The path less traveled
Christy and I decided to hike Greybeard Mountain last weekend. We wanted to get up high where the leaves were turning, despite the cold weather. Originally, we planned to approach the mountain from Montreat, but on Sunday morning I reconsidered. Instead, we decided to go with the ridge route from the Parkway.
When we arrived at the trailhead, we could see snow up on Mitchell, Clingman’s Peak, and Potato Knob. Down on the Parkway, it was cold and windy enough without having to go higher. We started the hike on the Old Toll Road, which was the only route to Mt. Mitchell before the Parkway was built. We followed the gravel road around the Pinnacle and below Rocky Knobs. Along the way we passed through a section of private property complete with campers and hunter’s cabins. We did pass 3 guys on atv’s, but they seemed friendly and were driving in a courteous manner.
When I planned the hike, I didn’t have much more than a vague idea how far we’d have to go on the Old Toll Road. I was surprised when we reached Pot Cove Gap (another of my favorite mountain names) after only an hour and a half. At the gap, we turned right onto the Trestle Road (an old railroad grade) at a blue marker that indicated the Greybeard Mountain Trail. Soon we turned off the railroad grade and began to climb a rough footpath. A small stream provided water for the dog, and soon afterwards we arrived at the Greybeard Mountain shelter. I had originally planned lunch here, but the weather had warmed up a little, so we walked out to the cliffs of Big Walker Knob. From the cliffs we had an outstanding view looking out over Montreat to the south. There was nothing but waves of blue mountains as far as the eye could see.
After lunch, we finished the climb up to the summit of Greybeard. From the top, we had spectacular views of the Black Mountains to the north and Mackey Mountain and Green Knob to the east. After a short break, we began the real adventure. We hiked down a steep faint path that required a great deal of faith. I had hiked it previously, otherwise I would never have trusted it. Once off the summit, we followed a narrow ridgecrest with the Asheville Watershed off to our west. We fought through a lot of thorns, but didn’t have much trouble reaching Rocky Knobs. Along the way we passed large piles of bear scat every 50 feet or so. I’d never seen so much bear scat on a hike! Some of it looked quite fresh, but at least it wasn’t steaming.
We climbed to the exposed summit of Rocky Knobs for more great views, especially west to the Craggy Mountains. Afterwards, we attempted to follow the ridge north toward the Pinnacle. I had done this previously from the opposite direction, but this time I lost the path in a thicket. Since I had left the map in the car (along with my hat and gloves and extra roll of film) we decided to play it safe and return to the Old Toll Road. We hiked down a fairly clear trail, and back up the road. As we neared the Parkway though, I decided to take in one more summit. I followed a rough and faint path steeply up the east side of the Pinnacle. The upper end of the route required a little minor rock climbing, but soon I was on one of my favorite summits. I enjoyed 360 degree views that included the Black Mountains, the Craggies, Grandfather Mountain, Hawksbill and Table Rock. I also enjoyed the fall colors, which were beginning to show above 5000’ feet. In another week, they should be nearing the peak at the higher elevations.
I didn’t linger long on The Pinnacle. The temperature was dropping again, and a fierce wind was threatening to blow me off the top. I hiked down another route, following the north ridge back to the Old Toll Road. From there, it was a short walk back to meet Christy and Saucony at the car on the Parkway.
This was another great hike, with the first real cold weather of the season. The fall colors added beauty to an already spectacular area. Navigating the ridgeline from Greybeard back to the Pinnacle was a great adventure. Best of all, we didn’t see any other hikers on a sunny day in the middle of the prime tourist season. We’re looking forward to getting back to the area soon. Perhaps a winter backpacking trip to Greybeard is in order.
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