Christy, Saucony, Bob, Laura, Joel, Bonnie, and LL Bob joined me for a great hike last Sunday. We hiked the Little Lost Cove Cliffs / North Harper Creek loop, just outside of Linville, NC. The hike started with a fair climb up to Little Lost Cove Cliffs. The views from here are always impressive, but they were even more spectacular thanks to the incredible fall color. The leaves had been somewhat disappointing this fall, but that all changed this weekend. Although it was past the "peak", the colors were brighter than they've been the last few weeks. From the cliffs, we looked across the red and gold of Lost Cove and Wilson Creek valleys to the black wall of Grandfather Mountain.
After a leisurely lunch, we hiked down through a pleasant forest of golden maple trees. We then reached the old apple orchard, where we found another surprise. The ground beneath the trees was covered with red and gold apples. The trees hadn't been tended in years, but the fruit was everywhere. I tried one of the reds, and it was the best tasting apple I've ever had. Christy took a whole pack full of apples home, and tomorrow she's going to work on apple sauce and maybe a pie.
After the orchard, we followed a primitive, steep trail down to North Harper Creek. We rock hopped the stream several times, which was pretty easy since the water was very low. We then hiked up past a number of beautiful slides and cascades. We eventually reached the bottom of North Harper Falls. It was still pretty, although the water flow was a fraction of what it usually is.
From the falls, we hiked the rest of the way out along the creek. It had been a beautiful fall day, and we had seen only two other hikers. It was a wonderful return to one of my favorite places.
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