FALL COLORS?
Bob, Laura, Christy, and I
headed up to Grandfather Mountain on October 16th in search of fall
colors. Normally the leaves would be
long gone at the highest elevations by mid-October, but this is not a normal
year. A hot, dry September has pushed
the color change back a week or two, if it happens at all.
We headed up to Grandfather,
and stopped at the park entrance on highway 221 to purchase hiking
permits. The cost for a one-day pass is
now $7. From there, we continued out to
the Parkway and on to the Boone Fork parking area. Thanks to a lazy start, we finally got on the trail at 11AM for
the hike to Calloway Peak.
We crossed a bridge over
Boone Fork, and picked up the Nuwati Trail.
We followed it up the valley to a junction with the Cragway Trail, which
climbs to join the Daniel Boone Scout Trail on the ridge to Calloway. We continued ahead though, as I had planned
on having lunch at an ideal spot at the end of the Nuwati Trail. We hiked the rocky path to a rock-hop
crossing of the creek and climbed up to a campsite. At this point, we lost the trail. I remembered from previous visits that it was vague here, and
blundered around searching for it.
While I was doing so, I suffered the obligatory autumn bee sting. At least once a year, I wander into a nest
of angry yellow jackets. This time it
was only one bee, but it still hurt, and my ankle swelled to the size of my
thigh. As I write this report 9 days
later, the sting still itches.
We eventually regained the
trail, and scrambled up through a thicket to the base of a rock outcrop. A short but steep climb leads to a
spectacular perch in the middle of the Boone Bowl. The Boone Bowl is the headwaters of Boone Fork, which flows
through the Hebron Rock Colony in Price Park before joining the Watauga River
near Foscoe. From our vantage point, we
were surrounded by a pair of ridges running down from Calloway Peak, which was
just visible high above us. Fall
foliage is typically spectacular here, but not this year. Yes, there were some colors – mainly green
and brown. A few colorful trees stood
out on the surrounding hillsides, but for the most part, the foliage was
disappointing. On the upside, it was a
lovely fall day featuring brilliant sunshine and a crisp blue sky. The view of the ridges and valleys beyond
the Blue Ridge made the journey worthwhile.
After lunch, we backtracked
to the Cragway Trail. A steady climb
followed, and several rock outcrops provided more views of the Boone Bowl and
our lunch spot far below. We joined the
Daniel Boone Scout Trail in a dark spruce forest, and began the last stretch of
the climb to Calloway. Initially the
climbing was easy, but it got more difficult closer to the summit. A scramble up a rock face indicated that we
were getting close, and then we reached the ladders. Three ladders provide access to the peak, and they can present a
significant obstacle to hikers with dogs.
Saucony is still recovering from surgery, so we hadn’t brought her on
this hike.
Once we climbed the ladders,
we only had to hike another few minutes to reach the rocky summit. From the top, we had a great view of the
surrounding peaks and valleys. A few
other hikers were on the summit, and one noticed the Charlotte skyline, visible
to the bare eye, some 100 miles distant.
It’s rare to have that kind of visibility anywhere in the Appalachians
anymore. We enjoyed the view, but
didn’t linger long. An icy wind was
howling across the summit. Since it was
blowing from the west, we had been sheltered from it on the climb. Now though, we were at its mercy. After only a few minutes we were hurrying
back down the trail, heading back towards that Charlotte skyline.
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