THE WEDGE > WILSON
The
weekend of September 17th featured Appalachian State’s second home
football game of the season. It was also
their final warm up game, featuring one of the weakest opponents in all of
division 1. We have season tickets
though, and wouldn’t think of missing a game, regardless of the opponent. This game was scheduled for a 6pm kickoff,
which meant extra tailgating time as well as a very long day. We weren’t interested in driving home late
Saturday night, so I reserved a campsite at Price Park.
It
turns out that reservations were unnecessary.
As the week progressed, the weather forecast looked more and more
bleak. Forecaster’s called for a “wedge”
system to bring unusually cool and wet weather to the high country. We ran into heavy fog on the drive up from
Lenoir Saturday morning, and light rain was falling when we reached the
campground. The campground wasn’t
deserted exactly, but we certainly didn’t need the reservations we’d made. We found our campsite, set up the tent
quickly, and headed into Boone.
Luckily,
the weather dried up just in time for an afternoon of tailgating. It certainly wasn’t a pretty day, but at
least it was dry enough for cornhole. The highlight of the tailgate party was
perhaps our best ever pre-game meal. We
made a low country boil, featuring shrimp, andouille
sausage, potatoes, corn, and other assorted vegetables. The game went pretty much as expected, and we
had dinner in town before heading back to the campground for the evening.
I
got up early on Sunday. Boone was ready
for a hike, but Christy decided to sleep in.
I had a quick breakfast of granola cereal and hit the trail. Boone and I hiked through a dark forest
initially, before emerging into a foggy, drizzly meadow. Boone proceeded to run full speed through the
brush, rousing the ducks and other birds that were roosting.
With
that accomplished, we headed back into the woods, descending along Bee Tree
Creek. Ironically, Boone managed to
stumble into a nest of Yellow Jackets along here. They were all over his backside, and he
alternated between snapping at them and running at full speed. I finally caught up to him and began
swatting. I thought I’d gotten them all,
before spotting one last bee right next to his yellow ASU collar. I finally got that one, but Boone was pretty
put out. I don’t blame him, as this was
his second straight hike with an unpleasant bee encounter.
Once
the excitement was over, we continued on to the rim of the Boone Fork
gorge. I made the turn to follow the
creek, high above the stream. At the
turn I spotted a side trail I’d never noticed previously. I followed it briefly, until reaching a
couple of prominent “no trespassing” signs.
I’m not sure where that trail goes, but apparently it’s on private
property.
I
hiked upstream before reaching a side trail down to the creek. I stopped there, as the path ends just
downstream from a pretty run of cascades.
After a few photos I continued on.
A bit later, another side path took me to the base of an impressive
cascade. I was still well downstream
from the Hebron Rock Colony, and I was surprised to find a waterfall I didn’t
remember from previous hikes. It’s not a
named waterfall, and some might consider it just a cascade, but I’ve seen less
substantial drops with names.
I
took a few more photos and continued upstream.
I bypassed the Hebron Rock Colony, as I was running behind
schedule. Christy was to meet me at Sims
Pond on the Parkway at 11:30, and I had planned to hike over Green Knob on my
way there.
I
reached the junction where the Boone Fork Trail and Mountains to Sea Trail part
ways. I stayed on the MST, and managed
to rock hop Boone Fork with a bit of difficulty. From there I followed the trail through a
rhododendron thicket and out to an old road.
I left the trail and followed the road out to the Parkway. From there, it was just a short stroll down
to Sims Pond. I had planned to hike
another 2 miles over Green Knob, but it was already after 11:30, and Christy
was waiting in the parking area. I decided
to save that for another day, and we headed for home. We did stop off at Woodlands in Blowing Rock
for lunch, which was great, as usual.
Back home, I was tempted to skip unloading the car, since we’d be
heading back up to Boone for another football game the following weekend.
First
though, I had to make a work trip to Rocky Mount, NC. This was amusing to Christy, as her first
year teaching was in Rocky Mount. She
moved there from Erie, PA. After a
couple of days in Rocky Mount, I couldn’t imagine how she was able to
understand anybody there. It was a
strain for me, and I’ve lived in North Carolina for almost 30 years.
The
highlight of my week there was a short trip down to Wilson to have dinner with
a friend. I hadn’t seen Mark in almost a
year, and he made the excellent suggestion of meeting at Parker’s BBQ. The food was cheap and good, and best of all, the county fair was right across the street. Mark and I joked about taking it in. I suggested that he get cotton candy and eat
it all, and then take the stick home to give to his young sons. How much fun would it be to explain to them
that Daddy went to the fair without them?
Well, it was funny to joke about anyway.
I
escaped on Thursday afternoon and headed home.
By Friday afternoon I had the car packed for another hiking, camping,
and football adventure in Boone.
Back to North Carolina's High Country
Back to North Carolina
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!