CHANGING PLANS
Last week Myron, Dorcas,
Bob, and the dogs, Saucony and Izzak, joined me on my first hike of 2007. Initially we planned to hike a section of
the Mountains To Sea Trail in the Craggy Mountains. However, we were all able to fit into Dorcas’ new Honda
Element. Since we only had one car, a
shuttle hike wasn’t possible. As we
headed west, I contemplated our options.
By the time we reached Black Mountain, we’d settled on a backup plan –
an out and back hike from Craggy Gardens to Snowball Mountain. At least that sounded like an appropriate
destination for a January hike, despite recent weather more reminiscent of
spring. After all, it was supposed to
be over 70 degrees in Charlotte that day.
We parked at the Craggy
Gardens Visitor Center. Beyond this
point, the Blue Ridge Parkway is closed for the winter. When we got out of the car, thoughts of
spring-like weather vanished from our minds.
It was chilly there, more than a mile above sea level, and the wind was
howling through the gap between Craggy Gardens and Craggy Pinnacle. Just getting our gear organized in those
conditions was a challenge. It was a
relief to get into the woods, although the tree cover did little to diminish
the wind.
We went all of 20 yards
before someone called for a conference.
The idea of hiking along a ridge in those conditions was
unappealing. Were there any other
options? As it turns out, the trail to
Douglas Falls starts in the same place.
That hike promised more shelter, as it leads down into the valley west
of Craggy Gardens. Everyone agreed to
another change in plans. We were still
in sight of the parking lot, and we’d already changed our route twice!
We hiked a short distance to
a junction, and picked up the Mountains To Sea Trail heading north. We descended a rocky and occasionally
slippery trail for some distance before we reached a marked junction. Here we left the MST behind, and resumed the
descent on the Douglas Falls Trail.
It wasn’t long before we
crossed the first of several streams running off Craggy Pinnacle. These streams are usually insignificant, but
recent heavy rains had resulted in high water.
The first crossing was simple, but the next one featured a rushing
torrent that was just wide enough that it couldn’t be jumped. The crossing was in the middle of a long
slide, so a slip there could’ve been nasty.
I arrived at the crossing last and surveyed the scene. The water was shallow, and it looked like
I’d be able to step into the middle of the creek without soaking my boot. I was wrong. The force of the water was more powerful than expected, and it
instantly climbed my leg and breached the top of my boot! I felt better about it when I found out that
everyone else had done exactly the same thing.
This stream crossing was the only carnage from the hike, except for
Bob’s attempt at head butting a low hanging tree limb.
We were able to rock hop the
remaining stream crossings. We
descended through an area of large (old growth, I think) hemlocks and arrived
at a scenic campsite situated between several huge boulders. One boulder has a large tree growing on top
of it, while another is easily the size of a two-story house. We contemplated stopping there for lunch,
but the waterfall beckoned.
We descended a couple of
switchbacks and arrived at the base of Douglas Falls. This waterfall is on a fairly small creek, but the recent rains
had significantly increased its volume.
The creek spills out over an 80’ cliff in a true freefall. This type of waterfall is uncommon in the
southeast, as most of our waterfalls are really cascades. Due to its nature, it is possible to walk
behind the waterfall. I did that, and
explored the falls from every conceivable angle in search of some good
photographs. It was a fairly sunny day,
but there was enough shade in the gorge that I was able to get some decent
photos.
We had lunch, but a chilly
breeze and spray from the falls prevented us from lingering there for
long. We headed back, and quickly
warmed as we ascended out of the gorge.
On the way out, we were startled by the amount of oncoming traffic. We saw 10 or 12 people along the trail
before reaching the junction with the southbound MST through Craggy
Gardens. One gentleman was trail
running, which seemed a little crazy to me on that rocky trail. That wasn’t nearly as bad as the couple we
passed that was hiking barefoot!
Sometimes you see some amazing things when you get close to the
trailhead.
At the junction the guys
decided to add to the hike with a brief tour of Craggy Gardens. The morning chill and vicious winds were
long gone, having been replaced by a surprisingly warm afternoon. Dorcas decided she’d had enough though, and
headed back to the car. We headed up
through the woods before reaching the heath balds Craggy Gardens is named
for. The area features abundant
rhododendron among the open meadows.
Normally, the rhododendron blooms in mid to late June. As warm as it has been this winter though,
we wouldn’t have been surprised to find some blossoms already!
We stopped at an overlook
with a nice view before heading back.
We arrived at the trailhead, and were stunned to find the large parking
area nearly full. I’d never seen that
many cars there, even in June.
Apparently, dozens of folks had decided to take advantage of the warm,
sunny day with a visit to the Parkway or Mount Mitchell. Unfortunately, since the section of the
Parkway south of Mitchell is closed, the tourists heading that way found their
route blocked. As a result, it seems
that everyone stopped at Craggy Gardens.
We left the madness behind
and headed home. On the way we stopped
in Morganton for dinner at Judges.
Judges recently re-opened after being rebuilt following the floods from
the hurricanes a couple of years ago. I
was pleased to find almost everything the same. Even the bathroom in the upper seating area is still frigid! Dinner at Judges brought a fitting end to a
nice hike on what turned out to be a lovely day.
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