survivalist," rather to encourage you to stop watching nature on your TV, iPad, Tablet, or phone and go out and explore it for yourself.  There are so many beautiful places that you can easily see in our National Parks and Forests, so get out there and go see God's artistry for yourself.  No photo or video will ever truly tell the story of the moment that God has prepared for you in His creation.