Blog

It is our privilege as JLT guides to relive the wonder and awe of our own first nature experiences when a young client holds a salamander, swims under a waterfall, or tastes the “root beery” flavor of a sassafras leaf for the first time. Children are the heart of our Wild Child program and sharing the wonders of the Jocassee Gorges with them is the heart of our mission. It is just as rewarding, however, to witness this same wonder and awe in our much older guests. I watch four ladies, friends for fifty years, floating on noodles and giggling like teenagers under the chilling spray of a waterfall; I see the slow smile that spreads across an upturned face as a broad-winged hawk soars right overhead, whistling his trademark call; I see eyes widen at the sight of a kaleidoscope of eastern tiger swallowtails puddling; older and wiser, yes, but never so jaded as to not be able to experience nature with childlike enthusiasm. Jocassee has an almost magical way of bringing out the child in all of us. Come join us and experience the magic that is Lake Jocassee! ~Betsy Lewis, JLT guide