GRANDFATHER &
GRANDMOTHER
Back
in July, Johnny notified me that reservations were being accepted for the
annual Grandfather Mountain Camera Clinic.
I took one look at what was offered and knew I had to sign up. The clinic included 3 days admission to the
park, 2 nights camping, a series of seminars, and a buffet dinner on Saturday
night. All of that was only $25! That deal was too good to pass up. Plus, I was looking forward to hanging out
with Johnny and Jack and meeting some other folks from the Carolina Adventurers
group.
Unfortunately,
the week prior to the clinic went askew early on. My job started poorly, and then I had to make
an unplanned drive to Philadelphia for a funeral. On the way back, I had car trouble. By Thursday evening, I knew there was no way
I’d make it to Grandfather Mountain by Friday afternoon.
I
got the car fixed on Friday and headed up the mountain on Saturday
morning. By the time I reached Hickory
it was beginning to drizzle. This was
quite a surprise, as I’d looked at the forecast right before I left. It had suggested lovely weather on Saturday,
with storms moving in on Sunday afternoon.
By the time I reached the entrance to Grandfather Mountain, it was fully
raining and surprisingly cold. I
registered and headed up to the picnic area, which was converted into a
makeshift campground for the weekend. I
didn’t have any trouble finding where Jack, Johnny, Joe, Dave, and Susan had
set up camp. Luckily, someone had been
smart enough to bring several canopies along.
Most everyone was huddled underneath them, trying to stay out of the
rain.
I
parked and joined the party. Joe seemed
disappointed that I hadn’t hiked in from Marion like he’d suggested. I blamed my chaotic week and the unexpected
change in the weather for my approach by motor vehicle.
The
weather was the prime topic of conversation under the canopies. After a bit of Blackberry research, I
discovered that a tropical depression that was supposed to arrive Sunday
afternoon had moved in early. Unfortunately,
it sounded like it would be with us all weekend. Of course, I really shouldn’t have been
surprised. After all, Jack was camping
there, and it always rains when Jack goes camping.
During
a lull in the showers I found a place to pitch my tent. I strategically placed it well away from
Johnny’s truck, as I didn’t want Johnny tripping over me in the middle of the
night.
While
I was setting up camp I discovered that I’d left some key items at home. I always keep necessities like rain gear, a
first aid kit, a survival kit, extra food, and warm clothes in my pack. That way, those things are always with
me. Well, they’re always with me if I
don’t leave my pack sitting in my garage, like I did this weekend. Oops.
I guess it could’ve been worse. I
could’ve forgotten the tent.
My
lack of gear and the inconvenient weather forced me to cut back on my ambitious
hiking plans. Still, I didn’t want to
sit around all afternoon. The first
seminar wasn’t scheduled until 4pm. I
suggested a hike to Jack, and he was all for it. He had done the hike to McRae Peak that
morning, so I suggested a different trail.
We’d hike out the Black Rock Trail, which I’d last walked 15 or 20 years
ago. It’s a nice hike, but it’s short
and it doesn’t connect with any of the other trails on the mountain. That’s probably why I haven’t done it in so
long.
I
rode with Jack up to the trailhead. By
the time we arrived the rain had dwindled to just a few sprinkles, but the fog
had really set in. Since I didn’t have
rain gear, I toted an umbrella along. I
ended up using it more as a walking stick than for shelter though.
This
trail isn’t a good choice if you’re in a hurry.
Most of it seems to be across awkward rocks and boulders. Those rocks were slippery, too, after a
couple hours of rain. Hey, at least I
remembered to bring my boots!
A
short walk brought us to Arch Rock. Arch
Rock is actually a natural bridge, as a small stream runs through a tunnel in
the rock. It’s a neat spot, and rather
unusual for this part of the Appalachians.
For the most part, viewing arches and natural bridges in the southeast
requires visiting the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee or Kentucky.
There
used to be a trail that connected Arch Rock with the Grandfather Trail high up
on the mountain. Unfortunately, that
trail was closed years ago. Prior to the
closure, the trail made a convenient connection for a nice loop hike that
included McRae Peak and the swinging bridge.
From
there, we continued out the trail, which ends at a series of overlooks less
than a mile from the trailhead. Our
timing was good, as we arrived at the first overlook just as the fog was
clearing. We enjoyed some surprisingly nice
views of the Wilson Creek area to the south.
However, by the time we reached the second overlook, the fog had closed
back in. I also noticed that the trail
from here to Black Rock Cave is now closed.
The cave itself was gated years ago to protect endangered bats living
there. It appears that hiking to the
cave entrance is now forbidden, too.
We
hiked back quickly, but not quickly enough to avoid another shower that struck
near the end of the hike. Once back at
the car, we made a quick trip down to the campground so I could get a few
things out of my car. Then we headed up
to the museum for the first seminar.
The
seminars were interesting and all of them featured outstanding
photography. The buffet dinner was quite
good, and Jack and I visited the natural animal habitats several times during
breaks. We saw black bears, deer, and
golden eagles, but the cougars and otters were hiding.
We
emerged from the final seminar to thick fog.
Jack and I scrapped our plans to drive up to the swinging bridge for
sunset. Obviously there would be no
sunset on this evening. Later, while
relaxing by the campfire, we discovered just how wrong we were. Joe and Johnny had driven up there despite
the weather. They were rewarded for
their efforts, as they found themselves above the clouds! I definitely learned a lesson here – you just
can’t assume anything about the weather in the NC mountains.
I
contemplated getting up early on Sunday for sunrise, but it was raining when my
alarm went off. Jack and I did drive up
to the top a bit later, before the morning seminars. There we found an interesting combination of
thick fog and vicious wind. We didn’t
loiter around there long before heading back to the museum for the morning
sessions.
The
seminars wrapped up around noon. Jack
dropped me off at my car and headed home.
At that point, the weather was starting to clear a bit, and I wanted to
at least do a little bit of hiking before leaving. First I drove to the Cliffside Overlook,
where I found views of the top of Grandfather Mountain. I had lunch there, before driving up to the
Bridge Trail / Black Rock Trail parking area.
I made a short hike up through a lovely forest carpeted with galax. This trail
brought me out underneath the swinging bridge.
From there I walked to the parking lot and up the steps to the brink of
the bridge.
The
view was overwhelming. Unfortunately, I’m
not talking about the waves of mountains in the distance. Rather, the whole mountain was crawling with
tourists. The foul weather had scared away
most people (except the camera clinic attendees) earlier. Now that the sun was out, the place was overrun
with people. The cliffs on the far side
of the bridge looked to be beyond capacity, so I made an about-face and headed
back down.
I
drove back to the museum for one final visit to the animal habitats. Johnny had recommended visiting the cougar
habitat during the daily “enhancement”.
The enhancements generally consist of food, treats, or toys. Their purpose is supposedly to entertain the
animals, but it also provides entertainment for the visitors.
I
arrived at the cougar habitat just in time and was treated to quite a
show. Two cougars made an appearance,
and one even posed nicely on a boulder.
Luckily, I actually remembered to bring my telephoto lens with me!
From
there, I visited the otter and deer habitats and got some more photos. I was planning to revisit the bear habitat
when my camera battery died. Since my
spare battery was in its usual place in my pack (which was still in my garage)
I decided to call it a day.
It
was only early afternoon, and I still hadn’t done a proper hike. I considered McRae Peak, but I wasn’t in the
mood to dodge the crowds. Plus, that
hike is a little dicey on wet rocks.
Instead, I decided to check out Grandmother Mountain. Grandmother is just down the parkway from
Grandfather, and it has a reputation for being one of the best rock climbing
and bouldering places in the region.
I
drove to the Grandmother Overlook, which is in the woods and doesn’t overlook
anything. There was only one car there,
so I figured I would get some peace and quiet, if nothing else. I had some trouble finding the trail
initially. The trail actually starts
near the east end of the overlook. It
starts out going up a small stream, and isn’t signed. After a short distance it leaves the creek
and follows an obvious route.
It
occurred to me that this was probably rather foolish, as I had no pack, no map,
and I’d never been here before. I’m
stubborn though, so I headed up the trail a short distance to the first wall of
cliffs. The cliffs aren’t very tall –
maybe 25’ or so, but they offer dozens of potential climbing routes. I encountered two college-aged girls climbing
one of them right away. We chatted
briefly, and I continued up the trail, wondering what else I would find.
What
I found was that the trail climbed steeply before eventually petering out. I pressed on following a faint track, and
soon found myself at the edge of someone’s back yard. I’d known there were some houses on Grandmother. Unfortunately, I found them all too soon.
I
wandered around a bit and found more houses.
Discouraged, I headed back down through a lovely forest dotted with
boulders and cliffs. This mountainside
would probably be a great wildflower destination in early May.
I
returned to where the girls had been rock climbing and spotted a side trail I’d
missed earlier. It’s easy to miss side
trails when you’re distracted by girls rock climbing. I headed down this path, which actually
turned out to be the main trail. It ran
roughly parallel, but high above, the parkway.
It connected one cliff and boulder to the next, and before long I passed
those same girls climbing another rock.
I pressed on, and soon found myself in a maze of boulders and side
trails. I explored several side trails,
which usually led to the base of another climbing route.
I
continued on, glad to finally be out and walking. Eventually I emerged from the woods onto a
muddy dirt road. The top of the mountain
was still calling, so I headed up the road.
It provided some nice views of Grandfather Mountain and the surrounding
valleys. Before long I passed a house
and then the gated and heavily posted road leading to the Grandmother Mountain
radio tower. I continued a bit farther,
until the road turned into a trail and began descending the far side. At that point I turned back, ready to head
for home. I returned by way of the same
route, as I didn’t want to get lost in the maze of climber’s trails on the side
of the mountain. I passed the rock
climbing girls one final time, and returned to my car at 4pm.
Grandmother
Mountain is obviously geared more toward climbing than regular hiking. However, I think I will plan a return
trip. A spring wildflower hike might be
rewarding. Even better would be a visit
in the winter. I’ll bet those cliffs
sport some impressive icicles after a long stretch of cold weather! Getting there might be tricky in the winter,
since the Parkway would probably be closed.
However, hiking in from the dirt road I’d found should be doable. Of course, walking a snow-covered parkway
from the highway 221 bridge would make a nice winter outing, too.
Back to North Carolina's High Country
Back to North Carolina
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!