Walk at Lake Junaluska, Feb 5 2012

Didn't have time to drive to our beautiful hiking areas today, so Sky and I took a walk at nearby Lake Junaluska. It is in the center of a Methodist Church retreat area and named after the Cherokee Indian Chief who invented a written form of the Cherokee language. They have added sidewalks around the lower half of the lake so we were able to get in a nice 4 mile walk, and only 20 min from my house!

You may notice lots of shoreline and little water, every 3-5 yrs they draw down the lake to dredge to accumulated silt brought in by the river that feeds the lake. Erosion is a problem in our mountainous area and sediment run off would eventually fill the lake. Even though it is an urban area, it is a very nice place to get in some exercise with Sky and a wonderful place to socialize any dog. There is always a supply of joggers, bikers, kids in strollers, ducks, other dogs and their people, and walkers who usually will stop to say hi if invited.