BEWARE OF THE GRASSHOPPER
This weekend brought possibly a new record for last minute decision-making. We originally thought we’d canoe on Saturday, but that was washed out. So, late Saturday night we decided to go for a hike instead. We overcame a great deal of indifference and decided to hike a section of the MST east of Asheville. We drove up early Sunday morning and found the trailhead at Craven Gap. Then we endured some painfully slow traffic and ran a shuttle up to the Craggy Gardens picnic grounds. By 10:15 we were finally on the trail.
The first part of the hike took us through a jungle-like forest close to the Parkway. The wildflowers were the highlight of this section of trail. Spiderwort dominated, but there were many other species to be seen as well. We even passed some prickly pear cactus. That was odd, but the real strangeness was only about to begin.
As we hiked, we found that the forest was alive with grasshoppers. They were everywhere. Then, as we were traversing a steep hillside, the attack began. Grasshoppers began hopping across the trail. I don’t mean by the handful, I mean by the hundreds. Maybe thousands. We’re talking Hitchcockian proportions here. It was like a bad horror movie. They blotted out the sun. We had grasshoppers in our hair, our packs, and down our shirts. It was very important to keep your mouth closed as you hiked. The sound of them was deafening. We had walked into a literal plague of grasshoppers. Isn’t a plague of grasshoppers one of the seven signs of the apocalypse? No, I think that was locusts. Well, it’s something like that.
Somehow we survived. We were alive, though probably emotionally damaged. I’ll never look at a grasshopper the same. We hiked on, and found a pink lady slipper near a road crossing. From there we climbed away from the Parkway and reached the former site of Rattlesnake Lodge. There were several ruins there, including a couple of foundations, the remains of a springhouse, and a chimney. We found a sunny clearing, which made a great spot for lunch. It was a cool day, and we enjoyed hot soup from a thermos before continuing the hike.
We left the lodge behind, and the real climb began. We reached a ridge, but continued to roller coaster from peak to gap. The wildflowers continued to impress us. We found firepink and tons of Mayapples. The trillium was mostly gone, but we found Flame Azalea, Rhododendron, and Laurel already in bloom.
We reached rock outcrops on Lane Pinnacle, and our first views of the day. It was a crisp, clear day, and the vistas to the south and east were excellent. Graybeard Mountain was across from us, and far below were the waters of Beetree Reservoir.
We descended rapidly from the summit, and reached the parkway. From there it was one more climb through the woods to the picnic area. This stretch was especially rewarding, as the trail was lined with Bluets and Large White Trillium. We finished our 10 mile hike at 5pm, and then it was on to Black Mountain for dinner at My Father’s Pizza. We enjoyed pizza and stromboli, with all kinds of exotic toppings. But no Grasshoppers.
Back to North Carolina's Black Mountains
Back to North Carolina
Back to Hiking and Backpacking Trip Reports
Please remember to Leave No Trace!