I decided to do 2 training hikes at Roaring River.  The first trail was the Fire Tower Trail.  A 4.3 mile trail with about 400ft change in elevation.  The trail started along the river and then steeply headed up to the ridge where there were nice bluffs and eventually the fire tower. The uphill was tough with the heavy backpack but getting a little easier.  The bluffs were nice. (at the bottom of this post is my video from the trails)

By the time I reached the fire tower the sun was well up, so I decided to have fun and utilize it in some of my photos.  The view from the top of the fire tower was limited due to the tall trees with leaves still on them but there were some nice touches of color from the Dogwood leaves. I walked the ridge for a while past the tower and then it headed back down towards the River.

The 2nd hike was Devils Kitchen.  Its trail head was right near the river.  It was a 1 1/2 mile but it had its steep sections also and some wonderful rock bluffs along the way.  Fun to explore among them and there were cracks and crevices.  This trail was a loop and was very enjoyable.  There were nice touches of color all along the way.  

My daughter in law Sara had told me ice baths were good after hikes like this so I decided to dip my feet in Roaring River - WOW, that water was cold.  It made the ice baths I'd been taking at home feel warm.  LOL.