Source: News & Observer
The next time you are traveling to the North Carolina mountains you should probably pack an item that will come as a surprise to you. No, not a picnic basket for our friendly black bears because then you may have a clingy friend for life. Nope, not your work laptop or phone. I mean, it’s the mountains, go enjoy yourself.
Let me give you a hint, it is something you would probably do on a Caribbean excursion.
If you guessed snorkeling gear then you are correct! Fans of the video game classic Tomb Raider featuring star character Laura Croft are probably getting their gear ready for an adventure. The North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission wants you to snorkel and they have created a snorkeling trail to encourage underwater recreation in the mountains.
Please understand that this is the North Carolina mountains. You will not find any coral reefs, no charter boats, no white sands, or most importantly no sharks. Speaking of sharks, the world-famous Shark Week was this month. The Blue Ridge Mountains present a beautiful, biodiverse environment that one will appreciate to see up close.
The trail was created by the commission with collaboration from several conservation nonprofits. Funding for this project came from the Tennessee Valley Authority and the North Carolina chapter of the American Fisheries Society. The trail consists of 10 different locations for folks to get their underwater adventure on. All of the locations come marked with signage to give you an idea of what to expect when snorkeling underwater. Maybe you will see a rare fish or maybe you will find some of that mountain gold laying around. There’s only one way to find out.
The goal of this new adventure is to instill a greater sense of conservation by looking at the life of the creatures swimming in these waters. Just remember to respect the environment when going on these adventures that means no disturbing underwater life or polluting these areas. Make sure you find and support local conservation efforts to protect our state’s natural resources.
You can read more about these river excursions including Josh Shaffer’s first-hand experience here.
