Michael recently took a trip to Asheville, NC just for a quick summer getaway trip.  I have heard nothing but great things about the hiking, food, and Biltmore Mansion for the past few years and I knew that I had always wanted to visit.  Our trip was amazing and I cannot wait to share with you all a full travel guide to Asheville on the blog soon. However, some things I could not wait on.  

If you watched my Instagram stories during this trip, I left you on a cliffhanger as to what we did one morning that involved us getting soaked. 

THE WAIT IS OVER

About 45 minutes outside of Asheville is Pisgah National Forest.  Pisgah, located in in the Appalachian Mountains,  is home to some of the most gorgeous cascading waterfalls, whitewater rivers, forested slopes, and  breathtaking peaks.

What I loved about Pisgah is that it is family and pet friendly.  Just about every trail we were able to take Denver on. I loved how you could pull off to the side of the road and see waterfall after waterfall.  One of our favorites was Looking Glass Falls.  I also loved how you can pull off to the side of the road and camp just about anywhere.  Not only is there amazing hiking, bu you can swim, cliff jump and tube down in rivers. We loved taking Denver with us and walking down the rivers.  

We loved walking down the rivers, climbing the peaks, and seeing the waterfalls, but by far our favorite was Sliding Rock .  Watch our experience below: *MAKE SURE YOUR VIDEO SETTING ARE SET TO HD TO NOT MAKE IT BLURRY.  CLICK ON THE GEAR AT THE BOTTOM OF THE VIDEO TO CHANGE. 

Sliding Rock falls is a 60 foot natural waterslide into 8-10 feet of FREEZING cold water.  You don’t need a tube or anything to slide down the fall and it doesn’t hurt at all. Get there before 9:30 am to avoid a long line and to avoid a $2 entrance fee. There was no wait for us. 

Michael and I tried to go to Sliding Rock our first day, but long story short we “chickened” out.  We knew we were going to be hiking all morning and we didn’t want to be soaked on our hike.  We told ourselves that we had to do it right before we left on Sunday.

Then Sunday came.

 

We came to the conclusion that we would regret not sliding down these falls.  We weren’t scared, we were just not wanting to sliding into the freezing water temperatures.  BUT WE DID IT! It took us about 10 minutes to actually take the plunge, but it was worth every goosebump and every scream.  I ended up going down the slide multiple times. I would tell anyone to do it. Yes, the water was cold, but the memories were by far worth it.  There are restrooms and dressing rooms at the location so you can change into a dry pair of clothes after. This crossbody backpack that I got in Saugatuck from Landshark’s saved my life this trip.  I love the size and how easy it was to carry around.  I also wear these open slit back tank probably 4 days out of the week.  They are under $10, come in multiple colors and run in tall, regular, and petite sizes.  These shorts are also from the same shop and come in tall, regular, and petite sizes as well. 

I felt like this slide was symbolic for a lot of things in my life.  I recently shared on my instagram that I left my full time teaching job to become a full time blogger.  Making this decision was very scary, but I knew it was necessary. I was at a point where my blog was being capped with trying to balance it with a full time job.  Just like sliding down this rock, I was scared, but I knew I wanted to do it. I didn’t know if I would regret it, but in the end I am happy I took the leap of faith.  If anyone is at a point in their life where they want to take a similar leap of faith, I first want you to talk about it to your spouse and to pray to God about it. There’s a clear difference between making a foolish decision and a faithful one.  I wanted to make sure I was 100% sure that I wasn’t making a foolish decision. I was planning on going back to teaching until I had a clear sign that I wasn’t supposed to. God made that very clear to me and so I made that decision.

Cheers to pursuing your dreams and remaining faithful! Below are more pictures from that day on our trip!

Stay tuned for a full Asheville travel guide.