SHOWING OFF

Christy is a high-school science teacher, and her school has a partnership with a school in Denmark. A few months ago, she signed us up to participate in a student exchange program. That meant that for 2 weeks, we’d be hosting a Danish teenager. This promised to be interesting, since we already have an unofficial foster child living with us.

Thao was born in Vietnam, but her father moved to America when she was very young. Her mother died during her childhood, and she was raised by her grandparents. A few years ago, her father brought her to the United States. She enrolled in school in Charlotte, and taught herself English. Unfortunately, her father was deemed an unfit parent, and she was placed in foster care. Since then, she has been moved from one foster family to another.

Thao is one of Christy’s model students. When her most recent living arrangement fell apart, we agreed to let her live with us until she goes to college next fall. She’s been with us for a few weeks, but we live in a small house. We knew that having another teenage girl would present some challenges. For starters, Thao and the student from Denmark would have to share a bedroom and a bathroom.

The guidelines for the exchange program encouraged us to live our lives like we normally do, so that our guest could experience American culture (?) first-hand. For us, living our normal lives typically means going hiking on the weekends. Would our guest be up for that type of adventure? The information we received mentioned that she is an avid runner, so we knew she was athletic. We decided to offer her the opportunity to hike with us, but to leave the decision up to her.

We met Cammille at the Charlotte airport Friday evening. That night we got to know each other, and she was intrigued by the idea of going hiking. She had never been hiking before, and wasn’t actually familiar with the term. Once we explained that my favorite past-time was really just walking, she seemed much more at ease with the whole idea.

There were some challenges though. Due to luggage restrictions, she hadn’t brought her running shoes, and she didn’t have other suitable footwear. We made a few phone calls, and found that one of Thao’s friends was willing to lend a pair of running shoes. By sheer luck, they were the right size. The other difficulty related to the weather. Cammille isn’t fond of the cold, and the weekend forecast was typical for the mountains in February. At the highest elevations, we could expect clouds, and wind, and temperatures near freezing, and maybe even some snow on the ground.

I had to come up with a destination for our hike. We had to go to the mountains, simply because there aren’t any in Denmark. My first thought was Roan Mountain, as it is arguably the most scenic hike in the state. However, with the marginal forecast, I decided against it. A safer choice would’ve been Crowders Mountain. It would be warm there, and it would require only a short drive. I wanted to take her somewhere more impressive though. It would be her first, and possibly only, hike in North Carolina, and I wanted it to be a good one. I have a certain amount of pride in North Carolina’s natural beauty, and it can be hard to resist the urge to show off.

After much consideration, I decided we’d do two short hikes. That way, if the first went badly, it would be easy to bail out. I thought we’d start with a hike to the top of Table Rock, in the Linville Gorge Wilderness. That hike isn’t terribly difficult, and it offers a spectacular view. Afterwards, we’d head over to Linville Falls. Cammille was enthusiastic about seeing a waterfall, and there aren’t many superior to Linville Falls in that area.

We got off to a strategic late start on Saturday morning. Rain had moved through on Friday, and I wanted to give the weather an opportunity to clear before we reached the mountains. After a big breakfast, we headed out. The drive up through Morganton was leisurely, and it offered numerous views of Table Rock high above. This gave us the opportunity to show Cammille where we were heading. She seemed a little nervous, so I reassured her, telling her that we would drive most of the way up the mountain.

We finally reached the Spence Ridge trailhead a little after noon. We got organized there, which basically meant that I crammed food, water, and clothing for four people into my pack. Then Christy, Thao, Cammille, Saucony, and I headed out, following an old roadbed along the ridge above the forest road. After a few minutes of easy walking, we reached a campsite and joined the Mountains-to-Sea Trail.

From here, the hike was a bit of a grunt. We climbed steeply at first, but the grade didn’t seem to faze Cammille or Thao. A few fallen trees presented a minor challenge, but we didn’t have much trouble getting around them. Just when the trail was beginning to get tedious, we reached the junction with the path to the summit. We continued to climb on switchbacks, and passed a few viewpoints. Finally we scrambled up to the summit ridge. From here, we were treated to a breathtaking view to the east and south. Lake James was visible in the distance, beyond the sheer cliffs of the Chimneys and Shortoff.

We continued towards the summit, but fierce winds made us reconsider. It was really howling, so we backtracked to a large rock in the sunshine. It was partially protected from the wind, so we paused there for a late lunch. I’d brought a thermos full of hot soup, which we all shared. Sandwiches supplemented the meal, and we relaxed for a few minutes before heading for the summit.

At the top, we ran into a couple of people. We spent a few minutes exploring and taking photos, before finding a cliff with a grand view. Here we could see to the north and east, up the gorge past Hawksbill Mountain. Beyond, the high peaks of Roan Mountain and Grandfather Mountain were still lost in the clouds. Apparently I had chosen the right destination, after all.

We relaxed there for some time, as the wind was partially blocked by rock outcrops and shrubs. Eventually Cammille was ready to head down. The hike back went quickly, although both Thao and Christy slipped and fell on the leaf-covered trail. Cammille had no problems, even though she was wearing borrowed shoes.

It was mid-afternoon when we reached the car. From there, we made the short drive over to the Linville Falls visitor center. The visitor center is closed during the winter. So are the bathrooms, to the distress of some of the females in our group.

We leashed Saucony for the walk to the top of the falls. We ran into quite a few people on this trail, before arriving at the brink. The top of Linville Falls is a cool spot, but it’s hard to get a good view there. The best scenery is upstream, at a pair of cascades sometimes called the Upper Falls.

From there, we headed over to the Chimney viewpoint. This overlook provided a birds-eye view of the actual falls. Cammille was impressed, but getting cold. We were in the shade here, and the day was cooling rapidly. I hadn’t been to the base of the falls in years, and wanted to check it out before we left. The girls had all had enough though, so they decided to head back to the car to wait for me there.

I hiked back ahead of them, moving fast since I didn’t want to keep them waiting any longer than necessary. Unfortunately, the only way to the base of the falls requires backtracking all the way to the visitor center. I walked fast, and quickly headed down the trail into the gorge. Near the bottom, I passed below a tall, sheer cliff. Just beyond, I reached the river. However, the falls were out of sight. I worked my way upstream, balancing on the slippery rocks at the waters edge. Only a few days earlier, while hiking to Twisting Falls, I had fallen into the Elk River. This memory was at the front of my mind as I hugged the rocks lining the shore.

Fortunately, the footing wasn’t too bad, and I turned the corner without incident. My reward was a great view of Linville Falls from the bottom. There are several nice views of the falls in the area, but this has always been my favorite. The Linville is a mighty river, and there is no better place to feel its power. I took several photos, before heading back. I think these were the first decent photos I’ve taken of Linville Falls. For once, I actually had favorable lighting conditions.

It was almost dark when I returned to the car. From there, we headed to Morganton, where we stopped at Judges for dinner. I wanted to give Cammille an opportunity to try North Carolina BBQ, but she chose a chicken sandwich. I can’t really blame her. Wandering around in the woods with complete strangers, half a world away from home, is probably enough adventure for anybody!

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