MOUNTAINS IN THE MIST
I
spent the second weekend of October in Boone.
I left early on Saturday morning so I could spend some time on the
Parkway before the ASU football game. I
drove up through Hickory and Lenoir in rain and fog, wondering why I hadn’t
slept in. Things improved suddenly just
below Blowing Rock, when I popped out of the fog. I stopped twice over the next two miles to
take in the view of the distant mountains peaking up out of the mist.
From
there I headed over to Price Lake. Fall
color was at its peak, so I took some photos around the lake. Then I walked the dogs and let them go
swimming. I was just about to head up to
Rough Ridge on Grandfather Mountain to check out the fall foliage when the fog
rolled back in and the rain resumed. I
reconsidered, and headed into to Boone.
I met my friend Eric at our usual tailgating area shortly after the rain
ended. First, we took the dogs down
Rivers Street to see the homecoming parade.
We met the new ASU Chancellor, and she loves our dogs! So obviously I approve of the new Chancellor. Unfortunately, Kona does not love
parades. In fact, we can add marching
bands, tractors, and kazoos to the ever-growing list of things that terrify
Kona.
The
tailgating was quite good, despite the rainy weather. There are some advantages to tailgating in a
parking deck! We did move from our usual
spot on the open balcony on the third level to a different location under the
roof to avoid the rain. Unfortunately,
the game itself wasn’t nearly as satisfying as the tailgating.
Later
that night I drove out through Linville and down a forest road into the Wilson
Creek area. I found a vacant campsite,
set up camp, and went straight to bed. I
had made tentative plans to meet my friend Johnny there, but he wasn’t around
when I arrived. I slept fairly well that
night, despite hours of heavy rain.
Luckily it eased up by first light.
I got up, broke camp, and made breakfast on the tailgate of Christy’s
Honda Element. I was eating when Johnny
pulled up. It turns out he had slept in
his truck a ˝ mile down the road.
We
chatted a bit and waited for Brenda.
When she didn’t show up at 9am, we figured she was probably lost. We didn’t have a cell signal, so we split up. Johnny headed down FR 58 towards Kanawa, because he’d discovered that there was a good cell
signal down there. I headed back up the
forest road to the first junction, at the Baptist Church. I figured that was the turn she missed. I was able to reach her by phone at that
point, and waited for her there. She
then followed me back down to a parking area near where I’d camped.
Johnny
joined us there, and we discussed our options.
Originally I’d planned to hit South Harper Creek Falls first. However, the view of the waterfall is from a
cliff on the far side of the gorge. It
was a foggy, drizzly morning, and I was afraid the view would be completely
fogged in. I suggested a change in
plans. My backup idea was a loop hike
combining North Harper Creek and Little Lost Cove Cliffs. We’d start out hiking downstream along the
creek. After visiting North Harper Creek
Falls and Chestnut Branch Falls, we’d climb up to the cliffs. Hopefully the fog would clear by the
afternoon, so that we could enjoy the views from the cliffs.
The
hike downstream was beautiful but slippery thanks to the recent rain. A couple of spots were a bit treacherous, but
we managed without incident. We were
able to rock hop the first couple of crossings, but the next two required
wading. The water level had risen
significantly from the recent rain! The
fall foliage was fantastic along here.
It was more advanced than I expected at this elevation. In fact, it was close to peak. This was surprising, since colors were still
at their peak up on Grandfather Mountain.
That
first stretch of creek features a long run of slides and cascades. The trail stays high above them though, and
we were well downstream from the best action when we finally found a reasonably
safe route to descend. After a short
break below a cascade we returned to the trail and headed down to the brink of
North Harper Creek Falls. This waterfall
starts with a long slide across a broad rock face, before ending with a nearly
vertical 40’ drop. I was looking forward
to checking out the fall color from the top, but it was largely obscured by the
fog.
We
waded the creek again, just upstream from the brink of
the falls. Then we descended a
switchback in the woods to the base. The
view here was fog-free, and lovely.
After some photos, we continued downstream a short distance to campsite,
which was the perfect lunch spot. Afterwards,
we were getting ready to leave when I decided to walk back down to the
creek. There I found the ideal vantage
point for photos. The waterfall was
visible, and there was a lovely cascade in the foreground. And the base of the falls was a riot of fall
color.
After
more photos, we continued downstream to another creek crossing. Just beyond, we reached the brink of Chestnut
Branch Falls – another sliding cascade across a steep rock face. There was no fog here, so we were able to
enjoy the view. Then we hiked the trail
down adjacent to the falls. When we
reached the bottom, we bushwhacked over to a pool at the base of the
falls. The view from here is nice, but I
actually like it better from the top.
Either way, it’s fairly minor compared to other waterfalls in the area.
We
returned to the top of Chestnut Branch Falls and picked up the North Harper
Creek Falls Access Trail. We climbed
steeply, before leveling off on an old grade.
Uneventful hiking led to an old homesite,
complete with an impressive chimney. We
reached the forest road, and picked up the Little Lost Cove Cliffs Trail. It led us up through an old apple
orchard. Once upon a time we would hike
here in October and harvest wild apples.
However, we didn’t find any on our last couple of visits. I thought the trees were no longer producing,
so I was thrilled to find some apples this time. Unfortunately almost all of them had been on
the ground too long and were rotten. I
did find one that was edible, and it was delicious! It was small, but I still shared some of it
with Johnny and Brenda.
From
there we climbed the rest of the way up to the cliffs. Unfortunately, the whole area was completely
fogged in. We will have to return to see
the views! The view from there is one of
the best in the state, particularly at the peak of fall color:
From
the cliffs we descended back down to the forest road. A short walk up the road returned us to our
cars. It was great hiking with Brenda
and Johnny again!
Back to North Carolina's High Country
Back to North Carolina
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!