PLANE CRASH

 

 

I got up the next morning and made an egg and bagel sandwich for breakfast.  After breaking camp, I headed out to go hiking.  Since I’d done a couple of hikes in Linville Gorge recently, I decided to venture elsewhere for a change.  After Sunday’s easy hike, I wanted a good workout.  After some consideration, I decided to drive over to Grandfather Mountain.  The weather looked nice, and I knew the climb up to Calloway Peak would get me some exercise.

 

As I neared the peak, I noticed that the day’s nice weather didn’t include Grandfather Mountain.  The upper parts of the rugged peak were lost in the clouds.  I stopped at the entrance station to get my permit, and checked the current weather forecast.  The outlook was iffy, with lots of clouds and a chance of rain that afternoon.  I was already there though, and I didn’t want to change plans.  I forked over $5 for my permit, and drove a few miles down the Parkway to the Boone Fork trailhead.

 

It was windy and chilly in the parking lot.  I gathered my gear, leashed the dog, and picked up the path leading to the Tanawha Trail.  After a few minutes, we crossed an impressive bridge over Boone Fork.  It was interesting that I was hiking along the same stream as the previous day, but much farther upstream.

 

After another ½ mile or so, I reached a junction with the Nuwati Trail.  From here, I usually take the Nuwati and Cragway Trails up to join the Daniel Boone Scout Trail.  From there, I follow the Scout Trail to the summit of Calloway Peak, Grandfather’s highest point.  The Cragway Trail is exceptionally scenic though, and I thought the clouds might clear off later.  So, I decided to reverse my normal route.  I continued ahead on the Tanawha Trail, reaching the beginning of the Daniel Boone Scout Trail a few minutes later.

 

I followed this trail steadily uphill.  It provided a good but reasonably graded climb.  After a mile or so, I reached a junction with the Cragway Trail.  There is an overlook here, but I was already just below the level of the clouds.  Because of the conditions, there wasn’t much to look at.  Fortunately there were some nice wildflowers to add color to the hike.  The most notable flowers were Trout Lilies, which I found in several areas along the ridge.

 

I continued the climb, passing several campsites along the way.  I stopped at one to find water for Saucony.  Despite the recent rains, it took quite a search to find water.  I imagine this is a dry campsite in the summer.  A bit later, I encountered two other hikers heading down.  They warned me that conditions at the summit were rather raw and damp.  That wasn’t surprising, but I was determined to push on. 

 

Soon I found myself hiking through a dark but lovely section of spruce fir forest.  The forest was rather eerie, due to the lingering fog.  After crossing an impressive rock face, I reached the side trail out to a shelter.  I didn’t have to think long about making the quick side trip.  It was after noon, and I knew the shelter would provide a dry place for lunch.

 

After eating, I resumed the climb.  I returned to the trail, but spotted something white in the woods nearby.  I investigated, and found old wreckage from a plane crash.  There wasn’t much left of the plane except metal and plastic.  After exploring the wreckage, I rejoined the trail to push on for the summit.

 

Just before the peak, I reached the base of a sizeable ladder.  In the past, Saucony has found her way up the cliffs nearby.  She’s 11-years old now though, and I wasn’t sure if she’d be able to make it.  I was afraid she might injure herself, and didn’t want to take a risk.  Plus, the weather showed no signs of clearing.  I wouldn’t be able to see much from the summit anyway.  I was only mildly disappointed when I turned and headed back down the mountain.

 

The hike down to the Cragway junction went fast.  From there, I took the Cragway Trail for variety.  At the first overlook, I notice that the fog was finally beginning to lift.  The summit of Calloway was just beginning to peak out of the clouds.  Below the summit, I gazed over the Boone Bowl, which may be North Carolina’s only glacial cirque.  To the east, I enjoyed some nice views out over Price Park towards Blowing Rock.

 

I continued the descent, and passed a couple of hikers on their way up.  I ended up seeing several other groups on my hike, which was surprising, considering it was a Monday with less than optimal weather.  After the steep descent, I reached the rocky Nuwati Trail, which runs parallel to Boone Fork.  I followed it downstream, eventually rejoining the Tanawha Trail.  From there, it only took a few minutes to hike back to the car.

 

Since my wife was spending the week in Denmark, I didn’t have to hurry home.  I decided to do one more short hike on my way back to Charlotte.  I took highway 181 towards Morganton, and stopped at the trailhead for Upper Falls.  I hadn’t been to Upper Falls in years, and the 1.5 mile loop seemed like the perfect way to end the day.

 

I did the loop clockwise, and descended to the creek just above the brink of the falls.  I rock hopped the creek, and followed an unofficial trail upstream.  After a short distance, I crossed the creek again, and found myself at the base of a pretty cascade.  I like to call this drop “Upper Upper Falls”, to distinguish it from the main Upper Falls just downstream.

 

I had a break and took some photos before returning to the trail.  I followed the trail through one long switchback, arriving at the creek near the base of the main falls.  From here, I scrambled up a steep, sloping rock to get a clear view of the falls.  The waterfall is quite scenic, and it was worth stopping to see.

 

From there, I followed the trail downstream.  Before long, I arrived at “Lower Upper Falls”, a nice series of cascades and slides downstream from the main falls.  The trail crosses the creek here, and I was able to leap across a narrow part of the creek, despite wet, slippery rocks.  On the far side, I followed the trail up a lengthy series of switchbacks.  Based on the staggering number of shortcut trails here, I must’ve been one of the few people to actually hike this trail without cutting a switchback!




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